Setup
How does ParentDeck get my school email?
You set up forwarding once in your email account. School, team, and activity emails then go to your family’s private ParentDeck address automatically.
Which email accounts work?
Gmail, iCloud, and Outlook.com all have step-by-step setup. Any other provider that can forward by sender works with the same idea.
Yahoo: ParentDeck only sees the emails you forward yourself. Free Yahoo Mail can’t forward automatically, and Yahoo Mail Plus isn’t recommended because it forwards all of your mail, not just school email. Most work email can’t forward outside the company, so use a personal address.
Do I have to change anything in ParentSquare, Infinite Campus, or other school apps?
No. ParentDeck works with any school, team, or activity app that sends email. Nothing changes inside those apps. You only set up forwarding in your own email.
Which senders should I forward?
ParentDeck gives you the list of school senders to forward, based on your kids’ schools and activities. Add any school, team, or activity sender we missed. Common ones include:
- parentsquare.com
- infinitecampus.org
- schoology.com
- finalforms.com
- sportsyou.com
- payschools.com
- peachjar.com
- jostens.com
Your school district’s own address belongs on the list too.
Should I forward all my email?
No. Forwarding everything would send your personal mail to ParentDeck too. Forward by sender so ParentDeck only gets school, team, and activity email.
What about apps that only send phone notifications?
If it doesn’t reach your email, ParentDeck can’t see it. If the app can send you email notifications, turn them on.
What if I missed a sender?
Add it to your forwarding rule. You can also forward any single email to your ParentDeck address by hand at any time.
How sorting works
How does ParentDeck know which kid an email is for?
It reads each email and puts every item under the kid it’s about. When something is for the whole family, like a school closing, it goes under Everyone. One email can hold several items for different kids, and each one lands in the right place.
What if it puts something under the wrong kid?
Move it to the right kid. You can also tell ParentDeck to always sort that sender, or that team, to that kid. So one cheer team on sportsYou can go to one kid without sending every sportsYou email there. Tell it once, it remembers.
Can my partner or other family members use it too?
Yes. You can invite a partner, co-parent, or other family member. In Settings, under Your household, enter their email under Invite another parent and choose Send. Only the parent who set up the household can send invites. Up to four people can share one household. Each signs in with their own email, and everyone sees the same items.
What do I see when I open ParentDeck?
What needs action, what’s happening today, and what’s coming up. Items are sorted by kid, so a family with three kids in three schools sees one clear list.
Calendar and morning email
Can I see my school calendar in ParentDeck?
Yes. Events from email show on ParentDeck’s calendar next to your school district’s calendar, and you can add a team or activity calendar link too. When an email repeats an event on your school calendar, the calendar shows it once.
What is the morning email?
An optional short email at 6 AM with the day ahead. Each parent turns it on for themselves, and every morning email has a one-tap link to turn it off.
Privacy
Does ParentDeck read my whole inbox?
No. It only gets the email you forward to it. Read how we handle your email.
Is my family’s email used to train AI?
No. Under Anthropic’s commercial terms, what ParentDeck sends isn’t used to train its models. Read how we handle your email.
Does ParentDeck ever reply to the school for me?
No. ParentDeck never replies to anyone or sends email as you.
About the beta
How do I join?
Join the beta list with your email address. We’ll email you when your spot opens.
Who makes ParentDeck?
Andy and Steph, two parents with three kids in three schools. Read our story.