Every childcare software company says it saves directors time. That is hard to compare. What you can compare is whether a system keeps the records Georgia asks for, who sets it up, whether it speaks your families' languages, and who picks up the phone. This guide covers five options a metro Atlanta director is likely to hear about, using what each company says on its own website as of October 2026.
Key facts
- All five offer some form of check-in and parent communication.
- None publishes a fixed price. Each one quotes.
- Georgia lets you keep sign-in records electronically if each record has the date, child's name, times and the parent's signature or initials, kept 12 months (Rule 591-1-1-.08(6)).
- CAPS adds a unique electronic signature for each parent and three years of records.
- Translation of parent messages varies by vendor, and we could not confirm it on most vendor sites.
- Setup ranges from self-serve with a guide to someone doing it for you. Ask which you get.
Start with the Georgia records
Before features, check four things. These come from Georgia licensing and CAPS rules, so they apply to any system you pick.
| What to check | Why | Rule |
|---|---|---|
| Parent signature or code with date and times at drop-off and pickup | Required on every arrival and departure record | 591-1-1-.08(6) |
| Printable report for the past 12 months | DECAL can ask for records in printed form | 591-1-1-.08(5), (6) |
| A unique electronic signature for each parent, separate from staff | CAPS will not accept staff-signed records when a parent is present | CAPS 12.4.7.10 |
| Records kept at least three years and retrievable on the spot | CAPS reviews and reclaims | CAPS 12.4.7.3, 12.4.7.9 |
Our guides to moving from a sign-in sheet to digital check-in and CAPS and CACFP paperwork explain these in more detail.
The five options side by side
| Check-in | Food program | Incident reports | Message translation | Setup | Pricing | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Procare | Contactless check-in and check-out, attendance tracking, staff:child ratios | Lists USDA CACFP and food program reports | Lists incident reports that require a signature | Not found on its site. Ask | Not described on its site. Ask | Quote. "Request Pricing" |
| Brightwheel | Student check-in and out, digital signatures, ratio tracking | Lists menu and CACFP tracking | Help center describes logging incidents and parent signatures | Help center says changing app language does not translate messages | Lists personalized onboarding and a dedicated account specialist | Quote, through a request form |
| Lillio (formerly HiMama) | Contactless check-in; help center describes ratios from check-ins | Menu uploads to daily reports; CACFP claim reporting not confirmed | 2026 feature post describes an incident workflow with signatures | Not found on its site. Ask | Not described on its site. Ask | Custom, through a specialist. Free trial offered |
| Kangarootime | Kiosk check-in for parents and staff; ratio alerts for teachers | Meal Tracking report built for CACFP | Downloadable template and document storage; built-in report not found | Not found on its site. Ask | Says a dedicated account manager sets up and trains | Not published. Schedule a call |
| PlayroomOS | Kiosk check-in, live headcounts and ratios by room, director dashboard | Not offered today | Incident reports, plus digital enrollment and daily logs | Translated parent messaging | Installed and trained on site by a local team | By licensed capacity: install fee plus monthly retainer, quoted after a 30-minute call |
A few notes on the table. Features change often, and plans differ, so a feature on a vendor's site may not be in the plan you are quoted. Where we wrote "Ask", we could not confirm the item on the vendor's own website. That does not mean the feature is missing.
What each one is known for
Procare
Procare's site covers attendance, billing and payments, subsidy management, food program reports and family messaging. Its site also lists ChildPlus, its Head Start management product. If tuition billing and subsidy tracking are your biggest pain, put it on your list.
Brightwheel
Brightwheel bundles check-in, messaging, billing with subsidy management, CACFP tracking and ratio tracking in one app. Its pricing page lists personalized onboarding and a dedicated account specialist. Its help center lists Spanish among the app's language settings and says switching languages does not translate messages.
Lillio (formerly HiMama)
Lillio's site covers attendance with contactless check-in, daily reports, billing and payments, and staff management with ratios. Its pricing page offers a free trial, which helps if you want to test before you talk numbers.
Kangarootime
Kangarootime offers a kiosk, a parent app with QR check-in, billing and a CACFP meal tracking report. It says each customer gets a dedicated account manager for setup and training.
Where the local install fits
We are two engineers in Atlanta, and the last row in the table is our system. We install it in your building, load your roster and authorized pickups, train your staff, and stay reachable directly, with no call center in between. It runs today at Allstar Kids Academy in DeKalb County. It does not do tuition billing, accounting, an AI front desk, enrollment follow-up, reviews and referrals, or a website with live openings yet; those are on the roadmap. If billing is your first need, one of the larger platforms may fit better today.
Questions to ask in every demo
- Print me a 12-month arrival and departure report for one child.
- Show me how two parents of the same child get different signatures.
- Show me where staff entries look different from parent entries.
- Show me an incident report with the parent notification recorded.
- Send a message in English and show me what a Spanish-speaking parent sees.
- Who loads our roster and authorized pickups, you or us?
- What happens at the front door when the internet goes down?
- Who do I call on a Monday at 7 a.m., and how fast do they answer?
- What is in the plan you are quoting me, and what costs extra?
What to do this week
- Write down your top three problems in order. Billing, sign-in, parent messages, or records.
- Pick two or three vendors from the table that match the first problem.
- Book demos and send each vendor the question list above in advance.
- Ask each one for a written quote that lists what is included.
- Bring the DECAL inspection checklist to the demo and check each record against it.
Frequently asked questions
Which childcare software is best for a Georgia daycare?
The best fit depends on what you need first. Check that the system records parent signatures with times at drop-off and pickup, prints 12 months of those records for DECAL, gives each CAPS parent a unique electronic signature, and stores incident reports and child files. Then compare setup help, translation, billing and support.
How much does Procare or Brightwheel cost?
Neither publishes a price list. Procare's pricing page asks centers to request pricing, and Brightwheel's pricing page uses a request form to build a custom quote. Lillio and Kangarootime also ask centers to talk with their team for pricing.
Does Brightwheel translate messages to parents?
Brightwheel's help center says that changing the app's language setting does not translate messages sent through its Messaging feature. Ask any vendor to show a message sent in English arriving in a parent's home language before you buy.
What should a Georgia center ask in a childcare software demo?
Ask the vendor to print a 12-month arrival and departure report, show how each parent gets a unique electronic signature for CAPS, show an incident report with parent notification recorded, explain who will load your roster and train staff, and say what happens when the tablet or internet goes down.
What does PlayroomOS not do yet?
PlayroomOS does not offer tuition billing, accounting, an AI front desk, enrollment follow-up, reviews and referrals, or a website with live openings today. Those are on the roadmap. Today it covers kiosk check-in, headcounts and ratios, a director dashboard, translated parent messaging, incident reports, digital enrollment, and daily logs and photos.
Sources
- Procare: Request Pricing
- Procare: Child Care Management Software
- Brightwheel: Pricing
- Brightwheel Help Center: Change your language
- Brightwheel Help Center: Log student incidents
- Lillio (formerly HiMama): Pricing
- Lillio: Attendance tracking with contactless check-in
- Kangarootime: Using the Kiosk
- Kangarootime: Dashboards, Reports and Printable Exports
- Kangarootime: Tools for Teachers
- Lillio: Four new features for childcare centers (incident reporting)
- Lillio Help Center: How to view staff scheduling and ratios
- Rule 591-1-1-.08 Children's Records (Georgia Secretary of State)
- CAPS Policy Manual, CAPS/00-12 Provider Rights and Responsibilities (revised 10/05/2026)
Choosing software
See what a done-for-you install looks like.
We set up PlayroomOS, load your rooms and records, and train your team. Book a call and we will show you the product and the quote process, including what is not live yet.
Book a 30-minute call