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brightwheel

brightwheel

Overview

What is brightwheel?

brightwheel is a childcare management software that aims to simplify billing processes, enhance communication, streamline admissions, facilitate learning, and provide a secure platform for preschools and child care centers. According to the vendor, this solution is tailored for administrators and directors...

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Recent Reviews

TrustRadius Insights

Brightwheel is a highly valued tool for teachers, providing them with an efficient means of communication with parents. Teachers …
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Product Demos

Week 12: Brightwheel

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Product Details

What is brightwheel?

brightwheel is a childcare management software that aims to simplify billing processes, enhance communication, streamline admissions, facilitate learning, and provide a secure platform for preschools and child care centers. According to the vendor, this solution is tailored for administrators and directors of these establishments, as well as parents, guardians, teachers, and staff in early education programs.

Key Features

Billing: According to the vendor, brightwheel simplifies billing processes and allows users to manage all areas of their program. Families can be invited to online billing and autopay can be enabled to ensure timely payments. The vendor also claims that payment data is protected with bank-level security and encryption. Additionally, brightwheel offers integration with QuickBooks for easy accounting and taxes.

Communication: The vendor states that brightwheel enables staff to easily communicate with families, administrators, and other staff members. Through in-app messaging, photos, and videos, teachers and staff can keep in touch with families and create deeper connections. According to the vendor, this feature enhances children's learning experience as well.

Admissions: According to the vendor, brightwheel streamlines the admissions process and allows for efficient enrollment management. New families can easily be onboarded and necessary information can be collected. The software also provides the ability to track applications, waitlists, and enrollment status in one place.

Learning: brightwheel offers access to a comprehensive curriculum and lesson planning tools, according to the vendor. Teachers and parents can create and share lesson plans, and monitor children's progress and development through assessments and observations. The vendor claims that brightwheel also provides the ability to generate reports to track learning outcomes and share them with parents.

Mobile app: According to the vendor, brightwheel offers a mobile app that allows users to access its features on-the-go. Families and staff can stay connected anytime, anywhere. The app can be used to manage attendance, communicate, and complete administrative tasks.

Security: The vendor emphasizes that brightwheel prioritizes the security of sensitive data. They claim that the software provides bank-level security and encryption to protect data. Compliance with privacy regulations and standards is also ensured. Additionally, the vendor states that access and permissions can be controlled to maintain data integrity and confidentiality.

brightwheel Video

Why brightwheel

brightwheel Competitors

brightwheel Technical Details

Deployment TypesSoftware as a Service (SaaS), Cloud, or Web-Based
Operating SystemsUnspecified
Mobile ApplicationNo
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Comparisons

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Reviews and Ratings

(5)

Community Insights

TrustRadius Insights are summaries of user sentiment data from TrustRadius reviews and, when necessary, 3rd-party data sources. Have feedback on this content? Let us know!

Brightwheel is a highly valued tool for teachers, providing them with an efficient means of communication with parents. Teachers appreciate the direct communication and messaging features that allow them to easily connect with parents and receive important updates. The product's user-friendly interface makes it quick and easy for new staff members to learn, saving valuable time and effort for teachers and staff. Users have consistently praised the wonderful customer service provided by Brightwheel, noting the prompt and helpful replies to inquiries or issues. Brightwheel's commitment to continuously improving and upgrading its services has also been well-received by users, who appreciate the company's dedication to meeting their needs. Integrating state rules and guidelines into Brightwheel's services is highly anticipated, as it would be a valuable addition that further enhances the product's usefulness in managing day-to-day activities at childcare schools.

Parents find Brightwheel to be a convenient and reliable tool for staying informed about their children's daycare experience. Being able to easily access up-to-date and real-time information about their children directly from their phones gives parents peace of mind and ensures they feel involved in their children's experiences. The ability to communicate with staff through the app is particularly important to parents, as it allows them to stay connected with teachers and always know where their children are. Features like viewing check-in and check-out times are greatly appreciated by parents, especially when someone else is dropping off or picking up their children. Additionally, being able to view uploaded photos of special events or field trips helps parents feel more connected to their child's daily life at daycare. The app's convenience extends beyond communication as it allows parents to easily view attendance, track tuition payments, and make payments directly on the app itself. Overall, Brightwheel provides valuable features that alleviate parents' concerns about their children's well-being while promoting effective communication between staff and families.

Teachers have found Brightwheel essential for managing classrooms and communicating with parents. The ability to track attendance provides a convenient way for teachers to keep records and ensures accurate information is shared with parents. Real-time communication through messaging features helps close gaps and keeps parents informed about their child's well-being or any emergencies that may arise. The daily reports feature is highly appreciated by teachers as it allows them to provide parents with regular updates on their child's progress and activities throughout the day. By sharing photos and videos directly with parents, teachers have found that trust and transparency in relationships with families are greatly enhanced. Brightwheel streamlines administrative tasks such as billing and invoicing, saving valuable time and effort for users. Improved care for children and better customer service to parents have been experienced by using Brightwheel. Having all record-keeping in one place and easier communication with families has been a significant benefit, simplifying administrative tasks and reducing the workload for teachers and staff. Users have had a positive overall experience with Brightwheel, finding it to be a reliable software that provides access to all necessary features.

Brightwheel's usefulness extends beyond regular classroom management. During the COVID-19 pandemic, the app has played a crucial role in providing a safer and more accurate check-in/out system, eliminating the need for shared pens and paper. The ability to send alerts and messages through Brightwheel is highly valued for communication with parents during times of rising COVID-19 cases or inclement weather.

Users appreciate that Brightwheel is constantly adding new features and making updates based on user feedback. Upgrading to the paid version of Brightwheel has been beneficial for users, as it provides access to additional features and improvements. For small childcare schools, Brightwheel has proven to be an essential tool for managing day-to-day activities, improving communication between teachers and parents, streamlining administrative tasks, and creating a more efficient and accountable environment.

Overall, Brightwheel stands out as an indispensable platform that enhances communication, removes paperwork, improves organization, streamlines billing processes, and strengthens relationships between teachers, parents, and children. With its user-friendly interface, continuous improvement efforts, and valuable features such as attendance tracking, real-time communication, daily reports, photo sharing, and billing integration, Brightwheel empowers teachers and delights parents by providing a convenient solution that simplifies their interactions while ensuring the well-being of children in childcare centers.

Communication Capabilities: Many users appreciate Brightwheel's robust communication features, which effectively streamline communication between parents, teachers, and administrators. The messaging feature is particularly helpful for instant updates and messages to and from parents, ensuring quick and efficient communication channels.

Ease of Use: Brightwheel's user interface is highly praised for its intuitive design and ease of navigation. Users find it simple to use, whether they are staff members or parents. The seamless child check-in and check-out process further enhances the overall user experience by saving time and simplifying administrative tasks.

Convenience: Brightwheel offers unparalleled convenience for childcare providers and families alike. By consolidating all essential information in one centralized platform, it ensures easy access to student records, attendance tracking, billing details, and more. This level of convenience not only saves time but also promotes transparency between schools and families. Additionally, the availability of step-by-step videos assists users in quickly familiarizing themselves with the platform's functionalities while exceptional customer service representatives provide prompt assistance when needed.

Confusing User Interface: Many users have expressed frustration with the app's confusing user interface, which has made it challenging for them to navigate and complete tasks efficiently. The lack of intuitive design elements has resulted in a steep learning curve for some users.

Messaging Difficulties: Users frequently encountered difficulties with the messaging feature, specifically when trying to identify which children are assigned to specific classrooms. This confusion and lack of clarity in communication have hindered effective parent-teacher interaction.

Initial Set up and Learning Curve: Numerous users reported experiencing issues during the initial set up process and struggled with the learning curve of the app. They suggested that a more streamlined onboarding process would greatly benefit new users by reducing setup time and simplifying navigation.

Reviews

(1-1 of 1)
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April 26, 2022

Brightwheel Rocks!

Score 10 out of 10
Vetted Review
Verified User
Incentivized
Brightwheel is a fabulous app that connects us to parents. We use it for signing in and out, with each parent/pick-up person being given their own code. We use it to record our daily activities, such as diapering, eating, etc. We can send photos to parents and messages that appear on their phones as a text would. Our parents love brightwheel.
  • Recording data for students.
  • Connecting to parents with photos, videos, and messages.
  • Signing in and out electronically and saving paper daily.
  • Offering a price point that does not include billing.
  • Allowing more freedom of uploading own documents.
Any preschool can benefit from brightwheel, no matter the size. Brightwheel is also excellent for billing, which is especially helpful for schools that do not have other databases and billing systems. Because our school is a PS-12, it is a little cumbersome to have brightwheel along with another management system that we use school-wide. It would be nice to have a separate price point that does not include the things that another database system does for schools that are required to use what the older grades also use.
  • Electronic signing in and out
  • Connecting with parents in an easy to send manner.
  • Recording of tasks
  • Value add for parents
  • Saves paper
  • Benefits for teachers who fully utilize
Brightwheel does much more for the preschool level than FACTS does. The creators of this app know early childhood. The company also provides helpful webinars that are unrelated to their software, such as staff retention or ways to market. They understand the business of early childhood and exist to make the lives of providers easier.
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