Brightwheel Premium is an all-in-one childcare management platform that automates billing, attendance tracking, family communication, and staff management for early education programs of all sizes. Brightwheel Premium pricing is tailored to fit the unique needs and enrollment size of your childcare program. While costs vary, the platform consistently delivers a strong return on investment by saving administrators 20 hours a month in manual tasks.
Brightwheel Premium at a glance:
- Best for: Childcare programs of all sizes—from small in-home providers to large multi-site operations with 1,000+ students
- Pricing model: All-inclusive monthly payment (no hidden fees for essential tools)
- Key time savings: 20 hours per month saved on administrative tasks based on survey data from thousands of early education professionals
- Primary features: Automated billing and payments, attendance tracking, family communication, staff management, multi-site dashboard, curriculum integration, and more
Running a childcare program involves juggling countless responsibilities, from tracking attendance and handling billing to communicating with families. The administrative workload can quickly pile up, leaving less time for the children in your care. Finding the right childcare software is crucial to simplifying these tasks and running a successful program.
Brightwheel Premium addresses these challenges by offering an all-in-one platform designed specifically for early education environments. Instead of managing multiple systems, you can consolidate your operations into one streamlined solution. This guide explains what brightwheel Premium includes, how it transforms your program, and why the investment provides exceptional value.
What is brightwheel Premium?
Brightwheel Premium is a comprehensive childcare management platform that handles everything from daily check-ins to complex billing processes. It serves as a central hub where administrators, teachers, and families can easily access everything they need.
The platform combines powerful automation features with an intuitive design. This ensures that even the most complex childcare operations run smoothly without requiring extensive technical expertise. Every feature addresses the real challenges that early education providers face daily.
What sets brightwheel Premium apart is how quick it is to set up and use. The platform is fast, reliable, and secure. Plus, you have access to a dedicated support team to help you troubleshoot issues in minutes.
Brightwheel has been one of the best decisions I've made for our program. It's the brain of our center and manages everything from signing in and out to billing to maintaining family relationships." Audra T., Executive Director and Owner at Happy Campers Preschool in San Carlos, CA
Free Childcare Billing Guide
Download this free guide to streamline your childcare billing processes and save time.
What do you get with brightwheel Premium?
Brightwheel Premium provides a full suite of tools to streamline your daily operations. The platform brings billing, communication, and attendance tracking into one easy-to-use system.
Billing and payments
Brightwheel Premium's billing system transforms one of the most time-consuming aspects of childcare management. The platform automates invoice generation, processes payments, and tracks outstanding balances—all while maintaining transparent communication with families about their accounts.
The autopay feature significantly improves payment rates, with 90% of preschools reporting more families pay on time with brightwheel based on survey data from thousands of early education professionals. Families can set up automatic payments, receive payment reminders, and access their billing history through the family app, reducing the administrative burden on your staff.
Tap to Pay turns the brightwheel app itself into a card reader — no extra hardware needed — so admins can collect payments from families on the spot. It accepts credit and debit cards, FSA cards, Apple Pay, and Google Pay, making it easy to get paid in person regardless of how families prefer to pay.
Communication tools
Effective family communication forms the foundation of successful childcare programs. Brightwheel Premium provides real-time messaging capabilities, photo and video sharing, and automated daily reports that keep families connected to their child's day.
Teachers can quickly share moments from the classroom, send updates about meals and naps, and maintain ongoing conversations with families. This enhanced communication builds trust and satisfaction while reducing the time staff spend on individual check-ins and phone calls.
Site management
Brightwheel Premium's management tools provide complete visibility into your program's operations. Track enrollment, manage waitlists, and digitize forms to streamline the admission process. The platform also handles attendance tracking, ratio management, and compliance reporting.
Multi-site programs particularly benefit from brightwheel Premium's centralized management capabilities. Administrators can oversee multiple locations from a single dashboard, ensuring consistency across all sites while maintaining local flexibility.
Learning and curriculum
The platform includes robust curriculum planning tools that help teachers create engaging lesson plans and track student progress. Brightwheel Premium integrates with Experience Curriculum, providing research-based activities and assessments aligned with early learning standards. Note: There is an additional fee for Experience Curriculum. Contact our team for a custom quote.
Digital portfolios allow teachers to document each child's development journey, sharing meaningful moments and milestones with families. This feature transforms how programs demonstrate the value of their educational approach.
Attendance and daily activity reports
Brightwheel Premium automates daily reporting, capturing check-in and check-out times, meal consumption, nap schedules, and learning activities. These reports provide families with comprehensive insights into their child's day while creating valuable records for programs.
The system's efficiency means teachers spend less time on paperwork and more time engaging with children. Automated reports also ensure consistency and accuracy across all classrooms.
Payroll and staff management
Staff management features include scheduling tools, time tracking, and payroll integration. Brightwheel Premium helps maintain proper ratios, tracks staff qualifications, and manages professional development requirements.
The platform's staff communication tools ensure everyone stays informed about schedule changes, program updates, and important announcements, improving overall team coordination and satisfaction.
What's the difference between brightwheel Free and Premium?
Choosing the right software depends on your program's specific needs. Brightwheel Premium offers a comprehensive suite of features that often replaces the need for multiple, separate alternative tools.
| Feature | Brightwheel Free | Brightwheel Premium |
| Daily updates & photo sharing |
✓ Photos only |
✓ Photos and videos |
| Family messaging |
✓ |
|
| Newsletters |
✓ |
|
| Emergency SMS alerts |
✓ |
|
| Prospective family messaging |
✓ |
|
| Online forms & signatures |
✓ |
|
| Waitlist management |
✓ |
|
| Daily activity reports |
✓ |
✓ |
| Meal & incident reports |
✓ |
|
| Sleep checks |
✓ |
|
| Lesson & lesson planning |
✓ Customizable to suit your needs |
|
| Observations |
✓In accordance with state, DRDP & Montessori standards |
|
| Staff messaging |
✓ 1:1 & group-based messaging |
|
| Automated tuition invoicing |
✓ |
✓ |
| Subsidy tracking |
✓ |
✓ |
| Late payment fees |
✓ |
✓ |
| Attendance-based invoicing |
✓ |
✓ |
| Next business day direct deposit |
✓ |
✓ |
| Online bill payments |
✓Competitive ACH & credit card service fees |
✓Discounted ACH & credit card service fees |
| Webinars & educational content |
✓ |
✓ |
| Reporting |
✓ |
✓ |
| Check-in & attendance |
✓ |
✓Includes contactless check-in, kiosk mode & digital signatures |
| CACFP meal planning |
|
✓ |
| Health checks & screening forms |
|
✓ |
| Room ratio tracking |
|
✓ |
| Live chat & phone support |
|
✓ |
| User account limits |
1 staff member, less than 20 students & unlimited family members |
Unlimited staff members, students & family members |
- Brightwheel free: Ideal for very small programs just starting out. It includes basic daily updates, photo sharing, and online bill payments, but it lacks advanced billing, messaging, forms, waitlist management, and other automation features.
- Brightwheel Premium: Designed for growing and established programs. It includes automated billing, direct deposits, comprehensive attendance reporting, multi-site management, and priority support.
- Alternatives: While other software might offer niche features, they often require you to pay extra for add-ons or use separate apps for billing and curriculum. Brightwheel consolidates these functions to provide a seamless, all-in-one experience without hidden service fees.
Does brightwheel Premium pay for itself?
Investing in brightwheel Premium typically pays for itself through significant operational efficiencies. Based on data from thousands of childcare programs, administrators save 20 hours every month.
ROI Snapshot: Brightwheel Premium saves administrators 20 hours per month in manual tasks and helps programs achieve higher on-time payment rates through automated billing.
That’s two and a half full workdays returned to your schedule. This time savings translates to significant financial returns. Assuming an average staff wage of $23.50 per hour, saving 20 hours a month equals approximately $470 in staff time, or over $5,600 annually.
Is brightwheel free?
Brightwheel offers a free plan and a paid Premium plan. The free plan supports one staff member and fewer than 20 students, with unlimited family accounts, and includes daily reports, photo sharing, tuition invoicing, subsidy tracking, and next-business-day direct deposit. It does not include family messaging, online forms, waitlist management, lesson planning, ratio tracking, or live support. Brightwheel Premium removes the account limits and adds those features. Premium pricing is customized for each program.
How much does brightwheel Premium cost?
Brightwheel Premium pricing is customized for each program rather than published as a price list, so the cost depends on what your program needs. Brightwheel Premium bundles billing, family communication, attendance, lesson planning, and reporting into a single monthly payment — billing is not priced as a separate module. Additional costs include standard service fees on credit card payments, ACH bank transfer, or check, and Experience Curriculum, which is quoted separately. Request pricing for a quote for your program. Note: Pricing figures on third-party review sites are often inaccurate or out of date — always get a quote directly from brightwheel.
What's included in the subscription fee
| Cost component | Included in brightwheel Premium? |
|---|---|
| Billing and invoicing software | Included — no separate module fee |
| Family communication and messaging | Included |
| Attendance, check-in, and ratio tracking | Included |
| Lesson planning and observations | Included |
| Reporting and CACFP tools | Included |
| Live chat and phone support | Included |
| Unlimited staff, students, and family accounts | Included |
| Onboarding and roster import | Included |
| Payroll | Additional fee — connect to Gusto's secure payroll platform right from the brightwheel app |
| Credit card and ACH payments | Standard service fees apply — Premium rates are discounted vs. the free plan |
| Experience Curriculum | Additional fee — pre-made lesson plans & hands-on materials delivered monthly |
Your quote itemizes everything before you sign, so you can see exactly what's included for your program.
Frequently asked questions
Q: What is the pricing model for brightwheel Premium?
A: Brightwheel Premium uses a customized pricing model based on your program's needs. You pay one straightforward price for access to all premium features without hidden fees for essential tools.
Q: Does brightwheel charge extra for billing features?
A: No, there is no separate billing module fee. The only billing-related costs are standard service fees when families pay by credit card, ACH bank transfer, or check, and Premium customers receive discounted rates compared to the free plan. There are only two service fees—one for card and one for ACH/check—and no hidden fees on top of this.
Q: Do families have to pay to use the brightwheel app?
A: No. Family access to the brightwheel app is always free. Parents can download the app, get daily updates about their child, message teachers, check in and out, and use every parent-facing feature at no cost. This is included in your subscription no matter how many families you serve.
Q: Do I pay extra for additional staff or family accounts?
A: No. Brightwheel Premium includes unlimited staff members, students, and family accounts. Adding a teacher, or a second parent to a child's profile, does not change your subscription.
Q: Does brightwheel require a long-term contract?
A: Brightwheel offers flexible plan terms, and your specific agreement length is confirmed during your pricing consultation. Ask your Brightwheel representative to walk through term length and renewal terms before you sign.
Q: How does brightwheel pricing compare to Procare and other childcare software?
A: Brightwheel, Procare, Playground, and Illumine all quote pricing on request rather than publishing a price list, so direct price comparison requires a quote from each. The clearer difference is what each includes: Brightwheel bundles billing, communication, attendance, and lesson planning into one subscription, while some platforms price parent communication or billing as separate add-on modules. Ask any vendor which features are add-ons before comparing quotes.
Q: What size childcare program is the best fit for brightwheel Premium?
A: Brightwheel Premium is designed for childcare programs of all sizes, from small in-home providers to large multi-site operations with 1,000+ students. The platform easily scales to manage anywhere from 15 to over 1,000 students.
Q: Who is brightwheel Premium best for?
A: Brightwheel Premium is best for growing and established early education programs seeking to automate administrative tasks, streamline billing, and improve family communication—whether you operate a single location or manage multiple sites.
Transform your childcare program today
Brightwheel Premium is more than just management software; it is a complete solution that changes how your program operates, communicates, and grows. Ready to see exactly how much brightwheel can save your business? Schedule a personalized demo and pricing consultation today to unlock your program's full potential.
