Daycare sign-in sheet
A free, printable sign-in and sign-out sheet for one room and one day. Each line has the child's name, the time in, the time out, and the full signature of the adult at drop-off and at pickup. It prints in black and white on US Letter.
Download the free PDF
One page, US Letter, 10 KB. No email or account.
I am a
- Center owner or director, open the PDF in a new tab
- Home provider, open the PDF in a new tab
- Teacher, open the PDF in a new tab
- Parent, open the PDF in a new tab
Tap the one that fits and the PDF opens in a new tab, ready to print or save. We count downloads by role, anonymously, to decide which form to make next.
Checked against: 26 TAC §746.631 (Texas) and 22 CCR §101229.1 (California), October 3, 2026.
How to fill it in
Before the day starts
Write your center's name, the room and the date at the top. Use one sheet per room per day, so each sheet shows who is in that room right now. Put it on a clipboard by the door with a pen on a string, where the adult dropping off can reach it without walking into the room.
At drop-off
The adult who brings the child writes the child's name and the time, then signs the drop-off column with a full signature. Initials are quicker, but California's rule asks for a full legal signature, so the sheet has room for one. Write the time from the clock the parents can see, so nobody disputes it later.
At pickup
The adult who picks the child up writes the time out and signs the pick-up column on the same line. The sheet records who signed, not whether they were allowed to: check your authorized pickup list before a child leaves with someone you don't know.
Out and back during the day
A child who leaves for an appointment and comes back gets a new line. Sign them out on the first line, then in again on the next when they return. California's rule asks for both signatures, and it keeps the sheet true to who is in the room at any moment.
Before you lock up
Check that every line with a time in also has a time out. A line without one is either a child still in the building or a missing signature, and both are worth knowing before you leave. File the sheet by date and keep it at least as long as your state requires.
Drills and emergencies
Take the day's sheets with you when you evacuate, and count against them outside. Texas's rule expects every caregiver to be able to see which children are in care, emergency evacuations included.
What the rule says
Quoted word for word from the official source, on the date shown. Not legal advice: rules change, and other states set their own.
(a) Yes. You must have a tracking system for each child coming and going from your child-care center throughout the day. This tracking system must include the name of each child; the date, time of arrival, and time of departure; and the employee or parent's initials or other unique identifier code.
(b) All caregivers must have access to the tracking system to determine which children are in care during their work shift, changes in caregivers, and emergency evacuations.
Source: Texas Administrative Code, Title 26, Chapter 746 (Minimum Standards for Child-Care Centers), Texas Secretary of State. Read October 3, 2026.
(a) In addition to the sign-in procedure requirement of Section 101226.1(b), the licensee shall develop, maintain and implement a written procedure to sign the child in/out of the child care center that shall, at a minimum, include the following:
(1) The person who signs the child in/out shall use his/her full legal signature and shall record the time of day.
(b) The person who brings the child to, and removes the child from, the center shall sign the child in/out.
(c) A person who removes the child from the center during the day, and returns the child to the center the same day, shall sign the child in/out.
(d) The sign-in and sign-out sheets with the signatures required by this section and by Section 101226.1 shall be kept for one month and shall be available at the center for review by the Department.
Source: California Code of Regulations, Title 22, Division 12, Chapter 1 (Child Care Center General Licensing Requirements), California Department of Social Services, page 137. Read October 3, 2026.
Check in on a tablet, with a sign-in record you can print
CubbyFront's kiosk checks children in and out on a tablet by the door, with the adult's signature on the screen, and keeps working when the Wi-Fi drops. Directors see who is in each room from their phone.
The kiosk keeps a sign-in record: the adult picks or types their full name and signs on the screen, and the time is saved. Directors can look at any day and print a month as one PDF with every name, time and signature. Whether it can stand in for this paper sheet is up to your licensing office, so ask them before you stop printing it.
Questions
- How long should we keep sign-in sheets?
- Your state decides. California's rule, quoted above, says one month. Ask your licensing office for yours, and keep them at least that long.
- Can a parent write initials instead of signing?
- Texas's rule accepts the employee's or parent's initials or another unique identifier code. California's asks for a full legal signature. This sheet has a column for a full signature at drop-off and another at pickup. Check what your state requires.
- What if a child leaves during the day and comes back?
- Sign them out, then sign them back in on a new line when they return. California's rule asks for both.
- Can a tablet replace the paper sheet?
- Only if your licensing office accepts it. CubbyFront's kiosk records who signed each check-in and check-out, the time and their signature, and prints a month as one PDF. Ask your licensing office before you stop printing paper.
- Is the sheet free to copy?
- Yes. Print as many as you need and share the link with other directors. No email or account required.
More free forms
Template only. Not a substitute for advice from an attorney (or your licensing representative or health consultant). Check your state's rules. Last reviewed October 3, 2026.