Free template
Opening and closing checklist template
The two routines that decide how the rest of the day goes. Safety checks and setup in the morning, sweep and secure at night, each with a line for initials.
- Opening column and closing column on one page, so nothing gets missed at either end
- Safety items first: exits, gates, outlets, water temperature, first aid kit
- An initials box per task, which is what makes a checklist more than a poster
- Room to add the two or three items unique to your building
PDF, one page, letter size. Print weekly and post it by the entry.
Get the template
Tell us where to send it and the file is yours. We send the template and the occasional new one, nothing else.
Sequenced the way a real morning and evening run
Opening safety sweep
Exits clear, gates latched, no standing water, nothing new within reach. Done before the first child walks in.
Environment checks
Room temperature, hot water, ventilation, and anything your licensor spot-checks on a walkthrough.
Room setup
Activity areas ready, sanitizer mixed and dated, cots and cribs where they belong.
Arrival readiness
Attendance sheet out, allergy list visible, staff assignments posted for the day.
Closing sweep
Every room walked, bathrooms checked, laundry started, refrigerator temperature logged.
Secure and lock
Doors, windows, alarm, lights, and a final count that confirms every child left with an adult.
How to make a checklist that people actually use
Checklists fail when they are long, vague, or unsigned. Short and initialed beats thorough and ignored.
Keep it to one page. If it takes longer to read than to do, staff will initial the whole column at once and you will learn nothing.
Put safety items at the top. The order is the training. Whatever is first is what gets done on the mornings that go sideways.
Initial as you go and file it Friday. A week of initialed sheets is the cleanest evidence you have that the routine is real.
Opening and closing routines, answered
Is a checklist required by licensing?
Not usually as a document, though many of the individual checks are required and some states expect written logs for things like water temperature or refrigerator temperature. Ask which of your checks need a record.
Who should sign it?
Whoever did the checks. If two people split the morning, both initial their own rows rather than one person signing for the pair.
Can we adapt it for a home program?
Yes, and most home programs cut about a third of it. Cross out what does not apply and add the items specific to your house, like the basement door or the dog gate.
How do we keep it from becoming automatic?
Rotate who opens, and change one item a quarter based on what actually went wrong. A checklist that never changes stops being read.
Daily routines that log themselves
Assign the opening and closing checks in the app and each one records who did it and when, so the follow-up conversation starts with facts.