This guide covers institutional deployment: installing Kidsplorer across multiple computers, configuring the admin dashboard, and managing an ongoing lab installation. This applies to schools, churches, homeschool co-ops, libraries, and any institution managing more than one computer.
Before you start
You’ll need an institutional plan to access the admin dashboard and bulk install tools. All institutional plans include a 30-day free trial with no credit card.
Download the Kidsplorer admin dashboard at kidsplorer.com/admin after creating your institutional account.
Creating the institutional account
When you start your trial, create an institutional account with:
- Institution name
- Administrator email (this is the account login — not visible to children)
- Number of computers you’re managing
You can add additional administrators later in Settings → Administrators.
Downloading the MSIX silent installer
In the admin dashboard, go to Deploy → Download Installer. Download the MSIX installer package.
The MSIX installer is designed for silent deployment — it runs without user interaction on each target computer. You can deploy it via:
- Group Policy (GPO): Standard Windows domain deployment. Create a software installation policy that targets the computers in scope.
- Microsoft Endpoint Configuration Manager (MECM/SCCM): Create an application deployment targeting your device collection.
- Manual deployment: For small labs (5 computers or fewer), you can run the installer manually on each machine. It takes about two minutes per computer.
After the installer runs, Kidsplorer starts automatically. The device registers to your admin dashboard and appears under Devices within a minute.
Setting up whitelist profiles
Before deploying to computers, create the whitelist profiles your groups will use. Go to Profiles in the admin dashboard.
Create a profile for each group of computers that should have the same whitelist. Common groupings:
- By grade level (Grade 3–4 profile, Grade 5–6 profile)
- By subject room (Reading lab, STEM lab)
- By access level (Children, General public)
For each profile, build the whitelist of approved sites the same way as a parent account — manually, via curriculum pack, or by importing a shared template.
Assigning profiles to devices
After deployment, devices appear in the admin dashboard. Go to Devices, select one or more devices, and assign a profile. You can assign profiles individually or in bulk.
Devices can have one profile assigned at a time. If your needs change — for example, a reading lab repurposed as a STEM lab — reassign the profile from the dashboard. Changes apply within 60 seconds.
Pushing whitelist updates to all devices
When you update a profile’s whitelist, all devices assigned to that profile receive the update within 60 seconds — you don’t need to visit individual computers.
This is the primary operational advantage of institutional Kidsplorer over per-device parental controls: one change updates every computer in the lab.
Monitoring device status
The Devices view in the admin dashboard shows:
- Sync status: Whether the device has received the latest whitelist and schedule
- Last active: When the device last connected to the Kidsplorer backend
- Software version: The version of Kidsplorer running on each device
- Profile: Which whitelist profile is assigned
Devices on the same version running the assigned profile and showing “synced” are fully operational. If a device shows “out of sync,” it hasn’t connected recently — usually because it’s powered off or has no internet connection.
Mandatory automatic updates
On institutional plans, Kidsplorer updates are mandatory. When a new version is released, all devices update silently within 12 hours. You do not need to push updates, and children cannot decline or postpone them.
This ensures your entire lab stays on a consistent, current version without any manual maintenance.
Managing student access during class
You can lock or unlock individual devices or all devices in a group from the admin dashboard:
- Lock device: Browser locks immediately — useful if a student is off-task
- Unlock device: Browser unlocks early — useful for a supervised session outside normal schedule
- Lock all in group: Lock every device assigned to a profile simultaneously
These controls work from the dashboard and take effect within 60 seconds.
Adding additional administrators
In Settings → Administrators, add additional admin accounts for teachers or staff who need dashboard access. Administrators can manage whitelists, schedules, and devices. Administrator accounts do not have access to billing settings.
CIPA documentation
If you’re a library or school that needs CIPA compliance documentation, the Institutional L plan includes written documentation describing Kidsplorer’s filtering approach and configuration. Contact support after starting your trial to request the documentation package.
See also: CIPA-Compliant Browser for Schools and Libraries →