Childcare software

Compare childcare software

With childcare software you handle the administration of a day nursery, out-of-school care, pre-school playgroup or childminder agency. You schedule children into groups, with swap days and a waiting list, and check that the staff-to-child ratio (BKR) is right. You have contracts signed digitally, the invoice follows from the schedule, and you create annual statements and government submissions with one click. In a parent app, parents see photos, the daily report and their invoices, and request an extra day.

Which package suits your childcare organisation?

For organisations with multiple locations there are Ovivio, with Flexkids, KidsVision and the Konnect apps, Jaamo and SDB KIS, which ties in with rostering, HR and payroll. Proles Software, NioKids and KOVnet also focus on smaller childcare centres and state their price on the site. Bitcare follows the Dutch and the Belgian rules, and Deona is made for Flemish childcare.

For childminder agencies, Portabase and Kidsadmin have separate features for childminders and parents using a childminder, such as time tracking and payouts. Kidsadmin and NioKids can also handle your entire administration.

What should you look out for?

• Price: most packages charge per child or per childcare place per month. Also ask about start-up costs and the price of modules such as the parent app or the staff roster.
• Staff scheduling: check whether the staff roster ties in with child scheduling, so you can see where the staff-to-child ratio (BKR) is at risk.
• Integrations: check whether the package integrates with your accounting and payroll, and for pre-school playgroups with the municipality.
• Privacy: you store children's data and photos. Ask where the data is stored and what parents can and cannot see of other children in the app.