Playground is the leading early childhood management system used by hundreds of thousands of child care providers, teachers, and families. It is an all-in-one platform for child care operations & family connection
From classrooms to the front office to families at home, Playground gives everyone the tools they need to stay in sync, reduce administrative overhead, and create better child care experiences. Get real-time access to daily activity updates, billing, enrollment, compliance, messaging, and more. Directors save hours of admin work per week. Families get a window into their child’s day. Teachers spend less time on paperwork and more time teaching.
FAMILY EXPERIENCE
- Engage families with a single platform that makes communication effortless and meaningful.
- Real-time activity feed (meals, naps, diapering, potty, sunscreen)
- Daily reports with photos, videos, and notes
- Personalized calendars and newsletters
- Digital paperwork and e-signatures
- In-app messaging, announcements, and RSVPs
- Mobile check-in/out with ETA sharing
- Tuition billing and payment in one place
CENTER OPERATIONS
- Manage daily workflows across every area of your program, from check-in to licensing reports.
- Digital attendance & live ratio tracking
- Staff clock-in/out & timecards
- Pay staff and file payroll taxes
- CACFP and subsidy tracking
- Paperwork automation and custom packets
- Late pickup fee automation
- Allergy alerts and food program tracking
- Licensing-ready reports
LEARNING & OBSERVATION
- Support child development and curriculum planning with tools that work for teachers and families.
- Lesson plan builder and internal curriculum bank
- State standard alignment or custom domains
- Developmental milestone tracking
- Child development reports
- Activity observations with media
- Easy family sharing
ENGAGEMENT & COMMUNICATION
- Keep families informed and staff aligned—with minimal lift.
- Messaging, daily student feed, branded email newsletters, and SMS announcements
- Staff and family communication
- Scheduled posts and approval settings
- Media gallery and downloadable content
- Engagement dashboard with classroom and student-level insights
REPORTING & COMPLIANCE
- Replace clunky systems with one fast, customizable reporting suite.
- Customizable, real-time reports across billing, attendance, staff time, food, and more
- Exportable and printable reports for licensing and audits
- Ratio alerts and missing signature flags
Whether you’re a parent checking in from your phone or a director running a multi-site operation, Playground brings clarity, connection, and control to every part of your day.
Download Playground today and experience the difference.
This is by far the best experience I have had with any app. Playground has helped our school streamline sooo much. We have been with them since they first started and they have been amazing. Customer service is phenomenal and anytime we need help or need something added to the app to help our school, we just have to ask and they make it a priority and add a feature just for us. Anytime there is an issue they fix it live and walk our staff and parents through any training or assistance that is needed. I absolutely recommend this app to any school that wants an app that is interactive for all the staff and families of our students. You can also customize and personalize the app to fit your own needs for your school. Definitely my favorite app I have ever worked with to update parents, send announcements, take attendance, carline assistance, communication (messaging both group, classroom, all staff, or individuals), sharing photos and news, and completing student forms. They make sure to meet all of your states licensing requirements as well when it comes to record keeping! Great job everyone here…especially Daniel, Sasha, and Josh…who have helped my school since day 1!
Playground is a Game Changer!
Jermaine Rucker
Playground has truly been a game changer for our program. Before making the switch, we were juggling multiple platforms for billing, family communication, attendance, and documentation which not only created confusion for staff and families but also significantly increased our monthly expenses. Since implementing Playground, we have been able to consolidate those systems into one seamless platform and the impact has been immediate. From an operational standpoint, the efficiency gains have been remarkable. Our administrative team spends far less time navigating between systems, troubleshooting issues, and duplicating work. Families appreciate having one centralized space for updates, payments, and daily information, which has strengthened communication and overall satisfaction. Financially, the difference has been just as powerful. By eliminating overlapping subscriptions and streamlining processes, Playground has saved us more than $2,000 per month while simultaneously improving our workflow and organizational clarity. If you are seeking a solution that reduces administrative burden, enhances family engagement, and delivers real cost savings, Playground is absolutely worth the investment. It has simplified our operations, reduced headaches, and allowed us to focus more intentionally on what matters most — the children and families we serve.
Love this app!
BayAreaWorkingMom
I love receiving updates on how my kids are doing at school through out the day. As a working mom I often feel guilty that I’m not with my kids all of the time. Seeing how happy they are at school, knowing they are with friends and teachers who adore them, and seeing all the wonderful projects and hands on learning they are doing shows me that I’ve made the right choice at sending them to the school they are at. This app keeps me up to date on daily happenings at the school as well as upcoming events and school communications. They also alert me when my child has used the potty/had a diaper change, if they ate eating, when they are napping and even when they have taken a tumble and gotten hurt. The app isn’t annoying and doesn’t send notifications constantly. I can go to the app as needed and receive the updates I need. It’s just the best!
Simple. Effective. Amazing.
QueenofSwag321
Love this app - my child’s preschool switched to this from brightwheel for this school year and I thought brightwheel was amazing but this app is WAY better. Fast, simple to navigate, the pictures/videos are way higher quality and the communication between teachers/admin/parents is very easy. I also enjoy how the feed is clear and not cluttered. Just a really well designed, functional app - my favorite of the few school apps I’ve used in the past. Excellent work Playground team!!!!!!
- Optional support for geofencing check-ins when door locks are managed by Playground
- Performance improvements and bug fixes
Version 3.2.0
The developer, After School Development LLC, indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Usage Data
Diagnostics
Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More
Accessibility
The developer has not yet indicated which accessibility features this app supports. Learn More
Information
Seller
After School Development LLC
Size
73.3 MB
Category
Education
Compatibility
Requires iOS 15.1 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 15.1 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 15.1 or later.
iPod touch Requires iOS 15.1 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 12.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.