Plans in Educa can be used in many ways — from mapping learning experiences and setting goals to preparing group activities or long-term learning journeys. This guide shows you how to create plans using standard and table templates, and how to link them with children, teachers, and frameworks.
Plan Templates
All plans are based on templates that define the fields and structure you’ll complete. emplates also control who can see your plan. If you don’t see the templates you need, please contact your Site Admin.
👉 See Setting Up Planning Templates for more details
Creating a Plan (Standard Template)
Standard templates use a form-style layout with individual fields for different sections.
Steps:
Go to Tools > Planning > Create Plan.
Select the template you want to use from the dropdown.
Fill in the plan details:
Link children: Add the children this plan applies to
Link teachers: Add teachers who should be able to access this plan
Plan title and (optional) short summary: Give your plan a clear, descriptive name (for example, include the child’s name or a date)
Complete the template fields: Fill in each section based on your template's structure (See below if you are using a table plan.)
Each field will indicate whether or not it is visible to families. If you select multiple children and visibility is enabled for family, all related family members will be able to view and comment on that plan.
Link frameworks: Connect to relevant learning frameworks or curriculum areas (optional)
Attach resources, link to Stories and other Plans
Save as draft to continue working later, or Publish to make it available according to your template's visibility settings
Tip: To notify families after publishing a plan, select Send Notification.
Creating a Plan (Table Template)
Table templates use a grid-style layout, ideal for weekly overviews or planning across multiple areas.
Steps:
Navigate to Planning > Create Plan, select a table template
Fill in the plan header information (title, children, teachers, frameworks)
Click Add New Row to create new entries. Delete a row using the bin icon on the right.
Fill in cells: Click inside a cell → type in the pop-up box → click OK to save.
Complete each column according to your template structure
Columns are defined by the template (e.g., "Day," "Activity," "Learning Area," "Resources")
You control how many rows you need
Attach stories or other plans directly to specific cells using the buttons inside each cell
Use the Content - Header field to highlight important cells or sections
Save as draft or Publish
Plan Access & Teacher Collaboration
Linking teachers to a plan:
Teachers will only see plans they've created or been linked to
Once published, all linked teachers can view, edit, and comment on the plan
If a teacher cannot see a plan, ask the plan creator to link them
Note: Draft plans can only be edited by the creator — linked teachers cannot make changes until the plan has been published.
Linking Plans to Other Features
Once you've created a plan, you can link it from other areas of Educa to keep everything connected:
Stories: Link plans to show how learning moments connect to goals
Forms: Reference plans in assessment and observation forms
Teacher Portfolios: Include plans as evidence of your teaching practice
Other Plans: Link related plans together for continuity
How to link: The exact steps vary by feature. See the relevant article for each feature's linking process.