Digital Declarations: No More Paper Chase

Every funding period, nurseries across the country print declaration forms, hand them to parents, wait for them to come back, chase the ones that don't, decipher handwriting, manually enter data, and file the paper somewhere safe.

It's a process that hasn't changed in decades. And it doesn't need to be this way.

The paper declaration problem

Paper declarations create several challenges:

Time: Printing, distributing, collecting, chasing, entering data—each step takes staff time that could be spent elsewhere.

Errors: Handwriting misread. Fields left blank. Dates written ambiguously. Every error creates queries later.

Lost forms: Forms get lost in book bags, left in car seats, or buried under other paperwork. Then you're printing and chasing again.

Storage: You need to keep declarations for audit purposes. That means filing, labelling, and storing paper for years.

No visibility: Until a form comes back, you don't know if the parent received it, started it, or forgot entirely.

How digital declarations work

Parents receive an invitation

When you need a declaration, the parent receives an email with a secure link. No app to download, no account to create—just a link that works on any device.

A guided form experience

The digital form walks parents through exactly what's needed:

• Child details (pre-filled where possible)
• Funding type selection with clear explanations
• Eligibility code entry with validation
• Terms and conditions with proper consent capture
• Digital signature

Parents can save progress and return later. They can complete it on their phone while waiting for the kettle to boil.

Real-time visibility

As soon as a parent starts a declaration, you can see it in the portal. You know who's completed, who's in progress, and who hasn't started. No more wondering if forms are sitting in book bags.

Automatic validation

Eligibility codes are validated against expected formats. Required fields must be completed. Dates must make sense. Errors are caught before submission, not during your data entry.

Instant data capture

When a parent submits, the data flows straight into your funding records. No manual entry. No transcription errors. The declaration is timestamped and stored securely.

Built-in audit trail

Every declaration is stored digitally with a complete audit trail: when it was sent, when it was viewed, when it was completed, what was submitted. If anyone ever queries a claim, you have the evidence instantly accessible.

What parents think

We've heard consistent feedback from parents using digital declarations:

"So much easier than printing and scanning forms."

"I did it on my phone in two minutes."

"I actually knew what I was signing this time."

Parents appreciate clear explanations of what different funding types mean, rather than jargon-filled paper forms.

The numbers

Settings using digital declarations report:

• Declaration completion in days rather than weeks
• Near-zero data entry errors
• Dramatically reduced time spent chasing
• Confident audit responses

Try it yourself

Our demo environment includes the full parent declaration flow. See exactly what parents experience and how the data appears in your portal.

Demo site: demo-funding.earlytree.co.uk Username: admin@nurseryfunding.local Password: Admin@123!

The paper chase ends here.