Add a parent/guardian account
userEducator & Xello AdminTime7 minutes

Most parent/guardian accounts will have been created using your school or colleges MIS. However, if you need to manually add a new parent/guardian account, you can do this from your Educator Account.

noteNote: Only those with administrator or user level access can create or make these changes. To learn more about educator access and permissions, read the article on Educator Permissions.
In this article

Add a Parent/Guardian Account

There are a couple ways you can choose to add a Parent/Guardian account. If you have a specific student in mind who needs a parent/guardian account linked, you might search for that student or browse through the student list.

Alternatively, if you're working through a list of parents/guardians, you might find it easier to add their accounts and link the students after.

Use a Student Profile to Add a Parent/Guardian

If you know the name or ID of the student who needs a parent/guardian account added to their profile, add the parent/guardian directly from the student's profile page in your Educator Account.

To use a student profile to add a parent/guardian account:

  1. In the search bar located at the top of any page in your educator account, enter the student's name or ID.
    Search bar in Xello educator account highlighted with cursor hovering
    Click to enlarge
    Search bar in Xello educator account highlighted with cursor hovering
    tipTip: Alternatively, from the left menu, click Students and select Student list to browse the full list of students.
  2. Click on the student's name. The About student tab of their profile opens.
    Click to enlarge
    pointer hovering over search bar
  3. Click the Parents tab.
  4. Click Add Parent.
  5. Enter the parent/guardian's email and click Next.
    noteNote: Parent/guardian accounts require an active email address. An empty email field or a default filler email address will prevent parent/guardian access.
  6. Enter their full name and, optionally, their phone number. Click Next.
  7. Confirm the correct student is linked and click Add Parent.
  8. To send the invite to the parent/guardian's email, click Send Invite.
    noteNote: You won't see this option if your school has opted to automatically send invites.

Use the Families Section to add a Parent/Guardian

Rather than searching for the student first to create the parent/guardian account, you can use the Families section to create the accounts.

To add a parent/guardian using the Families section:

  1. From your Educator Account, click Families to open the list of Parents and Guardians.
    Educator Account with Families menu highlighted
    Click to enlarge
    Educator Account with Families menu highlighted
  2. Click Add Parent.
    Click to enlarge
  3. Enter the parent/guardian's email and click Next.
    noteNote: Parent/guardian accounts require an active email address. An empty email field or a default filler email address will prevent parent/guardian access.
  4. Enter their full name and, optionally, their phone number. Click Next.
  5. Assign a student to the Parent/Guardian account by searching their name or student ID.
    • To view the student profile, click on their name. This will navigate you away from the Add Parent workflow.
  6. Once you've found and selected the student, click Add Parent.
  7. To send the invite to the parent/guardian's email, click Send Invite.
    noteNote: You won't see this option if your school has opted to automatically send invites.
TipTip: If you plan on sending out multiple invitations, narrow the list of Parents and Guardians to easily select recipients. From the top of the list, click Filters, select the options to narrow the list, and click Apply.
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Invite a Parent/Guardian

Once a parent/guardian account has been created, they still need to be invited before they can begin accessing their account. The invitation will be sent via email to the address listed when the parent/guardian account was created. It will include a link to Xello Family where they will activate their account.

If your school has opted to automatically send invites, the email will send once the account is created. Otherwise, follow the steps below to invite parent/guardians.

noteNote: Invitation links will expire after 17 days. If a parent/guardian gets in touch with you regarding an expired link, you can resend the invitation.

To invite a parent/guardian to activate their Xello Family account:

  1. From your Educator Account, click Families to open the list of Parents and Guardians.
    Educator Account with Families menu highlighted
    Click to enlarge
    Educator Account with Families menu highlighted
  2. To select the parent/guardian, click the box next to their name.
    • You can select multiple accounts to send invites to.
  3. From the top of the page, click Send Invite.
  4. Confirm you want to send the invitation and click Send.
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