Written by Zareena Zaidi
We are beyond excited to announce our first Amazon Alexa skill! Parents are able to use voice to access school announcements, upcoming events, and other important information coming from school via Alexa-enabled devices and the Alexa App.
Launched in early November, the skill leverages the new Alexa Education Skill API, and ParentSquare is among the first parent engagement platforms to have a Voice User Interface (VUI) integration.
Once users have signed into ParentSquare through their Alexa app and granted Alexa permission to access their ParentSquare account, parents can simply ask, “Alexa, are there any updates from school?” Parents can also get updates specific to one child. For example, they can ask “Alexa, does Owen have any school communications?”
“The ParentSquare skill for Alexa is not only transformational for busy parents, but also has the potential to engage parents who struggle with reading,” said Anupama Vaid, ParentSquare Founder and President. “We are beyond excited to work with Amazon Alexa to offer parents more access to their school communications, ushering in a new era of school-home communication.”
Attendees of the CETPA Conference in mid-November previewed the new Alexa integration at ParentSquare’s 2.0 Launch party co-hosted with Amazon Web Services.
ParentSquare users are still able to access ParentSquare via web portal or app, and can continue to receive emails, text messages, and/or app notifications, depending on their preferences. Note that the school or district must already be using ParentSquare in order for families to access the ParentSquare Skill for Alexa.
