Modernize and improve your center with childcare technology

You may have heard about all the childcare technology and software that has become more and more popular. But, if you are a bit hesitant to implement digital tools because you and your staff are so accustomed to the way you have been doing things, I get it and you are not alone.

But, I’m pretty confident that once you read this article, you will feel more ready or willing to consider technology for your childcare center.

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Out with the old, in with the new

When you decided to pursue a career in early childhood education (ECE) and childcare, I’m assuming you didn’t really think about all the different hats you would have to wear on a daily basis - teacher, administrator, caretaker, nurse, therapist, community builder, parent partner, relationship manager, marketer, and so much more. 

Sometimes it may feel like playing and teaching the children is just a small part of your job, because there is so much that happens behind the scenes to create a successful, high-quality childcare center.

Well I am here to tell you that there is a way to make face-to-face time with the children a larger part of your day, as it should be. The solution? Childcare technology – more specifically, a childcare management software.

There is a variety of technology out there  - childcare online invoicing or childcare booking systems, or childcare staff management. And, if I thought I had to maintain and manage so many different technology systems for every task, I would be overwhelmed too. But that’s where a childcare management software comes in – an all-in-one technology for your childcare center. 

Traditionally, childcare centers have relied heavily on paperwork for administrative tasks, from attendance records to billing and scheduling. However, as there seem to be more and more requirements and policies, managing and organizing spreadsheets and paperwork is becoming seemingly impossible. 

Where did I put that piece of paper? I jotted that down on a sticky note, where did I put that? I have no more room for folders in my office drawers. Oh, that is tracked in one of our softwares - what is the password for that one again? 

Are those some thoughts that run through your mind each day? Sometimes just finding the paperwork you need is more time-consuming than the actual paperwork! But, even if you are extremely organized, the time you are spending doing paperwork can be significantly reduced. 

But, not only will childcare technology help you complete your tasks faster, it will actually also help enhance your childcare business and the quality of care you provide. 

Let me explain what I mean.

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Complete your tasks faster - and more effectively - with childcare technology

With digital tools, so many of your daily to-dos can be done more efficiently, streamlined, and even, completely automated – you know it is chugging along in the background without you having to do a thing! Those are really just big words for saying, it could make your day waaaaay less stressful!

Just to name a few of the things that childcare technology can automate and streamline for you:

• Digital sign-in with a secure pincode or QR code‍
• Attendance tracking, patterns and reporting
• Automated billing, invoicing and payments
• Automated notifications and reminders for payments
• Digital bulletin board, or Newsfeed, so you can post announcements and updates for the whole community to easily access
• Digital staff scheduling, so you can see a clear overview of classroom ratios, staff availability, time-off requests, planned and open shifts
• Automated notifications and reminders when a classroom is out of ratio

With all this stored data, you won’t even be able to imagine all the insights and information you will get from automated – clear, understandable – reports:

• Financial reports, so you can make more realistic forecasts and budget plans
• Attendance reports to see classroom trends, or specific children’s patterns
• Occupancy reports to show upcoming availability in classrooms, so you know when you can enroll more students and boost your revenue‍
• Accident, incident and immunization reports
• Parent-generated tax statements

I could keep going, but what I really want to emphasize is that with one childcare technology platform, all of this information could be all-in-one-place!

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Just to highlight one of the many amazing benefits of Famly from one of our customers,

Childcare technology allows you to provide higher quality care

When you spend less time manually tracking, documenting and invoicing, the quality of your childcare business, and the quality of care you provide will increase.

• The features, data and reports enable you to better manage and track everything which ultimately leads to a boost in your revenue. 
• When things are automated and more efficiently completed, you and your staff get more hours in your day to do what you truly enjoy, and what you are an expert in - interacting and engaging with the little ones to help them become knowledgeable, emotional, social, unique individuals.
• Stronger family involvement and parent partnerships because of digital instant messaging to one, or a group of, parents and carers. Also, family members will love the ability to see updates and photos of their children throughout the day when they look at the in-app Newsfeed (like a digital bulletin board.) And we all know, happy families means positive word-of-mouth, which means more applicants and prospects, and more revenue for your childcare business. 
• Happier, less-stressed staff, and therefore, higher staff retention. Staff are not juggling an impossible number of tasks, and feel more on-top of their responsibilities, leading them to feel more confident and calm. This fosters a more positive work environment.
  Even more, childcare technology not only helps staff get some of their documentation and reporting done more efficiently, but it also is a clear way for them to manage their own schedule, and feel like they have a clear line of communication with the director and other staff members. This is powerful because it is a simple way to make staff feel heard, and valued by their director.