How to Add Staff Members
The Staff management system allows you to register and manage staff members in the nursery management system. This process includes viewing all staff, adding new members, and configuring their profiles, schedules, and key child assignments.
Staff List Overview
The main Staff page displays a comprehensive list of all staff members in your nursery setting. This view provides quick access to essential information and management tools.

The staff list displays the following information in a table format:
- Name: Staff member’s full name with their initials shown in the first column
- Status: Current activation status (Active, Pending, or Inactive)
- Role: Staff member’s position (Manager, Staff, etc.)
- Email: Contact email address
- Actions: Edit, delete, and additional management options
Adding New Staff
To add a new staff member, click the Add Staff Member button in the top right corner of the staff list.
Adding a New Staff Member
When you click Add Staff Member, you’ll be taken to the staff profile creation form. The workflow for adding staff follows these steps:

Step 1: Create Profile (Required First)
When adding a new staff member, you will only see the Profile tab initially. The Schedule tab becomes available only after you save the staff member’s basic profile information.

Important: You must save the staff member’s profile information before you can access the Schedule tab. This ensures the staff member exists in the system before configuring their working schedule.
Personal Details
This section collects the staff member’s basic information including:
- Profile Picture: Upload a photo for easy identification
- First Name: The staff member’s first name
- Surname: The staff member’s last name
- Email: Contact email address for communications
- Phone Number: Primary contact number
- Role: Select the staff member’s position:
- Manager: Full access to all aspects of the Pigeonhole system including admin functions
- Staff: Access to main nursery features (register, observations, child profiles)
Accurate personal details are essential for identification, communication, and record-keeping purposes.
Key Children
The Key Children section allows you to assign specific children to the staff member as their key person. This is important for:
- Establishing primary care relationships
- Ensuring continuity of care
- Meeting regulatory requirements for key person assignments
You can easily add or remove key child assignments using the interface. Each child assigned will have the staff member as their primary point of contact and care coordinator.
Step 2: Configure Schedule (After Saving Profile)
Once you’ve saved the staff member’s profile, the Schedule tab becomes available. This is where you configure the staff member’s working schedule.

Staff Schedule Management
The schedule section displays all configured working periods for the staff member, showing:
- Date Range: When each schedule period is active (e.g., “01 Jan 2025 -”)
- Time Periods: The working hours for each shift (e.g., “13:00:00 - 16:00:00”, “08:00:00 - 12:30:00”)
- Room Assignment: Which room the staff member is assigned to during each period
- Days: The days of the week the schedule applies to (Mon, Tue, Wed, etc.)
You can add multiple schedule entries to accommodate complex working patterns, split shifts, or different room assignments throughout the day.
Adding a New Schedule
When you click Add Schedule, a dialog opens that allows you to configure all aspects of a staff member’s working schedule:

Date Configuration:
- Start Date: When the schedule becomes active (required)
- End Date: When the schedule ends (optional - leave blank for ongoing schedules)
Work Schedule Entries: Each schedule can contain multiple work entries for different times and rooms. For each entry you can configure:
- Start Time / End Time: The working hours for this period
- Room: Which room the staff member will be assigned to during this time
- Days of the Week: Toggle buttons for Mon-Sun to select which days this schedule applies
Multiple Schedule Entries: You can click Add Entry to create additional work periods within the same schedule. This is useful for:
- Split shifts (e.g., morning and afternoon sessions)
- Working in different rooms at different times
- Complex scheduling arrangements
On the schedule page there are additional actions to help make managing schedules easier
- Edit: Modify an existing schedule using the pencil icon
- Copy: Duplicate a schedule to create similar entries using the copy icon
- Delete: Remove a schedule using the bin icon

Staff Activation States
Staff members can have one of three activation states, which control their access to the system:
Active Status
- Green “Active” badge: Staff member has full access to the system
- Can log in and use all assigned features
- Receives system notifications and communications
Pending Status
- Yellow “Pending” badge: Staff member account has been sent an activation email but the staff member has not yet activated
Inactive Status
- Red “Inactive” badge: Staff member account is deactivated and no activation email has been sent
You can change activation states using the action buttons in the staff list or when editing individual staff profiles.

Managing Existing Staff
From the main staff list, you can:
- Search: Use the search bar to quickly find specific staff members
- Edit: Click the edit icon to modify staff details and schedules
- Delete: Remove staff members.
- Change Status: Activate or deactivate staff members