Running a childcare or daycare centre isn’t an easy job. Almost everyone who works in the childcare industry is usually flooded with a large number of tasks to accomplish daily. That’s why people in the childcare industry constantly search for ways to make their centre more efficient and effective at what it does.
Managing childcare centres have improved over the years all thanks to childcare apps. These apps have been of immense help to childcare centres by helping them handle simple tasks like attendance, scheduling and preparing billings and payments, helping staff record and store important information, etc. The functionality of the apps are not limited to basic functions as they can also be used to handle administrative and managerial jobs.
Not only are they of importance to childcare centres, but they are also beneficial to parents as they can use the apps to receive real-time information about their children—they’ll know everything happening to and around their kids even though they are not physically present.
Just like every good thing in the world, there are bound to be duplicates and as such there are lots of childcare apps out there. If you are running a childcare centre then offering the best services to your clients should be your number 1 priority which means you should use nothing short of the best childcare app for your childcare to make running your centre much easier for you as well as your staff.
Many childcare apps offer the basic things you’ll need to run your childcare centre so why then should you bother yourself with searching for the best. If you want to know why you need the best childcare apps for your childcare centre, then you should continue reading.
What are the best childcare apps?
Childcare apps are excellent managerial tools that can help childcare centres run their centres effortlessly. The best childcare apps should not be limited to helping in easing the stress involved in running daycare or childcare centres daily rather they should also be able to help parents communicate with teachers, help them track their child’s development, schedule pickups, and carry out lots of other features that ensure that both the parents and the management of the centres are on the page when it concerns the wellbeing of the children in their care.
Childcare apps: trends and everything you should know about them
In Google PlayStore, apps for childcare, parents, and babysitting are found in the Family/Parenting category. In comparison with other apps in the market, these apps don’t show much popularity over other apps in the Google PlayStore app. Even though the apps aren’t so popular there are still a few apps that have managed to perform well.
According to statistics released by AppBrain in 2017, it shows that 181 apps in the parenting category have been downloaded over 50,000 times still on the PlayStore app.
The question you might be tempted to ask is, “why is there a low-to-medium distribution in apps found in the parenting or family category?” or “why are some childcare apps performing better than other apps in the same category?”. 3 major reasons answer the above questions.
- Many of such apps are at the very dawn only.
- They have inconvenient UX and lack the necessary functionality.
- Trust. People seem to trust people they already know better than the people found in these apps.
These statistics were carried out way back in 2017, today, lots of people in the US and other countries have started warming up to these apps.
Benefits of using the best childcare management software
The childcare business is a challenging field and just like any other business, in order to be successful, you’ll need proper management. In order to achieve that, you’ll need to be using the best possible childcare software. My preference is Wündercare.
In this section, you’ll find the benefits of using great apps like Wündercare.
Minimizes paperwork
As technology advances, many businesses are trying or struggling to become more efficient and one effective method is to cut back on paperwork. Normally it wouldn’t be possible because you’ll need to store some information and as we all know, we aren’t robots so we can’t memorize all the information we need, hence, the need for writing them on paper. With a childcare management app like Wündercare, you’ll be able to eliminate most of the paperwork required in running your childcare business. Childcare management apps like Wündercare ensure that all the activities are documented digitally and also makes it easy to review the reports.
Track information better
The software should permit childcare centres to be able to better track important information about all the staff members and children in the centre. You should be able to add, delete, and edit information related to your childcare centre. When compared to paper documentation, these apps make information modification look easy.
Seamless communication with parents
One of the benefits of using the best childcare management app is that it ensures better communication between parents and teachers. When parents sign in to apps like Wündercare, they’ll be able to log in and have access to their child’s enrollment information, pictures from the daycare, and daily schedule. Parents will also be able to communicate with the facility whenever they choose to use the app.
Saves time
Indeed, it’s not yet possible to create systems that can fully replace human efforts but with a good childcare app, you should be able to save yourself a lot of time which you can invest into running your childcare or daycare centre better. Without these apps, you’d have to manually log in attendance (which takes a lot of time depending on the number of kids in your care), manage employee schedules, track expenses but with them, you can do it all from your computer.
Daily operation automation
With apps like Wündercare, you’ll be able to automate day-to-day routine tasks which allow the users to focus all their attention in better handling the children in their watch. The automation also prevents duplicate entries into the database since it’ll be able to detect if a child is enrolled in more than a single childcare centre.
Track the children’s progress
With these childcare management apps, caregivers in childcare centres can better manage children’s schedules, classroom activities, attendance, and assignments as well as even track their day-to-day progress using analytics and reports.
Aids nutrition planning
The best apps in the childcare category should also be able to help in monitoring the nutrition of children in the childcare centre. They also help in ensuring that the nutritional needs of the children in the centre are met. With some apps, you’ll be able to monitor the number of meals served and also carry out food planning.
Share live updates
This is one interesting feature every childcare app that can be categorized as best should have. This feature allows you to share real-time updates with the parents of the children in your care. This is important because most parents may not have the time enough to call in all the time to check on the kids in your care but with this feature and stable Internet access, they’ll be able to receive live updates about their children. This means they’ll be able to check in on their kids daily without having to be physically present.
How to choose the best childcare app for your childcare or daycare?
The childcare app you use for your childcare centre could determine whether or not your business will thrive or fail. Ever since childcare apps became popular, the number of childcare apps you’ll find online keeps increasing making it difficult to select the best for your childcare centre.
Lucky for you, in this section, I’ll be providing you with some tips you can use when choosing the best childcare app for your childcare centre.
Find out its essential features
Different childcare management apps come with similar or different features. Before choosing one for your centre, you should make a list of the features that are important to you and will make running your centre easier. Doing this helps you have a sense of direction while exploring applications—that way, you’ll be able to select an app that solves the problems you listed out.
Ease of use
Once incorporated into any centre, these apps quickly become a major utility that can be used to handle major and minor operations required to run the daycare or childcare. Hence, when selecting one for your centre, ensure that the one you’ll be using is easy to operate and user-friendly to enable your staff and parents to use the app effortlessly without difficulties.
Robust customer support
Applications are not perfect so that means they’ll likely face glitches from time to time. There are times when you may be having a hard time using the app. At times like that, reaching out to the customer care representatives would be the easiest way to solve those problems. If you use an app that has poor customer service then that means you’ll be stuck up until the app restores itself which is bad for business.
Decide your budget
Not all childcare apps are free, they are also paid ones. Hence, when selecting one that meets your child care requirements, you should also ensure that the app matches your budget or the amount you are willing to pay to acquire the app. It’s worthy to note that even free childcare apps can help you properly run your childcare centre, you may be missing out on a whole lot of great features that are usually mostly found in the paid versions.
Compatibility
The world is going digital with things like the metaverse becoming more and more popular, people now prefer cloud-based applications to offline applications. The reason for that isn’t hard to guess since cloud-based apps make data sharing easy. Additionally, before buying or downloading any childcare app, ensure that the app works on different platforms like iOS and Android. Also, check to ensure whether the app is web-based or not.
Research online
Rather than trying every childcare app you find on Google PlayStore or the Apple iOS store, you can filter your search by researching online. Read the details and features of the apps you’d like to try. Also, ensure that the information you are receiving about the app is from authentic and updated sources.
Check customer reviews
One way to tell if an app is really worth the hype is by reading the customer’s review on the app and also checking if the app has a high-performance score. Reviews tell you the real pros and cons of the app you wouldn’t find elsewhere. Additionally, if you’d like to try the app out before downloading then you can ask for a demo version from the service provider.
Always use the trial version first
Many childcare applications offer trial versions for their applications. The trial versions do not last but they create the perfect opportunity to check if the app truly meets the requirements needed to smoothly run your childcare centre. During the trial period try to check out everything you can about the app like the functions, tools, and other utilities.
Is there any particular daycare app to pay attention to?
Yes! And that app is Wündercare. Wündercare is an all-in-one app that provides a comprehensive childcare management solution to childcare centres. The app was created by a veteran of daycare management who had over 18 years of industry experience under her belt.
The app was designed with you, the end-user in mind. Knowing fully well that childcare providers often spend a lot of time trying to manage their centres, which is not an easy task. Due to that reason, it could sometimes prevent them from showing the children in their care all the love they deserve which fosters growth and enriches their minds.
Unlike several other apps in the market today, Wündercare was created by someone who has been in the childcare industry and just like you have managed day-to-day operations involving countless databases, spreadsheets, and CRM systems. With an app like Wündercare, you’ll be able to increase transparency, visibility, parent engagement, and communication.
Just because two childcare centres are in the same location doesn’t mean that they operate in the same manner. In that sense, the Wündercare app is self-learning as it’s capable of adapting to you and your needs. In this app, you’ll find all the tools you’ll need for billing, communications, managing operations, scheduling, etc.
Wündercare app: What to expect
Thinking of using this amazing app for your childcare centre? If you are, then in this section, you’ll find a few features you’ll be using when you eventually start using the app.
Admission waitlist
With the Wündercare app, you’ll be able to maintain the enquiry list and even shortlist candidates before bringing them on board. This is a great boost as it eliminates the need for spreadsheets and shared documents.
Ease in creating newsletters
The Wündercare app makes it easy for you to be able to create quick and visually effective newsletters. You’ll also be able to share the letters with the parents of the children in your care through email.
Seamless parent communication
The app makes it possible to easily engage parents with digital daily reports, lesson plans, pictures, and messages. You can also share meal plans with the parents and manage their medicine and food on request.
Integrated document centre
With the Wündercare app, you’ll be able to store, manage, and share all the children documents in your childcare centre in a single childcare management platform. The app supports documents, pictures, as well as videos. Makes communication between parents and teachers easy as parents can easily upload all their child’s documents which the teacher approves and stores as a digital record.
Digital attendance
The Paper sign-in is old and outdated. If you want to keep up with the latest technological trend, you should no longer be using such outdated methods. Make your childcare centre go paperless using Wündercare’s digital attendance feature. The feature allows contactless check-ins and check-outs for staff and parents using facial ID.
Billings and payments
Everything relating to billings and payments can be done with the Wündercare app. From accessing bill invoices to receiving payment reminders, the entire process of billing can be carried out in this childcare or preschool management app. Fee payment is made easy using this app. Parents do not have to visit the bank or the centre to make payments, rather they can perform the transaction right from the Wündercare.
Conclusion
The childcare industry is no doubt a competitive one and without proper management, your childcare centre might not even be considered as competition to other centres or an option to parents. That’s why it’s important to properly manage your centre and that can be done when you can effectively and efficiently carry out the daily activities needed to run your centre.
Running a childcare centre isn’t easy. That’s why many childcare providers are using childcare apps to help them properly run their business and give their caregivers more time to properly take care of the children in their watch. Rather than trying different childcare apps and regretting each decision, stop the search, research, or whatever it is you are doing and use the Wündercare app today.
