Send Text Messages to All Parent Cell Phones

Many centers pay for services that enable them to send text messages to all parent cell phones for weather closures and other schedule changes. Text messages can be sent to anyone’s cell phone from your email account at no additional cost by creating an email address combining the cell phone number with the carrier’s SMS gateway domain. For example, AT&T’s SMS gateway domain is txt.att.net. To send a text message to AT&T cell phone number 333-444-5555, send an email message to 3334445555@txt.att.net.

Guidestar Forms tools automatically create the email addresses needed to send text messages to all parent cell phones. In the child registration form, parents enter at least one cell phone number and select their carrier. 

You drag your mouse down the column of text message addresses, copy and paste the addresses into the To: field of your email message. As illustrated above, the email message will appear as a text message on the parents' phones.

We provide the same service for staff members at centers that use our Staff Record Form.