Happy Procare User

Overall, I am very pleased and satisfied with the Procare Software. Since having the system, not only have my team and I been able to save a lot of time that was usually spent on manual entry, but we were also able to offer a convenient feature to the parents. Parents no longer have to wait to get to the front desk or call over the phone to make payments. Payments can be made via the online portal and immediately post to the account. They can also view statements and receive their monthly invoices via e-mail every month. I do wish that there was an easy way to transport information from one product to the next but I do understand the difficulty. That initial task of setting up 200+ families was tedious but once that was done I can definitely say it was worth the task! I am happy we made the switch.

Pros

What I like most about the Procare software is the ease of use in regards to monthly billing. The option to set up contract billing every month is much easier and less time consuming than having to manually enter invoices as we once did. This features allows my staff and I to save time as well as ensure better accuracy as far as billing goes. Also, now we are allowed to have our customers pay via the online portal Procare offers as opposed to having to pay in person. This is a feature we didn't have prior to gaining the Procare software. Not only do we appreciate this convenience factor, but the customers we provide service for as well.

Cons

Although not a big deal- the thing I initially liked least about the Procare software was the difficulty in figuring out how to navigate through certain reports. Because there are so many options it was a bit intimidating to find out how to access the various reports offered. However, I can say that the information provided by the websites customer service and videos were helpful. I do wish that there was an easy way to transport information from one product to the next but I do understand the difficulty in allowing that option.

We are a licensed preschool and childcare facility that has used the software daily for many years.

Daily operations, accounting practices, collecting staff and student information and communication.

Pros

ProCare's versatility is extremely impressive. We use this application for students and staff alike as our sign in station and communication tool. This helps us track student and staff attendance down the day and minute which is invaluable to grant reporting, payroll and tuition reimbursements.

ProCare also has many useful faucets for early childhood organizations, such as behavior tracking, immunization records, emergency contacts and other pertinent information. As a Director that is responsible for all billing, income collection, and taxes, one of the most useful and irreplaceable aspects is the Family and Agency Accounting sections as well as Tuition Express. These areas are key to making sure we stay on top of our financial health.

I honestly cannot say how phenomenal this software is. The substantial amounts of report types are endless and extremely helpful in all areas of running and producing a professional preschool and child care facility.

We are also a two site facility and switching to ProCare Cloud has been the best monthly investment.

Cons

Interfacing software with our Website and Facebook Page. We recieve a lot of traffic through these sites and we would love to be able to collect date straight to ProCare through these web resources.

Awesome Tech support.

Pros

It can keep track of the immunizations. It alerts us when immunizations are going to expire. Tracking and changing classrooms is a breeze.

Cons

We can't put comments on each child or employees. For example, teacher calls out, we don't have a place to keep track of call outs and the same with students, if a parent has a concern, we have to write it down, but prefer to keep track on ProCare. Less steps is always best when it comes to billing and charges, etc. It is a challenge to just delete one sibling when they have moved on to another school and the younger one is still with us. I have had tech support, but still shows up. If I delete the one sibling, it deletes both students on the folder so I end up adding them both back on the hidden folder. I just want to hide the one that moved on.

The Procare Whisperer - AKA - Benji

So... I had one little question, right? One little itty bitty - probably could have figured it out by myself - question. But.... it's people's finances, so I called to make sure I didn't screw anything up. Holy Goodness Gracious. NO. I solved what I had initially called about - but I still scheduled an additional call with the rep because of how many ???s he answered that I didn't even know I had. I started with TE and Procare about 6 mos. ago. I simply take parents tuition for a small(ish) preschool. That's it. No big deal. The person who was in this position before me trained me the best she could on the software and she was trained by someone else who really never understood the initial training given to her. Follow all that? Yeah. Exactly. Enter our rep. I seriously have sat in front my computer using Tuition Express software every week for 6 mos. I've never fully understood it, never appreciated what it could do and can promise I've never been excited about exploring its further uses. I've been called by your sales department 3 times to consider Cloud services and MyProcare. Firm no. Every time. I can tell you that after speaking with our rep - I'll be bringing a proposal to switch to Cloud capabilities soon. Our rep made me feel comfortable with my software abilities, taught me how to use TE better. He taught me about the ins and outs of TE that I wasn't even aware I was missing. (POS, files, individual posting, etc). Our rep's enthusiasm, his passion toward your product, and his knowledge of the Family Data and Accounting Portal is above and beyond. He was encouraging & really sparked my interest to now speak with Shauna about Ledger & Expense and Employee & Payroll. Our rep cemented my opinion that my school should stick with TE software. He inspired me to learn more about it. He sold me on the idea of additional portals - and as someone who is supposed to be running a tight ship - that's no easy task. I'm pretty sure I even exclaimed "Hot Damn!" in a church preschool more than once today. My background is in Sales Management and Customer Service, our rep is a gem of an employee and please be so aware of that. He is a representative for you in every sense of the word. Professional, knowledgeable, fun to talk to and passionate about what he's working with. A++

Pros

It's fluidity. It can grow with us and help us grow. It can be my checks and balances so that I will always be accountable to my staff, my parents and my board. I can organize and create clear reports in ways I wasn't able to do previously. Amazing stuff really.

Cons

Learning it. It's hard to self-navigate. But the training you can get is very good.

Great as a parent or director

Overall, if you're looking for a central place to organize all the many things that come with childcare, this is the best product on the market that I'm aware of.

Pros

I first used Procare as a parent in my infant son's childcare center. It was easy to check him in and out by having an ID and password number and I loved that I could see my balance on our account and get messages from the director of the childcare center.

When I took over at a different center as the director, I was pleased to see they used the same program. Additionally, this center increased the ease of checking in and out by having a fingerprint scanner for parents to check students out and for employees to clock in/out. As a director I could easily see which students were there on the home page and the home page was customizable to what I wanted to see (ex. upcoming staff/child birthdays, children currently checked in, children recently checked in/out etc.). There is another tab where detailed children information is easily inputted and organized as well as an employee tab.

I really haven't seen anything else within childcare systems that has as many options and functions as Procare.

Cons

Some reports can be difficult to find and not, at least to me, logically sequenced. However, I can usually Google to find the answer.
I would love Procare to come out with an app for classroom teachers to access and parents to access where teachers can input students eating records and parents can pay their balance.

Saving time, saves money

Overall, Procare has been amazing and provided us with prompt and effective support. We've been with them through all the different stages of software development.

Pros

It provides an attendance record that allows me to stay on top of building census. It also allows me to process tuition on just a few clicks. It works with our door strike security

Cons

The software update that was done last year did not work with the Procare interface and crashed our computer. Procare offered to send us a new video card that would fix the issue however the expense of a technician to repair it is on us. The alternative is to mail them the device and to go without a check-in station(which also allows access to our security system and unlocks the door for parents.) This options had a 2 week turn around in which our program would have no way to secure our door to the center. Additionally, I do not like that when they change software or Hardware, it is the customers responsibility to absorb the loss of the use of outdated equipment . The initial investment is not cheap and the updates are absolutely mandatory, to mainitain functionality. Also, the number of seats you need to run your business can vary based on how much of their products you use. everything has a cost. This cost does not include equipment that you need, it just is the ability to access your software that you are already paying for.

A little frustrating. A lot of good features, but some really complicated features too

It does make keeping track of the daily issues at our center easy.

Pros

I like the dashboard. I like the ability to have the child and parent photos on the screen. The clock in and out is great.

Cons

I really don't like the reports. I don't like that you have to go in EACH time and say currently enrolled children. There are a lot of really complicated features. I'm really frustrated that when this was set up in August of 2017 the accounting and payroll was not set up properly and we have not been paying our employees overtime for the entire time until today when I KNEW that there were some employees that had overtime. This is a huge issue and I'm not even sure how to go forward from here. Tech support fixed it, but did say that it was not set up properly on their end from the beginning.

BEST INVESTMENT FOR MY PROGRAM!

Prior to Procare, my scheduling took a big chunk of my time and now it is a done in no time! I can easily track tuition, absences, immunizations, physicals, training requirements for my staff, and so much more. Previously I had to track these in Excel and they were daunting tasks but now everything is up to date and easy to access.

Pros

I have been using Procare Software for a little over two years now and I can't imagine going without it! I like that everything I need is literally wrapped up into one software program. This has been such a time saver for me for scheduling, keeping records, and every day tasks!

Cons

The cost was a big commitment in the beginning but it has been so worth it! I started out with a few of the modules that I needed to get started with the help of a grant and have added on since then. Another thing is that it does take time to learn the system but I think that is with any software and Procare has some amazing tutorial videos available as well as live webinars that have been extremely helpful.

My experience with procare

We use Procare for everything. The most upsetting part is that DHS, requires us to keep records for them in a different manor. So, we still have to keep separate time sheets for subsidy children. We have to keep files and training for employees that require more time. It would be nice to scan a lot of our paperwork, and have a place on procare to keep it, instead of keeping up with files and binders.

Pros

When you first get started on Procare, you can input a little information on each family to get started, then after getting it up and running, you can go in and input more information, like immunization records. I love that you can purchase the modules separately, it takes time to get adjusted and familiar with each one, then you can add another. I also enjoy having employee module very much. It makes it easy to keep track of hours, info, training, etc.

Cons

Sometimes I have a hard time finding the report I need. The ones i use all the time are easier to find, but if I am looking for something I don't use often it can take me a while to find it. I also believe that tech support should always be included. It is a huge investment for a small center in Oklahoma. Most users will get accustomed to using Procare and rarely need it after a few months any way, but with updates and if you get a new computer, you may need occasional help.

I've used it for 6.5 years and absolutely LOVE it! Wonderful program, no regrets!

Pros

I love Procare's Customer Service! They are so willing to answer questions and help where needed. I appreciate the fact that they are constantly to working to enhance Procare's features which in return benefit us as user.

Cons

The only thing I do not like about Procare is the online waiting list. We have now switched over to MyProcare but there are glitches. They can't put another child on the waiting list if they already have a child enrolled. This makes it hard for expectant mother OR when families can only get one child in at a time. I also don't like how we can't search by DOB. We've had to create personalized questions that allow us to "track" by birth year and it is really hard to do. We need to be able click on an age and have it automatically pull up every child that is that current age. ALSO, once last thing. I HATE that it show children's ages in months. It needs to show it with years and months like on the children's profiles. Stating that a child is 105 months old DOES NOT HELP. :) Other than the waitlist Procare is AMAZING!!!

V9 to V10 Conversion

We have use Procare for 15 years and love it! We do not have all the modules but most of them. We work within Procare 80% of our day. We have recently converted to V10 and are working often with Support to help us with or little challenges.

Pros

We have found the video's to be awesome! The help feature is the Best! The helpfulness and person care from all the support staff is A+ !!! Love Remote Access by the staff!!!

Cons

It's a challenge learning all the new buttons and new reports but at some point it will become second nature. County ledgers did not transfer correctly and had missing data. Thankfully Support has taken it over to work on to see what is the best and simplest solution for our specific situation.