Being able to message parents back and forth is so nice now that our staff doesn't have to use their personal phone to text. With COVID rising and possible winter weather arriving soon, the fact that we can send out an alert if we need to close is crucial! It sends a text message as well as the message in the app. Also, they are constantly adding new features and making updates using feedback from users. They are always friendly and helpful!

I love that it keeps us (mostly) paperless! All activity is logged so we have no need for paper daily sheets. We can easily message our parents individually AND send out messages to the whole school.

The billing feature isn't quite where we need it do be, but they have already fixed it and we are just waiting to be updated to the new platform.

I love brightwheel and would love under incident if parents were required to sign by saying they saw it and notes.. also a place to enter fire drills and shelter in place. Also I would love kidkare and brightwheel to talk to each other so we dont have to enter meals more than once.

I would like it if you could toggle between children if im looking for a certain dates say in and out record.

Parents love it and helps alleviate paper work.

We switched to Brightwheel as our previous software was no longer being supported. We liked moving to a cloud based product and the flexibility that gave our administrators and parents. We enjoy the ability for parents to see their billing and the ability to pay through the app. Customer support for the transition and set up was very good. Since launch, customer support is responsive (not always timely, since we are not in the same time zone as many of the customer support team) and they listen to our needs. There have been great changes in the short time we have been using the software. We are looking forward to the remainder of our concerns being addressed as we move forward. I would recommend this software over other cloud based software programs we looked at, but the consumer should be aware of the limitations of the software from a back office stand point.

What we like best is this is a cloud based software. The parent portal allowing parents better access to their child's day and classroom progress as been extremely well received by our parents. We like the check-in feature which allows us to know at any time how many children are in the facility. The ability for the teachers to post notes / pictures for parents allows the parents real time updates instead of waiting till the end of the day to receive a hand written note that is stuffed in the child's belongings and forgotten.

The back office side of the software is lacking. The reporting capabilities of the software is very limited. For example, we are unable to run an accounts receivable report by family. We can run by child, but you have to run multiple reports for families with more than one child in the program. The software does not currently allow for prepayments or credits on account. Also, on the program side, no ability to run facility or even classroom wide reports - for example a parent directory for all classrooms; allergy report by classroom. All reporting (financial and program) is child driven without the option of classroom or facility driven. This makes extra back office work for our staff - for example creating an allergy list or parent directory in excel to share with teachers. Or tracking receivables in other software, creating double accounting needs.

The ease of being able to effectively communicate with families in real-time.

Nothing, it is amazing! I honestly cannot think of 1 negative aspect of using Brightwheel.

I love that I can see a step by step play of my childs day. I love that there is communication right there in the app so I don't have to pick up the phone if it is a busy day.

I do not like that we still have to answer the covid questions.

I like that is easy to use and clear , and we get to see all the important informations about the school! But the best part for me is the communication with all the staff of the school

Sometimes I couldn’t download the pictures

We have had a great experience with Brightwheel. I recommend to anyine looking for a online app.

It is easy to use throught the day. My teachers enjoy using the app.

Somtimes is does not load and then we have to restart our ipads.

My overall experience with brightwheel is great. I enjoy being able to communicate with the teachers at all times of the day and vise versa that they can reach out to me as well.

I use brightwheel for my children's daycare and I love the ease of use, and that I get all notifications for my child, whether it be good or bad.

I dislike that on the app I am not able to change my credit card information.

I enjoyed keeping up to date with all of my daughter's activities.

I wish I was able to upload photos into the chat.

The app is easy to use to pay weekly invoices and also pay bi-weekly or monthly if needed.

When app updates are pushed through, the updates are not well announced or explained.

Easy to check kids in and out during pick up and drop off

No problems really. It does what it’s supposed to.

Cannot recommend this app more. Love how easy it is to use and to communicate between parents and staff.

Can be glitchy every now and then but mostly don’t have an issue.

LOVE this app! Our teachers use this all day and I use it throughout the day as well. Families love being able to talk to the classroom teachers and stay up-to-date with what their child is doing each day.

Being able to message parents, send pictures, send updates and stay in contact with the families is the best part of the app. We love it as a school and the parents love it even more!

There can be some confusion when checking students in and out and using name-to-face but once you know the difference it becomes easy to use.

Brighthwheel has been amazing. Customer support is available whenever we need them and we don't have to be transferred to different departments to get answers!

Brighthweel has made my admin duties so much easier. Whether it is billing or onboarding it takes less time than our previous childcare managment.

We wish you had payroll options so we could fully get rid of our last product

We use Brightwheel at our center to chart each child's daily activities; we easily attach pictures, meal information, and times of diapering, etc.

I love how easy Brightwheel is to use - the parents also enjoy the format that they receive information

If I had to choose one thing to improve on, it would be to add a "zoom" function when taking a picture from the app

We do not otherwise incorporate tech into our business, we use Quickbooks and simple excels, Brighthweel has not had a crazy learning curve and its just a great product.

We use Brightwheel chiefly for its billing functionality and to meet State licensing requirements regarding records of attendance, ratios, sign in and out, etc. These are records you have to keep for years and the stacks of Bankers boxes were towering! Now we can upon request create and print any report, for instance our licensor could request sign in and out records from a certain classroom on a certain date--it can be provided way faster than digging through those old paper files. Name to face attendance can be achieved confidently with the picture bubbles for all your students--you can feel confident as an admin that all transitions and ratios are covered For billing it is clean and streamlined--you can create plans, parents can establish autopay, they have constant access to their receipts and invoices, end of the year statements, your EIN, etc. It is a win win for both us as bookkeepers and for our parent clients. The interface is very clean--sign up is a breeze for new children and it would be very challenging to get confused on the parent screen. Brighthwheel saves us time AND paper.

Here is the thing--Brightwheel is constantly developing. So if you were to have a con you can feel assured your feedback will be heard. We have been with them nearing 3 years and have watched so many features get added on and updates made. They take customer feedback seriously and want to understand the industry's needs--we have had conference calls with developers and participated in a lot of dialogue about what we need and what works well.

The onboarding for this software was better than any other company I have worked with. They were not going to take my money and leave me alone. They "forced" me to learn how to use it and that is really important. I would have kept pushing it off "until next week" and never done it. I have 2 children that are computer scientists for a top tier company and they are both impressed with it. That says a lot!!

The customer support has been spectacular. I am a small school and don't pay much but I'm always treated like I could be their biggest client. I get a quick response when I have a question and they are always polite and professional. This has made my job so much easier on a daily basis. The billing would be my second favorite aspect. So much less check handling, deposits, chasing down parents that owe money, etc. The overall professional appearance this software gives my school. Okay, the grandparents don't always love it but everyone else does. :)

There are a few things that changed with the billing that I don't like as much. I liked going to the overview page and seeing recent transactions without having to click on other links. Also, ALL of my children are billed the first of the month, billing ends May 1, notice goes out 3 days prior to bill being due. There should be a way to "lock" these features and change them only when needed. I have to go on and click these for EVERY child. I would like to see more of what a parent sees. For instance: what does a parent see when a payment is past due? Do they see something daily when they check in? How often are they reminded? It's probably hard to do but I would love to have a feature that had a time stamped late fee for late pick up. Example: children have to be picked up at 12:30. At 12:35 they are billed a certain amount, at 12:45 another amount, etc. I would LOVE to be able to set a "don't check in yet" warning. Example: Check in is at 8:30. If they try to check in at 8:27 something flashes "oops, 3 more minutes. Proceeding will charge you for early drop." I can't always stop them. This is a big problem at my center and probably many of the smaller centers. The ability to print a more detailed breakdown of deposits. Every 2 weeks the treasurer prints out the deposit report and I have to break it down by: tuition, registration, book fees, etc. Every fee is broken down when it is charged. It would be nice if that showed up.

"brightwheel" is designed to be an all-in-one solution for childcare management, helping schools and childcare providers to streamline their operations and administrative tasks. Some of the business problems that "brightwheel" aims to solve include:1.Manual Administrative Tasks: "brightwheel" can help to automate and streamline many administrative tasks, such as attendance tracking, billing and invoicing, and daily reporting.2.Limited Parent Engagement: "brightwheel" offers a Parent/Student Portal that can help to increase parent engagement by providing real-time updates on their child's activities, progress, and daily routines.3.Financial Management: "brightwheel" offers a range of financial management features, such as invoicing and payment processing, that can help schools and childcare providers to manage their finances more efficiently and effectively.4.Communication Challenges: "brightwheel" can help to address communication challenges by providing a platform for administrators, teachers, and parents to communicate more effectively and easily.

The most impactful features of "brightwheel" may vary depending on the specific needs and goals of a school or childcare provider. However, some of the most commonly cited impactful features include the parent/student portal, financial management, daily reports, communication management, and attendance tracking.As for ease of use, "brightwheel" is designed to be user-friendly and intuitive. The platform features a simple and clean interface that is easy to navigate, and many of the features are designed to be self-explanatory. Additionally, "brightwheel" offers training and support resources, including a Help Centre and live customer support, to help users get the most out of the platform.Regarding integration with existing business systems, "brightwheel" is designed to integrate seamlessly with other systems and platforms. The platform offers a range of integrations with other software solutions, including accounting software, payment processors, and learning management systems, allowing schools and childcare providers to streamline their operations and data management. Additionally, "brightwheel" offers an API that enables developers to build custom integrations with other software solutions.

Some users have noted that while "brightwheel" is generally easy to use, there may be a learning curve for some features or settings. For example, setting up the financial management feature may take some time and effort to configure properly. Additionally, some users have suggested that the platform could benefit from additional customization options, such as the ability to customise reports and forms.Regarding integration with existing business processes, some users have reported that integrating "brightwheel" with other systems or software solutions can be challenging or require additional development resources. However, "brightwheel" offers a range of integrations and an API, which can help streamline the integration process.Overall, while "brightwheel" is generally well-regarded by users and reviewers, there may be some areas for improvement or additional features that could be added to further enhance the platform's functionality and usability.

My daycare provider uses Brightwheel. I like the fact that it is cloud based. The ability for me as a parent to see my billing and pay through the app is a definite time saver. I have not had to use customer service but I am sure my daycare uses them because they are very knowledgeable in this service and have helped me navigate the site. The software seems to always be changing and improving. I would recommend this software to other daycare providers but would still like to see a few improvements.

This cloud based site enables me to login to the parent portal and get up to date progress reports on my children. Plus the check-in/out feature makes me feel they are safer in case of any emergencies that might pop up, it will be easy for them to print out who is in the building for head counts. I am always interested in what my child is doing and getting up-to-date notifications during the day brings a smile to my face.

My child has allergies and although they keep good track of this knowledge I worry that they could miss him because they only have the ability to print out individual allergy reports. I think it would be better if they could have a selection of reports. Like class reports or specific age reports that have allergies or other categories such as asthma, or stomach issues. (Stuff like that). It would also be time/paper saving if my account could be combine listing all my charges for multiple children instead of the report running for each specific child, and allow me to pay in advance since I am a teacher and only get paid once a month.

Overall our experience has been really great. There were some serious issues when we decided to use Brightwheel billing. I'm certain those issues have been documented, but we seem to be good now. I have been a big fan of Brightwheel and sincerely look forward to what's next!

I love how much Brightwheel has improved since we first joined the program. Administration, Parents and Staff love all of the features. I am very happy with the way Brightwheel has fostered "community" between home and school, and even school and extended family. Grandparents love seeing their grandchildren and being in the loop. Community is very important to our program! I appreciate the level of professionalism Brightwheel adds to my program. Touring families always have great comments about Brightwheel.

I wish multiple accounts could be under one umbrella login. I do not like having to log out and log in to my three programs. We have an account with ADP and use just one login for all 3 programs. I simply just have to click which program I need to see. I wish I could access a simple version of a class list with birthdays and just parents names and emails without all of their personal information. Parents request class lists quite often for birthday party invitations. Perhaps even an "opt-in" directory for parents to see would be a great feature. Parents could choose to include email/phone numbers in the "public" directory.

Overall, This has made the transition to daycare for myself and my daughter less stress free. It is hard to leave your child everyday to go to work and there is so many horror stories in general. The fact that my daughters daycare uses this app and informs me daily about what is happening gives me peace of mind and all daycare's and schools should use this app. It is a great, quick, and efficient way to communicate between teachers and parents.

This is a lengthy review because there is so much to say. My first experience with Brightwheel is from my daughters first daycare. We were told to download the app and create an account and the teachers gave us information to make sure we were in the right class. Everyday I got numerous updates that included when I checked her in, her meals, play time, circle time, nap time, when they changed her diaper, and pictures of her throughout the day. I was always informed with what was happening. Teachers can send private messages to me if she needed more diapers to be brought in or if she did not eat her lunch. Since this was my first experience with daycare and I was already nervous to leave her this really helped me feel amazing about my decision. This is a wonderful tool to use to keep parents up to date throughout the day.

Honestly, I do not see any cons about this product. Since it is a web app and mobile app there were times when the system crashed and we could not log in to check in or get updates, but that is common with technology and is bound to happen.

I have researched what seems to be everywhere software on the market for our center. There were only 3 that covered all of my required expectations. Brightwheel was one of the 3. I hesitated because it was free and a newer company. I felt there HAD to be a catch to it. Especially since the other 2 companies were very expensive, I couldn't understand how all of this could be offered for free. I took the chance in November 2015 and I am could not be more pleased! This product has been absolutely free with no hidden costs. Our center uses the daily activity record, which includes an app for the parents to be able to view from their phones/tablets or they can log in to the website from a computer. The daily record includes photos that can be uploaded directly from your phone, all of the detailed info you would want a parent to know, it even has a "Notes" section. We use the calendar to add events for the parents to see. There is also the daily check in/out and the best thing is the parents can send a note thru the app to say arriving late today, not coming in today, or picking up early, etc. The ability to communicate the simple things thru the app saves time during pick up/drop off because a lot of questions are already answered on Brightwheel. The best thing of all is the billing. FREE for ACH debits and no hassle to you! There is also a credit card capability. All of our parents are required to sign up. You can do one time billing or set up a recurring billing plan and bills/reminders/receipts are sent automatically to the parent. The money is deposited to your business account and that's it! Sooo simple and painless! I understand their is a premium version of Brightwheel being released soon but the standard version is so incredible that I don't know WHAT to expect. :) I truly love this product. Our parents are impressed with it as well. AND it's free!

The price - free, the billing option, the ability to upload pics and name activities the children are engaged in, The calendar keeps everyone on the same page. I love it all!

None

As stated in the "pros" of this software, Brightwheel makes communication that much better between the preschool and the families. It allows for parents to really be connected with their child, and the the learning they are involved in all day, as well as those memorable moments, that the parent may not get to see as it is happening. I would recommend Brightwheel to all preschools for the fact that it is quite easy to use, it is fast to input data, and it is multi-functional. As a preschool teacher that has been teaching for 20 years, I feel this is one of the best tools I have had access to.

This software helps make the connection between home and the preschool setting stronger. It allows teachers and parents to communicate important information to each other. It allows for photos to be shared with the families, so that they can see the learning taking place in the classroom. It allows for teachers to keep track of the development that each child is going through, in a very structured, easy to understand format. I can't say enough good things about this software!

The software used to never have the video component, but they introduced that component within the last year, and it has really been a nice addition. It seems that the company really values the feedback of it's clients, and then implements the ideas. There is nothing I like the "least" about this software.

When I compare the home section of Brightwheel with similar software Tadpoles, it looks too complicated and detailed for everyday use. Generally, as a parent I am mostly interested in photos and videos of my kid and maybe a short description of her day. I do not need to see all the details like food, naps, potty as separate sections. I can imagine how much time it takes for teachers to fill out all the information for each kid.

I like that the application allows to set up payments of tuitions. Moreover, you can set up autopayments and should never worry about it again. The section of payment is generally done well: I did not have any issues connecting my bank accounts to the application, I have the whole history of payments in my account, I see pending status and so on. But this is probably only thing that I like in Brightwheel.

Unfortunately, there are some issues with the Payments section. The link "Print Invoice" does not work for me, so a daycare had to send me the invoice via email. One day (when I did not have autopayments set up) I stopped receiving notifications from Brightwheel about new invoices. As result, I was late to pay and our daycare charged me a late payment fee. Since the time I never received any notifications from Brightwheel again. I set up the autopayments with Brightwheel but honestly now I am scared to trust it again, so I prefer to pay before a deadline myself, I use my apple calendar to send me notifications every month.