Child care software can be extremely helpful for a childcare business. It helps keep records of fees, enrollments, and expenses, and can even generate daily report sheets. These systems are especially useful for daycares that need to adjust their schedules on a daily basis. It also lets childcare providers keep track of their students’ development and share notes with other staff members. Moreover, a good childcare management system also makes it easier for parents to pay for their children’s services through an online portal.
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Childcare Management Systems with Point-of-Sale Integrations
One of the most important functions of a child care point of sale software is payment processing. It helps child care facilities maintain a record of payments made, including fees charged, special requests, and allergies. This program also features an optional card swipe feature that eliminates errors and offers a lower card swipe rate. The software also makes it easy to keep records of payments made and receipts for parents. These are all essential for the smooth functioning of a child care business.
Some child care point of sale software allows parents to make online payments via their mobile devices. This is a practical safety measure that is especially helpful in times of pandemics. Another feature that child care point of sale software offers is online bill pay. This function allows users to easily pay their fees online. The payment feature supports billable hour tracking and allows parents to set up their account with their email address and password. The software also helps childcare providers manage their payments through 3rd party providers.
Child care point of sale software should also include a parent portal. This feature allows parents to update information about their child’s day without the need to physically visit the facility. Some of these programs also support multiple calendars, including Google and Apple calendars, and provide reliable syncing for these calendars. The ability to accept payment online reduces the administrative burden for child care facilities, which are often on the go.
The customer service of a child care point of sale software should be user-friendly. Many of these programs are user-friendly and intuitive. Moreover, they offer multiple features that help child care businesses run smoothly. A child-care point of sale software should support mobile payments. It should be compatible with most payment methods. This software should support several languages. It should be easy to install and use. It also supports mobile payments.
Invoicing and billing are two of the most important tasks of a daycare business. The software should be easy to use and allow for maximum flexibility. This will help the business stay organized and on top of its finances. It also helps the daycare owner keep track of the payments made by each parent. The invoicing and billing process is also very simple. With Kinderlime, the child care point of sale software will help you improve your cash flow by automating the entire process.
Automated payment processing will save your daycare time and money. You can automate payment processes and monitor the behavior of your employees and parents. With the help of an automated software, you will be able to track payments and get real-time reports. Besides, you will be able to track the activity of all staff and parents in real-time. It will also give you notifications about pending issues. With a child care point of sale software, you can also automate your billing system by creating a secure online portal for your customers.
Besides automating the payment process, child care point of sale software will also help the daycare to optimize its payment methods. In addition to credit card payments, it will also let you automate payments with signature debit cards. It will allow the child care business to have more confidence in their payment processes. The best part is that point of sale software is included with most management software platforms, and does not require a terminal (unless you choose to have the in-person payment option available).
#1. Brightwheel – Best All-in-One Solution
Brightwheel is one of the most well-known childcare management solutions out there. Currently, their software is trusted by thousands of child care centers around the globe. If their name sounds familiar to you, it’s because this company has been featured on many top networks and entertainment shows. Some of their top appearances include Business Insider, TechCrunch, Shark Tank, and CNBC.
The point-of-sale aspect of Brightwheel’s platform is extremely impressive, which is why we gave this company our top recommendation. The billing services will allow providers to invoice families, send automated receipts for payments, track deposits, and more. As a daycare provider, time is one of your most important assets. Using Brightwheel will allow for the accounting portion of your business to be completely streamlined, which is a major advantage not only for you as a provider, but for families as well. Paperless invoicing and payment options will allow for a reduction of paperwork.
Families can choose to be set up on a recurring invoice option, and also choose to enroll in auto-pay to eliminate late payments. Brightwheel features payment flexibility, giving you the option to accept auto-pay, credit card, or bank transfer payment methods. This billing system can also be integrating with any other tool that you already use for enrollment, attendance, or communication at your facility. All of your back-end tasks will be loaded into one centralized location that is fully encrypted and customizable.
In addition to their robust POS integration, Brightwheel also includes many other management features that will be beneficial for child care providers. Some of the top components that their platform application includes are:
Digitalized Daily Reports – Shared in Real Time with Families - Capture and Share Learning Milestones with Parents
- Digital Check-In with Secure Pin Codes, Digital Signatures, and Quick Scan
- Simplified Attendance Reports and Payroll Reports
- Streamlined Application Tracking and Waitlist Management
- Live Chat Support for Providers within the Brightwheel App
- Synced Family/Staff Calendar to Schedule Facility Events and Activities
Digitalized Daily Reports – Shared in Real Time with FamiliesBrightwheel’s pricing is quote based dependent the size and needs of your facility.
#2. ProCare Solutions – Best for In-Home Providers or Smaller Facilities
ProCare Solutions is the best option for a diverse option of childcare providers. Their software is advantageous for in-home child care providers. ProCare Home is available to child care providers with a residential address and fewer than 15 children. ProCare utilizes a tool known as Tuition Express for the point-of-sale portion of their platform. Tuition Express will give your facility an array of contactless payment options including electronic transfer fund, online, or fully automated.
There is also the option to do in-person point-of-sale with a card swipe reader if in-person transactions are needed. Tuition Express is completely integrated with Procare’s management software, so tuition collection can be a seamless and secure experience for both you as the provider as well as your families.
When using ProCare, providers can choose any combination of payment options that are offered through their merchant services. Families can pay online through TutitionExpress.com, and Tuition Express syncs them into your ProCare dashboard automatically. Providers can set families up with a recurring auto draft payment schedule on a weekly or monthly basis, transferring from the parent’s bank account or credit card.
Parents are also able to pay through any desktop or mobile device at ProCare.com, and caregivers are able to access their payment history and statements right on their account. For hardware, ProCare offers both a swipe reader and a kiosk payment check in option.
Aside from the financial features offered in Tuition Express, the child care management solutions available through ProCare will be beneficial to child care providers as well. Their system is feature-rich, and includes tools such as:
- Child-Staff Ratios Compliance and Scheduling
- Meal Tracking and Food Program Management
- Frameworks, Assessments, and Milestone Tracking
- Mobile App for Staff
- Contactless Check-In and Check Out
- Staff-to-Staff and Staff-to-Parent Messaging
- Parent Engagement Mobile App
- Alignment to State and Montessori Standards
ProCare’s pricing is quote based.
#3. Sandbox Software – Best Bang for Your Buck
Sandbox Software is one of the only childcare management systems that you will find with transparent online pricing. Last year, their software was ranked with several top awards such as “Best Value”, and “Most Recommended”. Getting paid for your child care services is simple and convenient through their point-of-sale processing options.
Sandbox’s payment method is unique in that their platform focuses on the flexibility of their invoices. The invoices are 100% customizable in fields as well as in scheduling frequency. In addition, there is government subsidy tracking and automated tax receipts within their platform. Parents are able to view and pay their invoices directly online or through the Sandbox app.
Aside from billing and point-of-sale functionality, Sandbox excels in the reporting department. There are over 100+ options of informational reports that can be pulled at any time. Some of the top reporting capabilities include:
Allergy List - Daily, Weekly, and Monthly Attendance
- Weekly, Monthly, and Annual Projection
- Emergency Card
- Class Roster
- Daily Report and Attendance
- Health Check Summary
- Subsidies Report
Allergy ListThe software from Sandbox is designed to grow with your business. Convenient and customizable payment methods, detailed reporting capabilities, multi-location management, as well as parent engagement and classroom tools with aid in taking your facility to the next level.
The pricing at Sandbox is based on the number of children you have enrolled at your facility. The most basic pricing for smaller care facilities with 0-24 children starts at just $59/monthly with unlimited users and devices, unlimited customer support, and no contract required. This is a great option if you are looking for a system with a low barrier to entry and one that you can try out and cancel at any time.
The Bottom Line
The payment system in child care point of sale software is an essential component of any successful daycare. It will help reduce costs and streamline the billing process for parents and staff. With an automated system, the entire payment process will be faster and more efficient. It will also help you improve communication with parents. The payments portal will also help you automate your payment processing and ensure a smoother experience for your customers. And of course, the daycare point of sale software will increase your customers. It’s important to find the right management software that excels in point-of-sale as well.
