How to Start an Afterschool Program: Your Essential Guide
Discover how to start an afterschool program that supports children's development and working families in your community.
#1 childcare software for before & after school programs
Save time managing your before & after school program with brightwheel
Save time managing your before & after school program with brightwheel
Manage attendance, billing, and parent communication for your extended-day program in one easy app.
Already use brightwheel? Join your school
Trusted by millions of educators and families
#1
Rated all-in-one
childcare solution
childcare solution
20hrs
Saved each month on
administrative tasks
administrative tasks
95%
Customer satisfaction
99.9%
Uptime and 24x7 monitoring
(we don’t crash)
(we don’t crash)
Why before & after school programs love brightwheel
Easy schedule management
Separately track attendance and activities for your morning and after school children.
Real-time parent communication
Give families quick updates and reminders about drop-off and pick-up times.
Flexible billing
Create tuition plans for different schedules and days, and simplify how you collect payments.
Effortless staff coordination
Manage your part-time and shift-based staff schedules to ensure proper coverage and room ratios.
Easy schedule management
Separately track attendance and activities for your morning and after school children.
Real-time parent communication
Give families quick updates and reminders about drop-off and pick-up times.
Flexible billing
Create tuition plans for different schedules and days, and simplify how you collect payments.
Effortless staff coordination
Manage your part-time and shift-based staff schedules to ensure proper coverage and room ratios.
Before & after school program owners and directors: Brightwheel is for you
Automated billing
- Set up billing plans based on your schedule
- Collect payments online and track who has paid with less hassle
- Eliminate late payments with automated billing services and payment reminders
“95% of families are on track with their payments, thanks to brightwheel! 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
Seabrook, TX
Quick parent updates
- Share messages, announcements, and reminders with families directly from the app
- Communicate schedule changes or events right away with alerts or SMS text messages
“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
Birmingham, AL
Enhanced staff experience
- Streamline staff scheduling and share important details with your team
- Message staff about schedule changes in real-time, ensuring everyone stays informed and organized
“Revising the schedule takes less than 5 minutes and everyone is aware of what is going on, which makes for a seamless operation.”
Kelly R. Director of Good Shepherd Learning Center
Douglassville, PA
Secure document storage
- Collect forms and signatures online and store child and staff records safely
- Access what you need whenever you need it
“Forms on brightwheel save me weeks of time each year. I no longer need to constantly check in with families to see if they’ve filled out the form. I can just send a message now and it’s instant.”
Pam M. Owner and Executive Director of Creative Learning Preschool
Aurora, CO
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