Procare review

Procare has served child care businesses since 1992 and remains one of the most complete systems for the financial and compliance side of a center. Its accounting covers expenses, invoices, payments, bank reconciliation, sibling and family discounts, overtime and late pick-up fees, split parent fees and subsidy payments. Staff tools include payroll, scheduling and ratio monitoring that can send alerts when a room falls out of compliance, configured by room, day part or time block. Attendance tracking records ratios, room capacity, meals, health checks and authorized pick-ups, with contactless check-in and out and unscheduled drop-in attendance. Online registration lets families sign up with custom questions, join a waitlist and pay at registration, and lead tracking follows families from first inquiry to enrollment. Procare also sells ChildPlus for Head Start and RoomRunner for classroom management. Prices are by request only, and the depth of options takes longer to set up than the newer all-in-one apps.

Who it is for

Established centers and larger operators that need detailed accounting, subsidy handling and ratio compliance.

Price

See vendor pricing (USD check pending).

US price check pending. See the vendor pricing page.

Key features

• Accounting for invoices, payments, bank reconciliation, family discounts, late fees and subsidies
• Staff payroll, scheduling and staff-to-child ratio monitoring with out-of-ratio alerts
• Contactless check-in and out, health checks, meals and authorized pick-up tracking
• Online family registration with custom questions, waitlists and payment at registration
• Lead tracking from first interest to enrollment with targeted communications

Strengths and weaknesses

• Strength: Deep financial tools, including split parent fees and subsidy payments
• Strength: Separate products for Head Start (ChildPlus) and classroom management (RoomRunner)
• Strength: Built on experience with more than 100,000 child care centers and programs since 1992
• Weakness: No published prices; pricing is by request
• Weakness: The breadth of accounting options takes longer to learn than newer apps
• Weakness: Several capabilities are separate products, so check what your quote includes

Key facts

• Founded: 1992
• Segments: Child care centers, Head Start grantees, before and after school programs, youth organizations
• Payment processing: Registered ISO of PNC Bank, N.A.
• Pricing: One monthly price, quote on request

Where it ranks

Procare is No. 7 in our Best Childcare Management Software verdict.