Brightwheel is an all-in-one childcare management software that saves time and simplifies operations for early education providers.
From billing and parent communication to curriculum and admissions, it combines everything you need in one easy-to-use platform.
Trusted by millions of educators and families and backed by a dedicated support team, brightwheel strengthens family connections and ensures seamless operations with reliable performance and robust security.
With brightwheel, you’ll spend less time on admin, more time with children.
Features include:
• All-in-one platform: Brightwheel combines billing, attendance, family communication, lesson planning, and reporting in one easy-to-use platform.
• User-friendly design: An intuitive interface that is quick to set up and easy for staff and families to use.
• Fast, quality support: An industry-leading, dedicated support team at your fingertips with 24/7 access to chatbot, tutorials, webinars, and community.
• Secure and reliable: Advanced security features like two-factor authentication and compliance with the highest data protection standards. With 99% uptime, the app is available virtually all the time.
• Billing and finances: Automated billing and payments for tuition and fees, customizable billing reports, and expense tracking.
• Family communication: Connect with families in real-time and centralize messaging, newsletters, and alerts.
• Photo and video sharing: Snap photos, record videos, and tag students with one click.
• Daily reports: Log naps, meals, bathroom, and other activities. Families get a personalized feed and daily summary.
• Calendar: Share events, holidays, and important dates with both families and staff.
• Lesson plans: Add, customize, and share your lesson plans with teachers. Upgrade to Experience Curriculum to enhance program quality with digital lessons and hands-on learning materials.
• Assessment and observations: Make note of progress, achievements, and activities with pre-loaded state standards and a DRDP tool. Share with families or privately amongst teachers.
• Admissions and enrollment: Build custom admission packets, manage your waitlist, and make it easy for prospective families to apply online.
• Attendance: Easily track student and staff attendance via quick scan or a code. Stay in compliance with room ratio and capacity tools.
• Reporting: Detailed reports of every brightwheel feature for billing and licensing requirements.
• Real-time syncing: Brightwheel stays up to date across all devices, including web and mobile.
• Affordable: Both free and premium plans available to fit your needs.
And... much more coming! Brightwheel is the #1 rated childcare management software, leading the industry through continuous innovation, frequent enhancements, and new features driven by valuable customer feedback.
This app has made my life as a teacher so much easier!
Cheryl Mercer
Where should I start? The instant messaging between my parents and I is the best thing ever! I don't have to call each Parent over simple questions throughout the day. I can address the parents questions or concerns about Anything and everything. I can even message back and fourth after school hours if needed to be helpful to my parents. When a child in my class seems sad or missing their parents I help them by posting a picture or video to their parents letting them feel connected in the child's time of need. I've just recently started using the lesson planning feature and it is so awesome! Especially because my plan can be shared with my Parents as a way for them to spark up conversation in the evening with their children instead of asking what they did at school and the child responding with "I don't know" everyday. I also love the note section so I can ask the parents to donate supplies or anything else needed for the classroom. Posting notes, pictures, videos and sending messages couldn't be any easier. I also participate in a health screening before entering the classroom to help my center stay open and safe for all the families.
Revolutionary!
CalzGoodwin
We have been one of Brightwheel’s longest customers. We started off when the app was small and had just a few features, and we stayed because of the product they have built and we fully believe In Brightwheel & their mission! They have proven over and over that they are listening to us as caregivers and parents as they add all of our requested features. When we were told we would need to move to a paid version earlier this year, there was no hesitation because this has revolutionized our work and our ability to communicate with families. This app helped us immediately contact a parent for a child that was having a seizure, helped us to identify food allergies through the daily food log (that didn’t get lost because it was paper!), and is a selling point for our school because everyone likes having access to know what their child is doing each day! It saves us money on paper, time it takes to write out each activity for each child, and our parents LOVE it! We love brightwheel and I will never have enough positive things to say. Thank you Dave, Jen and team! 💙
Teacher
Mrs H-M
As a teacher this app is the worst designed one’s I’m ever had to use. There is NO editing!!! The feed is continuous and involves everyone that has access to your student and offers no way to differentiate rooms or messages. If I am messaging a parent and someone else from the school send out a message I have no way to remember what student I needed to get back to without going into every single students messages and scrolling to find where I was. You are limited to uploading only 10 pictures at a time. And to post them you have to go through several steps. Well with 39 students I spend 30 minutes just trying to post pictures from the week. I get constant notifications whenever there is a parent message but half the time they’re not for me they’re for another teacher or administrator but I have to check bc we all know what happens when you don’t respond to a parent. There are so many more issues these are the ones that vex me daily. This app was clearly designed without teacher input and to work well for administration and finance. If anyone from Brightwheel would like insight on how to make this app workable for the classroom please reach out bc unfortunately it doesn’t look like we’re allowed to use anything else bc of how well it works for student payments.
Developer Response
We’re so sorry to hear about your experience and truly appreciate you taking the time to share this thoughtful feedback.We’d love to connect you with our product team for a feedback call to learn more. If you're open to it, please email us at Support@mybrightwheel.com and include “App Store Review Feedback" in the subject or body and we'll make sure you’re connected with the Product team to continue the conversation.Thank you again for all you do—we’re listening and committed to improving!
Best TikTok Ad
Schisue
I began using Brightwheel for my in-home daycare after seeing it on a TikTok ad by another provider. I don’t mean to sound dramatic, but it has been life changing! Okay, okay, at least business changing. It is so easy to set up and use. The mobile app means I can keep track of what’s going on every minute of my very hectic day and keep families in the know. The families in my care love it too and that it gives them the ability to see pictures and updates all day long. I also love being able to utilize the messaging on the app because it keeps business with business instead of using regular texts which doesn’t seem (to me) as professional. Brightwheel has thought of everything you could want as an administrator (things I didn’t even think about, that I’m now implementing!). And their customer service? TOP NOTCH! There was an issue with my account and they caught it before I did and fixed it with a few simple questions. Brandon in payments - literally the best. I cannot rave about this app enough. Save yourself the hassle and download it today!
bugfixes and minor improvements
Version 3.94.0
The developer, DSSV, Inc., 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 Linked to You
The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:
Identifiers
Usage Data
Diagnostics
Data Not Linked to You
The following data may be collected but it is not linked to your identity:
Identifiers
Usage Data
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
DSSV, Inc.
Size
86.8 MB
Category
Education
Compatibility
Requires iOS 16.0 or later.
iPhone Requires iOS 16.0 or later.
iPad Requires iPadOS 16.0 or later.
Mac Requires macOS 13.0.0 or later and a Mac with Apple M1 chip or later.