What this daycare attendance sheet is for
The attendance sheet answers who attended on each service day. Use a sign-in sheet for arrivals and a sign-in-and-out sheet when both drop-off and pickup times and adults must be documented.
When to use it
Prepare a new sheet for each month and classroom or provider group. Mark status daily from the program's reliable source and reconcile differences before calculating monthly totals.
Who completes it
Authorized staff maintain the roster and status codes, then initial and review totals. Families may provide absence information, but the program is responsible for its official attendance record.
Fields included in the template
The printable form groups the work into 3 clear sections. Use the field list to compare it with your program's current packet and any official document you must keep.
Month and classroom
- Month, year, provider or classroom
- Codes
Monthly attendance grid
- Roster and daily status
Review
- Notes and corrections
- Staff initials and completion date
5 structured field groups power both this preview and the downloadable PDF.
How to complete the form
- 1
Enter the month, year, provider or classroom, and the roster before the period begins.
- 2
Define the P, A, L, and E codes and mark one clear status for each scheduled day.
- 3
Use notes for closures or an explanation that affects interpretation, not sensitive health details.
- 4
Reconcile the grid with arrival or billing records according to program policy.
- 5
Calculate child totals and complete the staff review initials.
What a completed record might capture
The Sunflower room's September sheet lists 12 children. Staff mark program closure days in the note, use L only when attendance occurred after the program's threshold, reconcile an absence entered incorrectly, and calculate each child's monthly present total.
The names and details in this example are fictional. Use factual, program-specific information on the actual form.
Common mistakes to catch
- Mixing attendance status with exact custody-transfer records
- Using blank cells for both absence and program closure
- Changing an entry without an audit note
- Including diagnosis details in the monthly notes
- Calculating totals before reconciling the daily source
Storage, review, and follow-up
Attendance can affect licensing, subsidy, meal, tax, and billing records. Follow each applicable retention and correction rule, restrict roster access, and preserve supporting sign-in records when required.
Confirm the attendance format and retention period required by your licensing, subsidy, meal, tax, and funding programs; an official system or form may be mandatory.