Are you the owner of a child care business? Maybe you are just getting started and are looking for the most efficient way to run the business, or perhaps you have been around for years but know that your processes could use some polishing up. No matter what situation you find yourself in, if you are running a child care business you ought to know about the newest technology in child care management solutions. Here’s a quick breakdown of what childcare management software can offer your business:
1. Payment Options – On average, American families spend close to 8% percent of their monthly income on child care, and professionals like you want to make it as easy as possible for those families to make their payment to you. With childcare management software you can do just that. One of the nicest features of this sort of software is the payment feature. With this software, the parents and caregivers of the kiddos you take care of can pay you from their mobile device, online, or on a tablet. You read that right, no more awkward conversations of asking for payment, mentioning bounced checks, or setting hard deadlines with past due parents. The software will do it all for you!
2. Check-In and Check-Out Features – In America, the average preschooler spends around 36 hours in childcare every single week. If you run your childcare business with payment per hour you know the importance of accurate time tracking. One way that many child care professionals achieve this is with a check-in and check-out system. Essentially you log the exact time that the child is in your care until the time that their parent or guardian picks them up. A child care management system can do all of that for you in real time. That means that at when you are ready to bill your customers you just simply generate the invoice based on the exact times logged by the system. How much easier can it get?
3. Simple Communication – Parents have tons of child care options to choose from and when it comes to choosing one, communication plays a huge part of that decision. Do you send daily updates to your parents or notifications for snow days or upcoming holiday closures? Many child care professionals do this, but they take quite a bit of time to do it. With management software you can email all of your parents at once with the click of a single button. Notify all your parents of a delayed opening due to weather, invite them to the spring awards ceremony, and so many other things with just the touch of a button. Sound good? Then it may be time to consider upgrading to a childcare management system.
Less than one-in-three children today have a parent at home full time, which makes what you do so much more important. Not only do you keep the children in your care safe on a daily basis, but you are also building the foundation of their future education. You and the teachers you employ are doing a wonderful service and it’s only fair that you should be able to enjoy your days and not be bogged down by paperwork. Move away from the pen and paper documentation and move towards a brand new and efficient management system. You won’t regret it!