Question 1

What is FamilySlate?

Accepted Answer

One shared calendar for a family, wherever everyone lives. Grown-ups suggest events, an admin approves them, and the approved calendar is the version everybody trusts. It also keeps a written record of what was asked and agreed, and a place to celebrate what the children do well.

Question 2

Who is it for?

Accepted Answer

Married families, blended families, separated parents across two homes, and the grandparents, stepparents and caregivers who help. Everyone can take part with the level of access your family chooses.

Question 3

How do I set it up?

Accepted Answer

Create your calendar, add the children and grown-ups by name, then invite the people who need their own sign-in. Anyone you invite gets a code that joins them straight to your calendar.

Question 4

Do I need an app?

Accepted Answer

No. FamilySlate opens in the browser on a phone, tablet or computer, and you can add it to your home screen.

Question 5

How do I move around the calendar?

Accepted Answer

Swipe or tap left and right to change month, pick a different year from the dropdown, and tap Today to come straight back. You can look at a month grid or a simple list.

Question 6

What kinds of events are there?

Accepted Answer

Appointments and reminders, school, extracurriculars and clubs, Home A, Home B, travel, birthdays and holidays. Each kind has its own colour and small icon so a glance tells you what a day looks like.

Question 7

Can I add travel details?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Travel events hold an emergency contact, an itinerary, more than one location, and can run across several days with or without set times.

Question 8

Can I say who is dropping off and picking up?

Accepted Answer

Appointments, school, clubs and Home A / Home B events all have optional drop-off and pick-up notes.

Question 9

How do I say who an event is for?

Accepted Answer

Tag any event with one person, several people, or Everyone. Each person shows as their initials on the event so you can scan the month quickly.

Question 10

Are holidays included?

Accepted Answer

Yes. In settings you can switch on the holidays your family marks and leave the rest off.

Question 11

Can I bring events in from somewhere else?

Accepted Answer

You can add events from a file rather than typing each one in.

Question 12

How does someone add an event?

Accepted Answer

They fill in the event and send it for approval. It appears on the calendar in grey straight away so nobody double-books, and turns to its normal colour once it's approved.

Question 13

What can the approver do?

Accepted Answer

Approve it, change something and approve it, ask for changes with a note, or decline it with a reason. The person who suggested it sees what happened.

Question 14

Can we change an event that is already on the calendar?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Anyone with permission can suggest a change to an existing event, and it goes through the same approval.

Question 15

What are the three levels?

Accepted Answer

Admin runs the calendar and approves everything. Primary can suggest events and give High Fives. Secondary can see what you allow and give High Fives. Only the admin can change what anyone is allowed to do.

Question 16

Can someone be listed without signing in?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can add a grown-up or a child by name so they can be tagged on events, without giving them their own sign-in.

Question 17

Can one person be part of more than one calendar?

Accepted Answer

Yes. If someone helps with two families, they can switch between calendars or see them together in one view.

Question 18

What gets written down?

Accepted Answer

Every suggestion, approval, edit, request for a change and decline, with who did it, when, and any reason given.

Question 19

Can I take the records with me?

Accepted Answer

Yes. Records and the calendar itself can be downloaded as a spreadsheet or a PDF, laid out so they're easy to read and hand over.

Question 20

What is a High Five?

Accepted Answer

A short note celebrating something a child did well, with a star rating. Catch them doing something great and celebrate the wins together.

Question 21

Where do they show up?

Accepted Answer

Each child has their own feed and star total, so the good weeks are easy to see.

Question 22

Can I see this in my usual calendar app?

Accepted Answer

Yes. You can create private links for everything, for one child, or for a single kind of event, and add them to the calendar app you already use.

Question 23

What if a link goes to the wrong person?

Accepted Answer

Switch that link off at any time and it stops working straight away. Everyone else's links keep working.

Question 24

Is there a free trial?

Accepted Answer

Yes — 14 days, with nothing to pay to start.

Question 25

What do the plans cost?

Accepted Answer

Up to 5 people: $7.99 a month or $79.99 a year. That covers 5 sign-ins and up to 15 names on the calendar. More than 5 people: $10.99 a month or $110 a year, for bigger and blended households.

Question 26

Who pays?

Accepted Answer

An admin pays for the whole calendar — everyone else joins at no extra cost. Moving between plans changes the existing payment rather than charging you twice.

Question 27

I have a discount code

Accepted Answer

There's a code box on the payment screen — enter it before you finish and the price updates.

Question 28

What happens if I stop paying?

Accepted Answer

The calendar becomes read-only: you can still look at everything and download it. Everything is kept for 3 months, so you can restart at any point in that time and carry straight on. After 3 months without payment the calendar is removed and you'd start over.

Question 29

Who can see our calendar?

Accepted Answer

Only the people you invite. Each family's calendar is separate, and within your family you decide who sees what.

Question 30

What are the records for?

Accepted Answer

They're yours. Keep them for your own reference, or download them whenever you need a clear written history.

Questions & Answers

Getting started

The calendar

Suggesting and approving

People and permissions

Records

High Fives

Calendar links

Plans and payment

Privacy