How to Start a Preschool at Home | The Ultimate Guide
This guide will explain how to start your preschool, from writing a business plan and choosing a location, to marketing, hiring, and managing your day-to-day operations.
#1 childcare software for in-home providers
Manage your in-home childcare without blurring work-life boundaries
Manage your in-home childcare without blurring work-life boundaries
Brightwheel helps you stay organized, connected, and stress-free while caring for children in your home.
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 in-home childcare programs love brightwheel
Streamlined admin tasks
Make it easy to juggle time-consuming tasks like tracking meals, activities, and paperwork.
Real-time parent communication
Give parents regular updates without phone calls and texts after hours.
On-time billing and payments
Automate billing and collect on-time payments through multiple payment methods.
Worry-free compliance and licensing
Keep track of state rules and maintain documentation to meet local regulations and pass inspections.
Streamlined admin tasks
Make it easy to juggle time-consuming tasks like tracking meals, activities, and paperwork.
Real-time parent communication
Give parents regular updates without phone calls and texts after hours.
On-time billing and payments
Automate billing and collect on-time payments through multiple payment methods.
Worry-free compliance and licensing
Keep track of state rules and maintain documentation to meet local regulations and pass inspections.
In-home childcare owners and directors: Brightwheel is for you
Automated billing setup
- Quickly set up billing, create billing plans for multiple students, and automate invoicing tasks
- Offer families a simple and secure way to pay tuition online
- Access reports and billing data to see balances, deposits, transactions, revenue, and more
“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
Share daily updates with parents
- Send photos, activity logs, and meal reports right from the app
- Connect with families in real-time, keeping them informed and engaged with their child’s learning
- Make it easy for families to get in touch with you and access messages in one place
“Parent communication has drastically improved thanks to brightwheel. We’ve seen better communication both from teachers to parents and parents to teachers, which has been so nice to see.”
Cally B, Assistant Director at MBCC Journey
Birmingham, AL
Organize forms and documents
- Store child profiles and contact information securely
- Easily find what you need, when you need it, without shuffling paper files
- Keep important records like immunizations up to date with automated alerts.
- Send parents reminders about missing documents or upcoming deadlines
“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
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 and stay compliant with all 50 states’ early learning standards and NAEYC
“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 M, Pre-K Teacher & Curriculum Coordinator at Tarrytown Children’s Center
Austin, TX
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