Linking your child to their class

If your child's class reads with TaleTykes, you can link a TaleTykes account of your own to your child's reading at school. The teacher can email you an invitation, or you can ask to join with the class code. Once linked, you see that one child's school reading, and nothing about other children.

Classes are opening soon, so there is nothing to link yet. The "At school" section described below is not shown on your home page until classes open, and an invitation link cannot be used before then.

Accept the teacher's invitation

1. Open the email from the teacher. Its subject reads like "Link Maya R.'s school reading to your account". Choose "Link my account".
2. Sign in with the same email address the teacher sent it to. If you do not have an account yet, create one for free. Either way, open the link in the email again once you are signed in.
3. The page shows the class and school, with "You will see" and "You will not see or change".
4. If your child is also one of your own readers, you can choose them under "Is this one of your readers? (optional)". You can leave it empty.
5. Choose the button that reads like "Link Maya R. to my account". If this is not your child, choose "This is not my child" to leave without linking, and tell the teacher.

The link works once, for 7 days, and only for an account with the email address it was sent to. If it has run out, the page says "This link cannot be used", and you can ask the teacher to send a new invitation. If you are signed in with a different address, the link is refused when you press the button.

Before a new account can open its home page, where "At school" is, it is asked to read the notice to parents and finish the grown-up check with a card. See Why we ask for a card.

Ask to join with the class code

1. On your home page, find "At school", then "Join your child's class".
2. Under "Class code", type the code from the teacher. It is six letters and numbers.
3. Under "Your child's name as the teacher knows it", type their first name and last initial, like Maya R.
4. Choose "Ask to join".

You are told which class and school the code belongs to, and the request is listed under "Waiting for a teacher". The teacher links you once they know who you are, and chooses which student is your child. A request that nobody answers ends after 14 days. If the code is wrong, you see "That class code did not match a class. Check it with the teacher."

What you will and will not see

Once linked, "At school" shows a card for your child. A link on it, such as "See Maya's school reading", opens a read-only page with:

• minutes read, books finished and days with reading in the last seven days;
• what their teacher has set, and whether they have started it;
• the books they read with their class, and the books they made at school.

You will not see anything about other students, your child's answers to the teacher's questions, the class's settings, or the words behind a safety alert. You cannot change anything about the class. If your child writes something that needs a grown-up, we email you what kind of thing it was, and the school keeps their words. See Safety alerts for a class.

A teacher can invite up to 4 grown-ups for one student.

Reading school books at home

If the teacher allows reading at home, your child's card shows a button such as "Read Maya's class books here". It opens their sign-in on your device, and sets the device up for your account if it needs it. Your child then signs in with the pictures or PIN from their school card. If the class stops allowing it, or the link ends, your child is signed out.

Your family reader and the school reader stay separate

The reader your child uses at school belongs to the school, and it is separate from any reader you added yourself. Books your child reads at home as your own reader stay private from the school, and school reading does not use your plan's books. Linking does not move anything between the two.

Ask the school about their records, or unlink

The school keeps your child's school reading, so the school decides what happens to it.

1. On your child's school reading page, find "Ask the school about their records".
2. Under "What would you like", choose "A copy of their records", "Something corrected" or "Their records deleted", and add a note if you want to.
3. Choose "Send to the school", then "Send it". The school answers within 30 days, and a request cannot be taken back once it is sent.

To stop seeing your child's school reading, choose "Unlink" at the top of the same page, then "Unlink" again. Their class and teacher are not affected, and the teacher can invite you again.

Where to go next

Help in your dashboard is the quickest way to reach us. If you are not signed in, write to support@taletykes.com or use Contact.