Parent vs Procare
Parent
parent.app
Procare
procaresoftware.comSide by side
| Figure | Parent | Procare |
|---|---|---|
| Price from | — | $25/mo |
| Free plan | — | — |
| Free trial | Yes | — |
| Open source | — | — |
| Web | Yes | Yes |
| iOS | Yes | Yes |
| Android | Yes | Yes |
| Plans published | 4 | 1 |
| Spec score · Early Childhood Education Software | 8.7 (#11) | 8.7 (#10) |
| Spec score · Child Care Software | 8.0 (#8) | 7.9 (#9) |
| Attendance | Digital check-in/out records children and staff, tracks attendance in real time and monitors room ratios. | Tracks attendance and supports contactless check-in |
| Attendance and check-in | Yes | Yes |
| Billing and payments | Yes | Supports billing, tuition collection, payment processing, and reminders |
| Enrollment management | Yes | Yes |
| Family communication | Families receive real-time updates, photos, videos, secure messages, forms, permissions and billing information in the app. | Provides family messaging and engagement tools |
| Founded | 2015 | 1992 |
| Headquarters | LinkedIn lists Copenhagen, Denmark as headquarters; Parent also lists offices in Denmark, Switzerland, Germany, the UAE and the United States. | Denver, Colorado, United States |
| Integrations | The Exclusive plan lists Zoom, QuickBooks, Zoho, Sage, WhatsApp, Gmail and Office 365 integrations; Stripe powers payments. | Lists Checkr, Gusto, IntelliKid Systems, Learning Beyond Paper, Listen360, QuickBooks, and KidKare |
| Lesson planning | Yes | Yes |
| Mobile apps | Parent’s materials list the app as available on the Apple App Store and Google Play. | both |
| Security | Parent’s security page states that it is SOC 2 Type II compliant and lists MFA, TLS 1.3 in transit, AES-256 at rest, and role-based access controls. | Has a Trust and Security resource area |
| Support | Official terms describe onboarding, training, troubleshooting and ongoing support through in-app live chat and email. | Provides setup, installation, ongoing help, training, and a support portal |
Plans
Parent
- BasicPrice not published
- ExclusivePrice not published
- Basic PlanPriced on request
- Exclusive PlanPriced on request
In their own words
Parent
Parent is a childcare management platform for providers handling enrollment, family communication, attendance, billing and children’s learning journeys. It is built for childcare centers, including enterprise groups, franchises and organizations with multiple branches. Educators can record meals, naps and diaper changes, share photos and videos, and prepare daily summaries. Families and staff can use a newsfeed and in-app messaging, with automatic translation in 198+ languages. Enrollment features include centralized digital waitlists, custom forms, digital signatures, and QR code or link sign-ins. The product also supports lesson planning, check-in, billing and payments. Parent names integrations including WhatsApp, Gmail, Office 365, Zoom, QuickBooks, Zoho and Sage. It is available through a browser-based web app and Android and iOS apps. The maker, Parent, is headquartered in Copenhagen, Denmark and was founded in 2015. The paid service has pricing on request and offers a 14-day trial; there is no free plan. Listed Basic and Exclusive plans have no listed prices.
Procare
Procare is child care management software for daycare, preschool, Head Start, early childhood education, in-home care, multi-center operators, and other youth programs. It supports enrollment, family communication, attendance, and contactless check-in, along with billing, tuition collection, payment processing, and reminders. Lesson planning is also listed. RoomRunner offers AI-assisted planning for openings, room transitions, and matching families with available seats. Procare runs on the web, iOS, and Android and offers a Child Care App. Listed integrations include Checkr, Gusto, IntelliKid Systems, Learning Beyond Paper, Listen360, QuickBooks, and KidKare. The company provides setup, installation, ongoing help, training, and a support portal, and has a Trust and Security resource area. Pricing is on request; the home version costs $25 per month and is described for smaller centers and in-home daycare providers. Procare was founded in 1992 and is headquartered in Denver, Colorado.