Nursery & Childcare Management Software

The paperwork behind a nursery day

A nursery manager spends the day caring for children and the evening on paperwork: who was in, who was collected by whom, which child had an accident, how many hours of funded places each child has used and which parents have not paid. Rates of pay, staff ratios and funding rules change often, and mistakes cost money or, worse, break safeguarding expectations.

Nursery management software puts attendance, billing and communication in one place so the manager can answer a parent’s question in seconds and trust the numbers at month end.

What the system will do

Daily operations

• Digital registers with sign-in and sign-out, and a record of who collected each child.
• Live room counts against staff ratios, with a warning when a room is short.
• Accident, incident and medication-consent forms with parent acknowledgement.
• Allergy and dietary alerts shown against each child.

Parents

• A parent app or portal for daily updates, photos shared with consent and messages.
• Booking changes and absence reporting.
• Invoices, statements and payment status in one place.

Funding and billing

• Track funded hours against each child’s entitlement, alongside paid sessions.
• Automatic invoice runs for fees, extras and consumables, with direct debit or card payment through a payment provider.
• Debt and occupancy reports.

Enquiries and staff

• Enquiry and waiting-list tracking, with show-round bookings.
• Staff rota and qualification records.

The first release focuses on registers, billing and communication. Detailed learning journals and observation tools are planned for a later release, and you can keep using your current tool for these in the meantime.

A worked example

A 48-place nursery has three rooms. At 7.45 am a parent signs her two-year-old in on the tablet at the door. The toddler room shows 11 children and 3 staff, so the ratio check turns green. A child in the same room has a nut allergy and the alert is shown on the room screen. At 3 pm a grandmother collects a child and the record shows her name against the authorised list. On the 1st of the month, invoices are generated with funded hours deducted and sent to parents. The manager opens a report showing which accounts are overdue and the occupancy for next month. This is an illustration of the planned workflow, not a client result.

Who it is for

• Private day nurseries and pre-schools.
• Small nursery groups.
• Childminders and out-of-school clubs.
• Playgroups and community settings.

See also our childcare billing and subsidy system.

How it compares

Pricing

Indicative early-access prices, excluding VAT, billed monthly:

Setup and support are free. Groups of several sites are quoted individually. Payment-provider fees apply to card and direct debit payments. Early-access customers receive a price lock for 12 months. These are planning prices that may change before launch. Final prices are confirmed on your quote.

Safeguarding, privacy and responsibility

Children’s records are sensitive personal data. The system is being designed for UK/EU hosting, encryption, role-based access, an audit log and backups, with a data processing agreement. Your setting remains responsible for its safeguarding policy, Ofsted/EYFS record requirements, ICO registration and parent privacy notices. Software helps you keep accurate records but does not replace your own procedures.

Getting started: what to gather

A pilot goes faster if you have a few things ready. We will help you collect them during onboarding:

• A list of children with dates of birth, room, booked sessions and start dates.
• Parent and carer contact details, and the names of people authorised to collect each child.
• Allergy, dietary and medical notes, and which parents have given consent for photos and messages.
• Funded-hours entitlements and the dates they apply from.
• Your fee schedule, including session rates, meals, trips and late-collection charges.
• Your room structure and the ratios you work to.

We usually start with one room for a week of registers. Once staff are comfortable, billing and parent messaging follow, so the switch from paper never has to happen in one go.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is nursery management software?

Software that handles children’s attendance, parent communication, billing and funded hours for nurseries and similar settings.

Is it available now?

It is in early access. Pilot places are limited.

Does it include learning journals?

Not in the first release. They are planned for later.

Can it track funded hours?

Yes, on the Premium and Professional packages.

Can parents see invoices and updates?

Yes, in the parent app or portal.

Does it check staff ratios?

It shows live room counts against configured ratios. The manager remains responsible for compliance.

Can it take payments?

Yes, through a payment provider. Provider fees apply.

Can I import children and families?

Yes, from a spreadsheet during setup.

How much does it cost?

From £69 a month for one setting.

Is there a setup fee?

No. Setup and support are free.

Where is data stored?

The plan is UK or EU hosting, confirmed in your data processing agreement.

Can I try it first?

Yes. Early-access pilots begin with one room or one week of registers.

CYBEX IT Solutions Ltd · Company No. 15580066 · 95C Belgrove Road, Welling, DA16 3PG, UK · Registered in England & Wales. Explore the Childcare & Family Services solution hub.