What Is Childcare Management Software?
Mix (15 tools)
- License: 2 open source · 13 proprietary
- Hosting: 2 self-hosted · 13 SaaS · 0 both
Childcare management software is the operational backbone of a childcare center, daycare, preschool, or after-school program. It handles enrollment, attendance, billing, parent communication, classroom management, and licensing compliance – replacing paper sign-in sheets, manual invoicing, and disconnected systems with a unified platform.
Unlike generic business software, childcare management includes domain-specific features that general tools cannot provide:
- Enrollment management – applications, waitlists, registration forms, classroom placement, and capacity tracking
- Attendance tracking – digital check-in and check-out via kiosk, QR code, PIN pad, contactless NFC, or parent mobile app
- Billing & tuition – automated recurring tuition billing, subsidy tracking, co-pay calculation, late fees, and payment processing
- Parent communication – two-way messaging, daily activity reports with photos/videos, newsletters, and emergency alerts
- Classroom management – lesson plans, developmental milestones, assessments, curriculum tracking, and learning portfolios
- Staff management – employee scheduling, staff-to-child ratio monitoring, certification tracking, professional development, and time clock
- Licensing compliance – state licensing requirements, ratio tracking, incident reporting, background check tracking, and audit-ready records
- Health & safety – medication administration tracking, allergy alerts, immunization record management, incident/ accident reports, and emergency contacts
- Subsidy management – government childcare subsidies (CCDF, state-specific programs), co-pay tracking, and subsidy reporting
- Daily activity reports – meals, naps, diaper changes, activities, and milestones shared with parents in real time
- Child portfolio – developmental progress documentation, learning stories, and assessment tracking over time
- Transportation – bus routing, pickup and drop-off tracking, authorized person verification
- Multi-site management – managing multiple centers from a single platform with consolidated reporting
- CACFP – Child and Adult Care Food Program (USDA meal tracking, menu planning, and reimbursement claim filing)
About this data & disclaimer
The information on these pages was researched by a combination of human review and large language models. This catalogue serves as a reference for the resources, applications, devices, deployment payloads, and other components that the ResorsIT platform integrates, deploys, and manages. To suggest an addition or correction, please contact us. Prepared by Rhodium Systems Inc., author of the ResorsIT platform — a unified IT operations management platform for IT teams and MSPs that integrates a curated suite of open-source, commercial, and SaaS applications into a single system with shared identity, single sign-on, access control, and a common audit trail. This information is compiled on a best-effort basis: it may be incomplete, contain errors, and become out of date as tools, vendors, licences, and features change. Use this catalogue only as a starting point for your own research, and independently verify and review any tool carefully against your own requirements before relying on it.
Comparison
SSO / OIDC Comparison
OIDC is the preferred SSO protocol.
| Tool | OIDC | SAML | Authentik Notes | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gibbon | No | No | Yes | No enterprise SSO |
| OpenEduCat | No | No | Yes | No enterprise SSO |
| Procare | No | Yes | Yes | SAML via Authentik |
| brightwheel | No | No | Yes | No enterprise SSO |
| Lillio | No | No | Yes | No enterprise SSO |
| Kangarootime | No | No | Yes | No enterprise SSO |
| ChildPilot | No | No | Yes | No enterprise SSO |
| Jackrabbit Care | No | No | Yes | No enterprise SSO |
| Sandbox | No | No | Yes | No enterprise SSO |
| EZCare | No | No | No | No SSO support |
| Kindertales | No | No | Yes | No enterprise SSO |
| Famly | No | No | Yes | No enterprise SSO |
| Cheqdin | No | No | Yes | No enterprise SSO |
| iCare | No | No | Yes | No enterprise SSO |
| MyKidReports | No | No | Yes | No enterprise SSO |
Best SSO support: Procare is the only childcare management tool in this evaluation with SAML SSO support, enabling integration with Authentik. No tools support native OIDC.
Market reality: Childcare management software overwhelmingly targets small businesses. Enterprise SSO protocols (SAML/OIDC) are rare; Google social login is the most common authentication option.
Deployment Comparison
| Tool | Type | Platform | Cloud | On-Prem |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Gibbon | Self-hosted | Linux/PHP | No* | Yes |
| OpenEduCat | Self-hosted | Linux/Python | No* | Yes |
| Procare | SaaS | Browser/App | Yes | No** |
| brightwheel | SaaS | Browser/App | Yes | No |
| Lillio | SaaS | Browser/App | Yes | No |
| Kangarootime | SaaS | Browser/App | Yes | No |
| ChildPilot | SaaS | Browser/App | Yes | No |
| Jackrabbit Care | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| Sandbox | SaaS | Browser/App | Yes | No |
| EZCare | SaaS | Browser | Yes | No |
| Kindertales | SaaS | Browser/App | Yes | No |
| Famly | SaaS | Browser/App | Yes | No |
| Cheqdin | SaaS | Browser/App | Yes | No |
| iCare | SaaS | Browser/App | Yes | No |
| MyKidReports | SaaS | Browser/App | Yes | No |
* = Can be self-hosted on cloud infrastructure ** = Legacy Procare Desktop available on-prem; current product is SaaS only
Core Features Comparison
| Feature | Gibbon | OpenEduCat | Procare | brightwheel | Lillio |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | Basic | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Attendance | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | No | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Parent app | No | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Classroom | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Staff mgmt | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Health/safety | Basic | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Subsidies | No | No | Yes | Yes | Basic |
| Multi-site | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Feature | Kangarootime | ChildPilot | Jackrabbit | Sandbox | EZCare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Attendance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Parent app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Basic |
| Classroom | Yes | Yes | Basic | Yes | Basic |
| Staff mgmt | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Health/safety | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Subsidies | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Multi-site | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Feature | Kindertales | Famly | Cheqdin | iCare | MyKidReports |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Enrollment | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Attendance | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Billing | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Parent app | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Classroom | Yes | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes |
| Staff mgmt | Yes | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes |
| Health/safety | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes |
| Subsidies | Basic | Basic | No | Yes | Basic |
| Multi-site | Yes | Yes | Basic | Yes | Yes |
API Comparison
| Tool | REST API | Access | Documentation |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gibbon | No | Open (OSS) | N/A |
| OpenEduCat | Yes | Open (OSS) | Odoo API docs |
| Procare | Yes | Partner program | Good |
| brightwheel | Limited | Contact vendor | Limited |
| Lillio | Limited | Contact vendor | Limited |
| Kangarootime | Limited | Contact vendor | Limited |
| ChildPilot | No | N/A | N/A |
| Jackrabbit Care | Yes | Customer access | Good |
| Sandbox | Limited | Contact vendor | Limited |
| EZCare | No | N/A | N/A |
| Kindertales | Limited | Contact vendor | Limited |
| Famly | Yes | Partner program | Good |
| Cheqdin | No | N/A | N/A |
| iCare | Limited | Contact vendor | Limited |
| MyKidReports | Limited | Contact vendor | Limited |
Best API: OpenEduCat benefits from the Odoo API framework. Procare offers a partner API program. Famly and Jackrabbit Care also provide documented APIs. Most childcare tools have limited or no public API access.
Monitoring Integration
| Tool | Telegraf | Fluent Bit | Grafana |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gibbon | MySQL/Apache metrics | PHP/Apache logs | Custom dashboards |
| OpenEduCat | PostgreSQL/Nginx metrics | Python/Nginx logs | Custom dashboards |
| Procare | SaaS – infra only | SaaS – N/A | SaaS – N/A |
| brightwheel | SaaS – infra only | SaaS – N/A | SaaS – N/A |
| Lillio | SaaS – infra only | SaaS – N/A | SaaS – N/A |
| Kangarootime | SaaS – infra only | SaaS – N/A | SaaS – N/A |
| ChildPilot | SaaS – infra only | SaaS – N/A | SaaS – N/A |
| Jackrabbit Care | SaaS – infra only | SaaS – N/A | SaaS – N/A |
| Sandbox | SaaS – infra only | SaaS – N/A | SaaS – N/A |
| EZCare | SaaS – infra only | SaaS – N/A | SaaS – N/A |
| Kindertales | SaaS – infra only | SaaS – N/A | SaaS – N/A |
| Famly | SaaS – infra only | SaaS – N/A | SaaS – N/A |
| Cheqdin | SaaS – infra only | SaaS – N/A | SaaS – N/A |
| iCare | SaaS – infra only | SaaS – N/A | SaaS – N/A |
| MyKidReports | SaaS – infra only | SaaS – N/A | SaaS – N/A |
Self-hosted tools (Gibbon, OpenEduCat) offer full monitoring via database and web server metrics. SaaS tools are limited to endpoint and network infrastructure monitoring.
Licensing Comparison
| Tool | License | Type | Cost Model |
|---|---|---|---|
| Gibbon | GPL-3.0 | Open source | Free |
| OpenEduCat | LGPL-3.0 | Open source | Free; paid enterprise |
| Procare | Proprietary | SaaS | Per-child/mo |
| brightwheel | Proprietary | SaaS | Per-child/mo; free tier |
| Lillio | Proprietary | SaaS | Per-child/mo |
| Kangarootime | Proprietary | SaaS | Per-child/mo |
| ChildPilot | Proprietary | SaaS | Per-child/mo |
| Jackrabbit Care | Proprietary | SaaS | From ~$45/mo |
| Sandbox | Proprietary | SaaS | Per-child/mo |
| EZCare | Proprietary | SaaS | Contact vendor |
| Kindertales | Proprietary | SaaS | Per-child/mo |
| Famly | Proprietary | SaaS | Per-child/mo |
| Cheqdin | Proprietary | SaaS | From ~$39/mo |
| iCare | Proprietary | SaaS | Contact vendor |
| MyKidReports | Proprietary | SaaS | Per-child/mo; free tier |
Tools
15 tools.
brightwheel
brightwheel is one of the fastest-growing childcare management platforms, serving tens of thousands of early education programs across the United States.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
Cheqdin
Cheqdin is a UK-based childcare management platform serving nurseries, preschools, childminders, and after-school clubs primarily in the United Kingdom. The platform has been expanding into other English-speaking markets.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
ChildPilot
ChildPilot is a childcare management software platform designed for daycare centers, preschools, and after-school programs.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
EZCare (SofterWare)
EZCare is a childcare management solution from SofterWare, a company that also produces software for nonprofit organizations, camps, and after-school programs.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
Famly
Famly is a European childcare management platform headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark. The platform has a strong presence in the UK, Denmark, Germany, and other European markets, with growing adoption in North America.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
Gibbon
Gibbon is an open-source school management platform covering student records, attendance, timetabling, assessment, and parent communication, with an early-years module adaptable to preschools.
License: GPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Vaulted credential
iCare Software
iCare Software is a childcare management platform designed specifically for multi-center childcare operations.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
Jackrabbit Care
Jackrabbit Care is a childcare management platform from Jackrabbit Technologies, which also produces Jackrabbit Class (for class-based businesses like dance studios and gymnastics).
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
Kangarootime
Kangarootime is a childcare management platform with particular strength in billing, subsidy management, and financial operations. The platform serves childcare centers, preschools, and after-school programs across the United States.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
Kindertales (formerly Kinderlime)
Kindertales, formerly known as Kinderlime, is a childcare management platform that rebranded after being acquired.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
Lillio (formerly HiMama)
Lillio (formerly HiMama) is a cloud-based childcare center management platform known for parent engagement and daily reporting, covering enrollment, attendance, billing, and child development documentation.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
MyKidReports
MyKidReports is a childcare management platform that emphasizes automated daily reports and parent communication. The platform serves daycare centers, preschools, and after-school programs in the US market.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
OpenEduCat
OpenEduCat is an open-source education ERP built on the Odoo framework. It provides student management, attendance, timetabling, library management, and basic fee collection – primarily targeting schools and universities.
License: LGPL-3.0-only (OSS) · Kind: web · Deploy: direct · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Forward-auth · Directory / LDAP
Procare Solutions
Procare Solutions is the market-leading childcare management platform, serving over 40,000 childcare centers across North America.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: SAML
ResorsIT usage: Web App with SSO
Access & Identity: Single sign-on
Sandbox Childcare
Sandbox Childcare (formerly Sandbox Software) is a childcare management platform serving daycare centers, preschools, and early education programs.
License: Proprietary (proprietary) · Kind: web · Deploy: saas · SSO: none
ResorsIT usage: Web App without SSO
Access & Identity: Vaulted credential
