9 Essential Features of Childcare Management Software
Choosing the right childcare software is a big decision for your business. Learn more about the essential features that can streamline your daily operations and save you time.
#1 childcare management software
The easiest
all-in-one
software for
early education
The easiest all-in-one childcare software for early education
Simplify your billing processes, increase enrollment, and build deeper connections with families and staff. Do it all with brightwheel.
See why brightwheel is the childcare software of choice
4.9 Stars | 39,000+ Reviews
Rated best childcare software by educators and families
Why brightwheel is the #1 childcare management software
Save up to 20 hours per month
Cut down on admin tasks and manage all areas of your program with brightwheel.
Get paid without chasing parents
Enroll families in autopay and get paid faster while families avoid late fees.
Build quality connections
Enable your staff to easily communicate with families, administrators, and other staff.
Increase staff retention
2 out of 3 teachers prefer to work at a program that uses brightwheel.
Save up to 20 hours per month
Cut down on admin tasks and manage all areas of your program with brightwheel.
Get paid without chasing parents
Enroll families in autopay and get paid faster while families avoid late fees.
Build quality connections
Enable your staff to easily communicate with families, administrators, and other staff.
Increase staff retention
2 out of 3 teachers prefer to work at a program that uses brightwheel.
Automate and save time with brightwheel
Simplify billing and get paid faster
- Invite families to online billing and autopay to get paid on time
- Protect payment data with bank-level security and encryption
- Connect with Quickbooks for easy accounting and taxes
“95% of my parents are now on track with payments. Before, it was really bad. Parents love that they can see exactly how much they owe, right on their phones.”
Munisha M.
Director at Excelsior University for Children in Seabrook, TX
Bring families and staff closer together
- Make it easy for staff to interact with families, administrators, and other staff
- Send, reply to, and track messages, newsletters, and alerts in one place
- Easily update families during the day with progress reports, photos, and videos
“Parent communication has drastically improved thanks to brightwheel. Parents are more in tune with what’s going on at school, so they’re more responsive. Because brightwheel is easy and quick to use for everybody.”
Cally B.
Assistant Director at MBCC Journey in Birmingham, AL
Make enrollment easier for families and your center
- Accept online applications and manage your admissions without pen and paper
- Use waitlists to automatically admit new students to your programs
- Collect key information from existing and prospective families using digital forms and signatures
“Now, enrollment is all online on brightwheel. We no longer have manual processes where families come in and sign paperwork in the office. I don’t need to chase down families for forms anymore, because I can ensure it’s all on file before they start.”
Pam M.
Owner and Executive Director at Creative Learning Preschool in Denver, CO
Support educators with curriculum and lesson plans
- Add, customize, and share your curriculum with teachers
- Keep families updated on their child's development with progress reports
- Add Experience Curriculum to enhance program quality with digital lessons and hands-on learning materials
“Our teachers love Experience Curriculum. Newer teachers feel more confident because they can use it as a strong foundation and build from there to support child development in their classrooms.”
Tiffany P.
Teacher & Curriculum Coordinator at Tarrytown Children’s Center in Austin, TX
Run your program from your phone
- Everything you do on the brightwheel mobile app syncs to the web
- Message all parents at the same time or send direct messages for private conversations
- Enable teachers to access lesson plans and curriculum on mobile devices
“I love being able to see it on my phone, so no matter where I go I can simply pick up brightwheel and see what’s going on with each student, family and staff member at all 9 locations.”
Mandy D.
Chief Operating Officer at Blossom Crew in Chicago, IL
The most secure childcare and preschool software
- Manage personal data and online payments with the highest security standards (PCI Level 1)
- Ensure key updates are never missed with 99.9% uptime and 24×7 fraud monitoring
- Stay compliant with contactless check-ins, health checks, sleep checks, and room ratios
“A child’s information is safe and secure on brightwheel. We are very conscious of security here, and the data in a student’s profile is incredibly private. I feel secure that someone won’t be able to access it unless they are allowed to.”
Marc H.
Owner at A Strong Start in Trumbull, CT
Early education resources
Discover free tax resources for your childcare business
This tax preparation checklist will help you:
- Stay on top of important tax due dates
- Gather the right records
- Look for common tax deductions and credits
- And more!
Who uses brightwheel childcare software?
Administrators & directors
Efficiently run your program from one place, and stay compliant with state requirements.
Parents & guardians
Keep in touch with teachers and staff via in-app messaging, photos, and videos.
Teachers & staff
Enhance children’s learning experience, and create deeper connections with families.
Childcare management software is technology designed to simplify, automate, and speed up the management of childcare centers and early childhood education programs. It helps with daily tasks such as billing, enrollment, family engagement, staff management, and record-keeping. Brightwheel is the childcare software of choice for millions of educators in the US and Canada.
Brightwheel childcare software automates administrative tasks, including billing and payments, enrollment management, communication with families, and tracking children’s activities and development. It saves time, improves efficiency, and enhances communication between educators and parents.
Childcare administration software is used by a range of education centers, including childcare centers, preschools, nurseries, and early childhood education programs of different sizes. Brightwheel serves both small and large centers.
Childcare software such as brightwheel reduces admin work and saves significant time by digitizing your records, and allowing staff to take payments, enroll students, and communicate with families online.
Most childhood education centers and administrators we partner with choose brightwheel to replace spreadsheets, and pen and paper processes.
Brightwheel preschool software is designed to meet the needs of childcare centers, preschools, and early childhood education programs. It offers a set of features to simplify administrators’ tasks and support child development. Schedule a demo to learn if brightwheel is a fit for your specific requirements.
Yes! Brightwheel integrates with Quickbooks Online. Administrators can use the reports feature to download and transfer billing data from brightwheel to Quickbooks Online. Transferring billing data to Quickbooks enables centers to complete their accounting processes faster and without errors. Visit our Quickbooks Compatibility Guide for more information.
Review the latest insights & resources about childcare software
7 Ways to Increase Enrollment in Your Childcare Program
Discover how to increase enrollment in your preschool program, expand your childcare business, and influence your bottom line.
How to Start the Year Strong: Optimize Your Operations
A free guide to help early educator leaders refresh their practices and optimize your operations
Choose the #1 childcare software today
Get set up quickly, save hours each week, and elevate your school program with brightwheel.