Employee Time Tracking Software: Top Tools and Features for Businesses in 2025

Employee time tracking software is a powerful tool for childcare programs and early education providers who need to balance high-quality care with the demands of running a business. In an industry where staff-to-child ratios, licensing requirements, and payroll accuracy are critical, the right employee time tracking software helps you stay organized and compliant.

Instead of juggling paper timesheets or manual spreadsheets, childcare providers can use digital solutions to record staff hours, manage scheduling changes, and simplify payroll processing. Investing in employee time tracking software not only saves time but also ensures your program operates efficiently, so you can focus on what matters most—nurturing and educating young children.

In this article, we’ll discuss the different ways to track employee hours and best practices to consider when using employee time tracking software.

What is employee time tracking software?

Employee time tracking software is a digital tool that assists businesses in monitoring and managing their employees' work hours, enabling them to pay their employees for the correct number of hours worked. Compared to standard manual methods, a software solution improves operations by increasing efficiency, accuracy, and transparency. These types of software typically include clock-in and clock-out features, real-time tracking, and detailed reporting, allowing employers to maintain a thorough record of employee work hours.

Whether your business processes payroll manually or outsources to a third-party provider, small mistakes in tracking employee hours can have a big impact on workplace efficiency, staff satisfaction, and childcare quality. By using employee time-tracking software, you can ensure fairness, trust, and compliance with labor regulations. 

Streamline your staff schedules and track employee hours accurately with brightwheel. Easily track staff availability and manage staff schedules with a few clicks and quickly notify your staff of any schedule changes. Manage employee timecards from the web or mobile platform and review, edit, or approve all timecards in one place. 

Another important benefit of using employee time tracking software is that it can easily integrate with payroll software. When your staff members input their hours, they are automatically calculated and processed for payroll. This tool takes the headache out of administrative duties and makes it easy to ensure that every team member receives proper payment for their hard work.

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Benefits of using employee time tracking software for businesses

Running a childcare center or early education program comes with unique challenges—from maintaining proper staff-to-child ratios to ensuring accurate payroll and staying compliant with licensing regulations. Employee time tracking software helps childcare providers overcome these hurdles by offering an easy, digital way to manage staff hours and schedules.

With employee time tracking software, you can:

• Save time on administrative tasks: Quickly log staff clock-ins and clock-outs, reducing paperwork and manual data entry.
• Improve accuracy: Minimize errors in timesheets and payroll calculations, helping you avoid costly compliance issues.
• Maintain compliance: Track staff hours to ensure ratios and licensing requirements are consistently met.
• Gain insights: Access reports that show trends in staffing costs, overtime, and scheduling gaps.
• Boost staff satisfaction: Support your teachers and caregivers with clear schedules and easy ways to view their hours.

A tool like brightwheel’s payroll solution powered by Gusto, is a complete, easy-to-use payroll solution that enables providers to automate tax filings, save time, and manage payroll with confidence. Quickly and easily manage timecards and run payroll in a click, without ever having to export anything.

For childcare centers and early education providers, using employee time tracking software isn’t just about convenience—it’s about creating a stable, efficient environment so you can focus on delivering quality care.

Must-have features in employee time tracking software

Choosing the right employee time tracking software for your childcare program is crucial. Here are the must-have features that can make a significant difference:

• Mobile access: Allow staff to clock in and out from their mobile devices, perfect for busy teachers moving between classrooms or playgrounds.
• Real-time reporting: Instantly see who’s on-site to help maintain staff-to-child ratios and meet licensing standards.
• Scheduling tools: Easily create and adjust staff schedules to accommodate enrollment changes, time-off requests, or unexpected absences.
• Payroll integration: Seamlessly connect time tracking data to payroll systems to reduce errors and save time on processing.
• Compliance Ttacking: Monitor labor laws, breaks, and overtime rules relevant to childcare operations.
• User-friendly interface: Ensure that both administrators and staff can quickly learn and use the software without extensive training.

When evaluating employee time tracking software, look for tools designed to meet the unique needs of childcare providers—where every minute counts and compliance is non-negotiable.

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Best employee time tracking software tools for 2025

As technology evolves, more childcare providers are turning to modern employee time tracking software to simplify operations and support high-quality care. Here’s a look at some of the best employee time tracking software tools for childcare programs in 2025:

1. brightwheel 

• Integrates time tracking with child attendance, communication billing, and payroll features.
• Helps track staff hours and maintain compliance with licensing ratios.
• Offers mobile-friendly check-ins for seamless staff use.

2. Procare Solutions

• Includes tools for managing staff schedules, tracking ratios, and generating regulatory reports.
• Integrates time and attendance data with billing and payroll systems.

3. Lilio

• Provides employee time tracking alongside classroom documentation and parent communication.
• Mobile app makes it easy for teachers to record hours without leaving the classroom.

4. ADP Workforce Now

• A comprehensive solution with payroll and HR features.
• Advanced reporting tools help track labor costs and ensure compliance.

5. QuickBooks Time

• User-friendly mobile app for employee time tracking.
• Syncs with QuickBooks payroll for streamlined payroll management.

Investing in the best employee time tracking software in 2025 will help childcare providers save time, reduce errors, and focus on creating nurturing, high-quality learning environments for children.

Simplify your time tracking processes

Operating a childcare program isn't easy, but adopting tools that help streamline administrative duties can keep you organized, allowing you to focus on providing quality child care. From simplifying the process of tracking work hours to streamlining time-off management, employee time tracking software can be the key to operating efficiently.

Brightwheel is the complete solution for early education providers, enabling you to streamline your center’s operations and build a stand-out reputation. Brightwheel connects the most critical aspects of running your center—including sign in and out, parent communications, tuition billing, and licensing and compliance—in one easy-to-use tool, along with providing best-in-class customer support and coaching. Brightwheel is trusted by thousands of early education centers and millions of parents. Learn more at mybrightwheel.com.