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Surprise! Some of you might have noticed we added a sneaky new feature to EC-SWIS. Well, it's time we made that feature official.
Until now, your process for documenting behavioral incidents in EC-SWIS relied on a paper shuffle between teachers, program directors, and data entry staff.
No more!
We're excited to announce that EC-SWIS now gives you the option to set up paperless incident workflows inside the application. With paperless incident workflows, you capture the efficiency of your actual process right inside your EC-SWIS account, minus all that paper.
The first thing to know is: Turning on workflows in your EC-SWIS account is optional. If you’re happy with your current process, keep using it! However, if you’ve been wanting to take your process paperless, now is the time! Tell your EC-SWIS Admin to head to Program Settings and turn it on with the flick of a switch.
Are you ready to hear the details? Keep reading.
What You Can Expect with This Release
Each program has a process for handling behavior incidents — a way an incident moves from the classroom to complete in EC-SWIS. Now you can manage that process digitally, automatically, by enabling workflows in your EC-SWIS account.
EC-SWIS workflows let teachers enter incidents directly into EC-SWIS and then assign them to a program director for an administrative follow-up. Directors get an email notification AND an in-app notification letting them know when they have an incident waiting for their review. They complete any missing information and save the incident to EC-SWIS. There are a few ways you can tailor your workflow settings to match your program's existing process.
Save an Incident Without a Review
If teachers handle all documented behaviors from start to finish in their room, now they can do the same in EC-SWIS. Simply enable the setting to let them complete their classroom-managed incidents in EC-SWIS without requiring a review first.
Name Your Own Reviewers
We know workflows will look different in each program. Some of you might want to have directors set up as reviewers. Others might want someone else added. That's why we're putting the control in your hands to name your program's reviewers. A reviewer is anyone in your program who decides an administrative follow-up, or anyone who can take a quick look over submitted incidents and verify they're complete. Any user with Data Entry access or higher is eligible for this new role.
New User Access Alert: Incident Entry Only
Do you want your teachers to enter their incidents directly into EC-SWIS? When your program starts using incident workflows, it gets a new user access level just for this purpose: Incident Entry Only.
We created this access level specifically with teachers in mind. The only thing Incident Entry Only users can do inside EC-SWIS is enter incidents. Their views inside the application aren't cluttered up with windows unrelated to the data entry task and all reports remain confidential. If your school wants teachers to enter their incidents directly into EC-SWIS, this is the access level they'll need. Hey Facilitators! Before you go adding Incident Entry Only users in SAMI, make sure the program has enabled workflows in EC-SWIS first.
Set Up Incident Entry Only Users Inside EC-SWIS
EC-SWIS Admin users, listen up: You are the ones who get to set up Incident Entry Only users…and you do it right within the comforts of your program's EC-SWIS account. Head up to the Tools Menu and select User Management. Select the teachers to set up and send them an invitation to join your team! The process couldn't be easier and it's all at your own fingertips!
We know you're looking for efficient processes that save your program time and resources. There's no reason for you to use paper incident forms when paperless options surround every other aspect of your day. EC-SWIS workflows give your program options for managing incidents, setting up teachers with their own logins, and naming who reviews incidents in your building. Talk to your team and come up with a plan for making the switch to paperless incidents!
For more resources and information about setting up workflows for your program, check out these links. Note: These resources were first created to support SWIS paperless referral workflows, but they will help you navigate setting up incident workflows in EC-SWIS:
- All or Nothing: Strategies to Roll Out Paperless Referrals
- 6 Questions Everyone’s Asking About Paperless Referrals
- How-to videos for setting up workflows
Upcoming EC-SWIS Webinars & On-demand Trainings
Paperless Referral/Incident Entry for Facilitators: What You Need to Know to Support Schools
This 1-hour webinar guides EC-SWIS facilitators through how to support their programs to implement paperless incident entry and workflows.
Paperless Referral/Incident Entry for SWIS or EC-SWIS Users
This 1-hour webinar teaches program-level users about the features of paperless incident entry and how to implement workflows.
EC-SWIS Application Overview & Exploration
This 1-hour webinar provides an overview EC-SWIS.
EC-SWIS Facilitator Add-on Endorsement
This 2.5-hour webinar prepares currently certified SWIS Facilitators to support local early childhood programs and sites implementing the EC-SWIS application.
Free, On-demand Training Modules
Anyone needing a full overview or even just a refresher on how to use EC-SWIS has access to these free, online, self-guided training modules anytime that’s convenient.