Running a daycare is not easy. Several tasks must be completed every day, and keeping up with all of the paperwork involved in being a director of a daycare center is nearly impossible. However, there is good news for daycare owners and directors. You have a plethora of options available in daycare management software programs that can make your life much easier when it comes to running your business. Here is a list of the top fifteen options currently available.

The six best childcare management software suites available are as follows:

Illumine
Sandbox
Brightwheel
EZCare
Kangarootime
Cheqdin

In this article, we are going to take a closer look at each of the top six daycare management programs that you can use to run your daycare more efficiently than trying to do it alone. I will give you a description of each software suite, as well as list the benefits of each one. Finally, the price of the program will be included in the description, if applicable. Let’s take a look at each of these programs, shall we?

Table of Contents

Illumine

When it comes to daycare management software, Illumine comes in at the top of the list. This software suite allows daycare center owners and directors a comprehensive managerial system that allows them to run their center much more efficiently than dealing with the clutter and mess that happens when you try to run your daycare without childcare management software. One feature that is especially beneficial to both the daycare and the parents is that this software gives you the ability to share many things with the parents. This will make the parents of your students feel more at ease with leaving their children in your care.

A bonus of this particular software is that it has a companion app available to parents that allows them to stay connected with their child’s daycare center. Parents can see the daycare’s schedule and keep up with their child’s progress. Parents are also given the opportunity to view a live feed of your daycare’s sessions, as well as real-time updates on their children. If your daycare center provides Transportation, this software allows parents to track the location of your buses.

Prices for this software start at $0.50 per month

Sandbox

If you are in the market for a do-it-all daycare management system, Sandbox will be a perfect fit for your daycare. This software allows you to do everything from making daily schedules to keeping track of your payments. Sandbox Alsop offers daycare center directors a comprehensive inventory management solution as well as customer relationship management tools. You also have the option to keep track of your daycare centers performance through a suite of reports offered by this daycare management software system.

While Sandbox is especially beneficial to daycare center owners and directors, it is also quite helpful to parents because it allows them to keep track of their payments, print receipts, address invoice-related concerns, and gives them access to all of their account details. Another feature that parents may find helpful is that this software suite provides them the opportunity to see the details of their children’s progress. It also provides parents with real-time updates concerning their children and offers automated invoices for parents. Daycare owners will benefit from Sandbox’s ability to generate automatic invoices. In case of an emergency, your staff can also access emergency contact numbers for your students.

Prices for this software Suites start at $59 per month.

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Brightwheel

The most unique and interesting aspect of Brightwheel is that it uses cloud-based technology to help you manage every aspect of your daycare center. This software suite does everything from managing schedules to payments and billing, and everything in between, including the option to communicate with parents. If you are looking for a better way to manage your daycare center, Brightwheel is considered to be one of the very best options out there. Teachers can also share class recordings with parents through this software, and also reduce the need for Unnecessary paperwork through a variety of reports available on Brightwheel.

This software is also perfect for parents who are always on the go because it is easily accessible through your internet browser, mobile device, or your tablet. Parents have access to your daycare’s schedule through the calendar feature on this software, which allows them to make their plans according to your daycare. Daycare owners and directors can also track attendance on Brightwheel, which helps them to spot any potential attendance problems. Another benefit of this software is that it allows you to create reminders, alerts, and send messages out to parents. You and your student’s parents can also keep up with the performance of the children with this software, and it includes an activity dashboard as well.

The price for access to Brightwheel starts at $15 per month.

EZCare

If you are looking for a modern way to manage the day-to-day operations of your daycare center, look no further than EZCare. Childcare professionals love this software because it is packed with features that make running their daycare center efficient and simple, such as its single point of online access. This software suite also automatically generates weekly reports. Additional features include an analysis of your daycare’s performance, online scheduling tools, and a meal planning tool. If you find that managing the day-to-day operations of daycare, as well as managing your staff to be somewhat of a pain, this software is perfect for you.

One feature of this software that is especially helpful is that you can enable automatic notifications to your staff, yourself, and even the parents of your children. Third-party integration is also a breeze with EZCare, and it also provides easy attendance management to keep track of who is regularly attending your daycare. This software also has an amazing accounts receivable feature and can generate cash receipts on demand. You can also customize this software to generate practically any report you need to analyze your daycare centers performance from week to week or month to month.

Access to this software starts at $59 per month.

Kangarootime

Kangarootime is a great option for both daycare center directors and parents to manage the activity of the students in your care. You can create your daycare’s daily schedules through this software, and share them with parents. In turn, this software also provides parents with the opportunity to communicate with teachers at their convenience. Kangarootime also allows you to track the expenses of your daycare center quite easily, as well as provides you with the ability to accept online payments. This software is also quite flexible, allowing you to manage your daycare center through your computer, your tablet, or even an app that can be installed on your mobile phone.

Another feature of this software is that it allows you to communicate with parents if there is something that must be addressed with them immediately. There is also a separate parent portal available through Kangarootime. Billing and invoicing are also simple and easy through this software. Meal planning is also supported through Kangarootime, as well as self-check-in and check-out for parents. Finally, there are several document management options available for daycare center owners and directors to keep track of their paperwork easily, and without all of the clutter that is usually involved with a daycare center’s paperwork.

Kangarootime is a free trial, and then there are several subscription plans available to both daycare center owners and parents.

Cheqdin

Most daycare center owners, directors, and parents who have used this software say that it has revolutionized the day-to-day interactions between them. Cheqdin is a software suite that gives you complete control of how you operate your childcare business, whether you are a small stand-alone daycare or part of a national chain. There are many features packed into this software that allow you to manage your daycare much more efficiently, and it also simplifies the way you run your daycare. This software also provides caregivers several options for all of the support they need to do their jobs easily and efficiently.

Both daycare center directors and parents will love the digital attendance tracking feature that is included with this software. Daycare center staff members also have access to emergency contact numbers that allows them to contact parents quickly if needed. Several smart reports features make keeping track of paperwork a breeze. This software also allows daycare centers to notify parents of upcoming events, or anything regarding their children, through email notifications. Finally, daycare center directors and owners will love the calendar management feature that is included in this software, as well as the top-notch preschool application.

Access to Cheqdin starts at $32 per month, although there are a variety of plans available.

Conclusion

As you can see, these are just six of the many options that are available for daycare center owners, directors, and even parents to manage the day-to-day operations of a daycare center or keep track of their child’s progress. All of the software Suites have several options that make running a daycare much more efficient and simplified. A few of these also offer meal planning options, which can take the guesswork out of what to serve your students for breakfast or lunch. All of these options are rated as being some of the best software suites available. You just have to find the one that is the best fit for you and your daycare. Whichever option you choose, the one thing you can be sure of is that your sensor will be run much more efficiently, and your life will be much easier.

Six Best Childcare Management Software Systems