AI receptionist for nurseries: parents get an answer, and the team stays with the children.
Sayelo, the AI voice agent and AI receptionist for day nurseries and small nurseries, answers 24/7. Absences and late arrivals passed on to the team straight away, requests for a place taken, visits arranged, parents' questions answered, data about children kept to a minimum. From €39 excl. VAT/month, 14-day free trial, no set-up fees.
In a nursery, nobody is on the phone, and that's how it should be: the team is with the children. Yet parents call, to report an absence, warn of a late arrival, or ask about a place or a visit. Sayelo answers, passes absences and late arrivals on to the team immediately, takes requests for a place with the information you ask for, arranges visits in the manager's calendar, and never notes more than is necessary about a child. It announces that it is an AI in its very first sentence.
from €39 excl. VAT/month afterwards · no commitment · the AI announces itself on every call
In a nursery, the phone rings in an empty office, because the team is with the children, which is where they belong. Yet parents call with messages that matter (an absence, a late arrival, who will be picking the child up), and families call all year round about a place or a visit.
Sayelo's AI receptionist answers for them. It introduces itself as an AI assistant, passes absences and late arrivals on to the team straight away, takes requests for a place with the information and procedure you have defined, arranges visits in the manager's calendar and answers practical questions with your information. It never notes more than is necessary about a child, says nothing to anyone it cannot link to the family, and refers anything to do with health, fees and financial support to the manager.
Day to day
What nurseries deal with on the phone.
The team is with the children, not on the phone
Staff-to-child ratios leave nobody free to answer. The phone rings in the empty office, and the parent calling about an absence leaves a message that the team listens to at nap time.
Requests for a place all year round
Parents call about a place for September, about occasional sessions, about a visit. Each call deserves a clear answer about the procedure, the documents and the timescales, and a place on the list if you keep one.
Absences, late arrivals, everyday messages
“Léa is ill, she won't be coming in”, “I'll be twenty minutes late”, “Grandma will be picking Tom up”. Short messages, important for the team, that need to be passed on immediately and accurately.
Information to be handled with care
These are children. Whoever answers the phone should note only what is strictly necessary, say nothing to anyone who hasn't been identified, and leave the manager to answer anything to do with health, fees and financial support.
How much are your missed calls costing you? Work it out in one minute with the calculator.
What the agent does
What your AI receptionist does for a nursery.
Passes on absences and late arrivals immediately
The parent gives their name, the agent notes the absence, the late arrival or the person who will pick the child up, and alerts the team by SMS and in your account. Nothing more is asked, and no medical information is recorded.
Takes requests for a place
Preferred start date, child's age, days and hours, regular or occasional care, town. The agent explains your procedure, the documents required and the timescales as you have written them, and adds the request to your list.
Arranges visits
In the slots the manager sets aside for visits, in the manager's calendar, with SMS confirmation and a reminder the day before. Parents get to see the nursery without the team leaving the room.
Answers practical questions
Opening hours, annual closures, meals, nappies, educational approach, documents for starting. The agent answers with your information and sends by SMS the links you have prepared, such as the registration form or the brochure.
Says nothing to a stranger
The agent doesn't confirm that a child attends, gives no information about a child to anyone it cannot link to the family, and passes any unusual call on to the manager. Recordings are opt-in and deleted automatically.
Handles partners and admin
Child health services, the local council, suppliers, meal providers, job applicants. The agent recognises these contacts and applies your instructions: transfer to the manager at set times, or a precise message.
Emergencies
Emergencies: what gets transferred, and when.
- Call from a parent about an emergency involving a child in your care: immediate transfer to the manager or the room, according to your instructions
- Absence, late arrival, person authorised to pick up the child: passed on to the team immediately, confirmation to the parent
- Question about a child's health, medication or diet: no answer from the agent, message to the manager
- Request for a place, visit, practical question: answer with your information, added to the list or a slot booked
- Child health services, council, supplier, job applicant: specific instructions for each contact
You define the times when calls can be transferred to the manager and those when the agent takes a message. It quotes no fees or financial support that it hasn't received from you, and refers anything to do with health, fees and financial support to the manager.
Each transfer number can be offered only at certain times, in your country's time zone: an on-call line in the evening and at weekends then takes priority over the usual number. Outside these times, the agent takes a message and sends it to you. The transfer is direct: if nobody answers, the caller reaches the voicemail of the transfer number.
Step by step
A typical call, from the first ring to the summary.
The ring
The agent answers while the team is with the children, and introduces itself as the nursery's AI assistant.
Who's calling
Parent of a child in your care, family looking for a place, partner, job applicant. It identifies the caller and links them to the family when it's a known parent.
The everyday message
Absence, late arrival, person picking the child up. It passes it on to the team straight away.
The request for a place or the visit
Procedure, documents, timescales, added to the list, visit slot in the manager's calendar.
The SMS
The parent receives confirmation of their message, the visit slot or the links you have prepared.
The summary
After the call, an email to the manager with the summary, the day's absences, the requests for a place and the full transcript.
Calendar and tools
Your appointments in your calendar, your calls in your tools.
Visits go into the manager's calendar (Google Calendar, Microsoft 365 or Cal.com) in the slots they open. Absences and late arrivals reach the team by SMS and in your account, and each request can be sent to your nursery management software by webhook. Integration with that software can be considered on request.
- Your calendar read live, in Google Calendar, Microsoft 365 or Cal.com: real slots, double-booking lock, confirmation and SMS reminder the day before
- SMS sent during the call, with the caller's consent: address, booking link, instructions you've prepared
- Email summary after every call, full transcript, and webhooks to your business software
Sellsy and monday.com connected natively, all your other tools via outbound webhooks. All integrations →
Number and setup
Your number, your setup.
You keep your current number by forwarding it to your agent's number. Your agent also receives a number according to your country's rules: see Sayelo in your country.
Ready in 5 minutes: your agent guides you in writing, on WhatsApp or with a form, reads your website, and you listen to its voice before choosing it. Our team then fine-tunes the settings with you. Numbers and telephony are provided by a partner operator registered with ARCEP (the French telecoms regulator). How it works →
Comparison
Voicemail, call answering service or Sayelo?
| Voicemail | Call answering service | Sayelo | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Available 24/7 | Passive | Extended hours | Round the clock |
| Immediate answer | — | Queue | Yes |
| Absence passed on to the team immediately | At nap time | Yes | Yes, SMS and account |
| Request for a place taken following your procedure | No | Depends on the script | Yes, your information |
| Nothing said about a child to an unidentified person | Not applicable | Depends on instructions | Yes, by default |
| Summary & transcript | No | Varies | Yes |
| Cost | Low, ineffective | High | Fixed, from €39/month excl. VAT |
Pricing
Clear pricing, from €39/month excl. VAT.
14-day free trial. No fixed-term commitment: cancel at any time, with 30 days' notice. Minutes, SMS and the number of agents depend on the plan: see pricing and plan details →
Frequently asked questions
Questions from nurseries.
Does it handle requests for a place?
Yes. It takes the information you ask for (preferred start date, child's age, days and hours, town, regular or occasional care), explains your procedure and documents, and adds the request to your list. It never announces that a place is available without your approval.
Does it arrange visits?
Yes, in the manager's calendar, in the slots set aside for visits, with SMS confirmation and a reminder the day before. Parents get to see the nursery at a planned time, without the team leaving the children.
Does it pass absences on to the team?
Yes, immediately, by SMS to the team and in your account, with the child's first name and surname, the date and, if the parent mentions it, how long they expect the absence to last. It passes on a late arrival or the name of the person picking the child up in the same way. No medical information is recorded.
What does it say about fees and financial support?
It quotes the fees you have set up, if any, and nothing more. On financial support and funding, it gives no information: it notes the question and passes it on to the manager, who answers with the family's file to hand.
What data about children is kept?
The minimum you ask for, usually the first name, surname and room, so that a message can be passed on to the team. Nothing medical. The agent doesn't confirm that a child attends to anyone it cannot link to the family. Recordings are announced, opt-in and deleted automatically, and data is hosted in France. Security and GDPR →
Will parents know they're talking to an AI?
Yes, the agent says so in its very first sentence. A parent reporting an absence wants to be sure the team knows, right away. They receive confirmation by SMS, and the team gets the message, without anyone leaving the room.
Can I keep the nursery's number?
Yes. You keep your current number, as you prefer: by forwarding it to your agent or, in France, by porting it, on all plans. A new number is also included from the start of the trial, if you would rather start from scratch. Either way, the number parents know always gets answered.
Updated on 14 October 2026.
Other industries
Sayelo for other industries.
- the AI voice agent for speech and language therapy practices: Waiting list kept, realistic waiting time given, reason for the assessment recorded, parents reassured, session reminders sent: the agent answers while you're in a session.
- handling first calls to a psychology practice: First calls handled calmly, without asking the reason, appointments in person or by video, people in distress directed to a crisis line or the emergency services: the agent answers during the session.
- AI phone answering for GPs: Same-day consultations and scheduled appointments booked, repeat prescriptions noted, warning signs referred to the emergency services: the agent holds the line.
Hear it answer
before you decide.
The agent calls you back on your mobile and plays the receptionist for a nursery. Three minutes, free, no bank card needed.