Practice guide

Use AI for the first draft, not the final judgement.

Responsible use starts with a clear boundary: educators observe, interpret, reflect, edit, and sign off. AI can help organise a draft, but it should not invent evidence, diagnose a child, or make professional decisions.

Start with what actually happened: one action, quote, attempt, change, or question. A polished observation is never required.

StoryLoop drafts and checks. The educator reviews, edits, decides what is true, and chooses whether anything is shared.

Reviewed 14 June 2026 · Written by Leo, who builds StoryLoop, in Ōtautahi Christchurch

A centre manager at her desk reading StoryLoop's accuracy report on a laptop

What StoryLoop does with a note

A rough note in, a learning story out.

A real note an educator typed, and the start of the draft StoryLoop wrote from it, unedited, with the Te Whāriki links, learning and next steps to follow.

The note · Aroha, 2 to 3 years
Aroha tried to put her shoes on before going outside. Velcro kept folding over. Asked 'help me' then pushed my hand away and did the second one herself. Stood up and stomped both feet.
The draft, as StoryLoop wrote it

Putting on her own shoes

Before going outside, Aroha tried to put her shoes on by herself. The Velcro kept folding over, making the job trickier. Aroha asked, "help me", letting us know clearly that she needed support.

When help was offered, Aroha pushed the adult hand away and did the second shoe herself. Once both shoes were on, she stood up and stomped both feet. This looked like Aroha checking that her shoes were on and feeling the result with her whole body.

Read the full draft

Now try it with your own note. No signup.

Type what you saw today. StoryLoop writes the draft here, with Te Whāriki or EYLF V2.0 links, and shows you exactly what it is built on.

No signup for your first try. Use a first name or initial only.

Your draft appears here, with curriculum links that only claim what your note shows, usually in under a minute.

Tip: what the child did, one thing they said, and what happened next. Three lines is plenty.

Want to keep it? Start free: 3 stories a month, no card. You check every word before anything is shared.

Keep evidence visible

A useful AI-assisted draft should make it easy to trace interpretation back to the educator’s notes and identify where context is missing.

Minimise child information

Use only the details needed to draft the story. Avoid unnecessary identifying, health, family, or support information, and follow your service’s privacy policy.

Make educator review explicit

Before sharing, check quotes, cultural references, curriculum links, assumptions, and whether the suggested response fits the child and local curriculum.

Official references

These sources inform this guide. StoryLoop is independent and does not claim endorsement.

FAQ

Straight answers for educators.

Should families know AI supported a draft?+

Services should decide and document a transparent approach to AI use with educators and families, including what data is used and where professional responsibility remains.

Can AI assess a child’s development?+

StoryLoop is not a diagnostic or developmental assessment system. It supports drafting from educator-provided evidence and requires professional review.

Does StoryLoop replace educator thinking?+

No. StoryLoop supports drafting and structure, while educators remain responsible for observation, interpretation, reflection, final editing, and sign-off.

Can I edit the generated stories?+

Yes. Stories are editable after generation and saved in history, so educators can add context, adjust wording, copy, export, or regenerate from the original observation.

Does it create generic AI stories?+

StoryLoop is designed to avoid generic, poetic AI wording. It asks for real observations, keeps claims evidence-based, and links curriculum only when the observation supports it.

How many stories are free?+

The free plan includes 3 learning stories per month. Upgrade prompts are dismissible, and existing history remains available even if the free limit is reached.