We’ve made it easier for new families to feel at home before their child’s first day. With our new in-app communication experience, upcoming parents can access a personalised welcome screen in the Famly app. This helps them start building early connections with their child’s nursery and gives them a clear way to reach out with any questions.
The feature keeps parents informed, reassured, and included, while helping nurseries manage new starter communications efficiently.
How Your New Starter Messaging Team Works
Parents who are enrolled but haven’t yet started at your setting will see a New Starter widget on their Famly app homepage. This includes:
A personalised welcome message
A list of core contacts (for example, the nursery site manager or other assigned key staff)
A Get in contact button that opens a simple messaging screen
Quick-select reasons for contacting the nursery
A view of the nursery newsfeed so they can feel included from day one
What Can Parents Contact the Nursery About?
When parents click Get in contact, they can select from the following topics:
Health & wellbeing
Status of enrolment
Funding & pricing
Request a meeting
Change of circumstances
General enquiry
Configuring the Messaging Team
You can manage which staff members receive and reply to messages from new starter parents. Typically, this will be the site manager or onboarding team.
To set this up:
Go to Settings → Messaging → New Starters Messaging Team in Famly
Select the staff members who should receive new starter messages
These team members will be the only ones notified of new messages
Update the team as needed for staff changes, holidays, or illness
Important:
Messages from parents create a group chat with the staff selected at the time the message is sent
Updating your team later does not change existing chats
Original chats remain with the staff who were selected when the conversation started
New chats will include the updated team
💡 Finalise your onboarding contact team before promoting the feature to families to ensure smooth communication.
What Will New Parents See?
The New Starter experience in Famly includes:
1. Nursery Newsfeed
Parents can see and react to posts shared by the nursery even before their child starts.
2. Welcome Widget
A clear callout on the home screen with a warm welcome message and a Get in contact button.
3. Contact Modal
A simple screen where parents select a reason for contacting the nursery and write their message. This keeps communication quick, clear, and reassuring.
FAQs
Can parents contact the nursery before their start date?
Yes. The feature is designed to help families feel connected and confident from enrolment onwards.
Can parents choose who to message?
No. Parents contact the onboarding team as a whole. Individual staff cannot be contacted separately.
Can we customise the contact reasons?
Not at this stage. The list of reasons is fixed to ensure consistent communication and reporting.
What if I haven’t selected anyone for the New Starters Messaging Team?
Parents will not see a Get in contact button or staff until your team has been set up internally.
This feature is designed to reduce new parent anxiety, improve engagement, and make the transition from enquiry to enrolment and the first day smoother for children and families.
Let us know if you have any questions. We’re here to help in-app or at support@famly.co