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Keelin Burke

Why "More Features" isn't Always Better when Choosing a New CCMS

  • October 2, 2026

Comparing childcare software solutions can feel a bit like Groundhog’s Day.

You start with the spreadsheet, list the desirable features down the X axis, add some check boxes at the top, and start digging in.

  1. Billing? Yes.
  2. Scheduling? Yes.
  3. Digital check-in? Yes.
  4. Parent app? Check.
  5. Employee app? Yep.

By the time you’ve seen five different software providers, those checkmarks all look the same, because they mostly are the same. Most childcare management platforms today cover the basics of what childcare facilities need reasonably well. What really sets apps apart isn’t always the bells and whistles, it’s which platform helps you run a better business.

Getting Your Data to Work For You

Over the past few years, most softwares identified the need for enrollment, staffing, parent communication, operations, and billing. These are necessary features for running a successful business. However, the right childcare management system will smooth out the data inputs received in each feature so you can focus less on spreadsheets and more on making a positive impact on children and families. 

Two centers can use the exact same scheduling tool and get completely different results. One director is guessing at their staffing needs for support and compliance, the other has a clear picture of what their own enrollment and attendance patterns actually look like over time.

“If you're having a “features” conversation, you're having the wrong conversation. You should be having the “how can I run a better business?” conversation." - Bob Willer, CEO Kangarootime

Ask yourself: what kind of metrics does your center keep track of? Where are you already seeing gaps and opportunities? Clear, accurate data fed into a CCMS system can have a significant impact on growing centers.

Insights for Compliance, Staffing, and Scaling

Insights powered by your data should do more than just display benchmarks, they should inform when it’s time to make a change. Whether it be opening a new classroom, shutting one down, adding staff during a particularly busy season, or even deciding if it’s time to open a brand new location, Kangarootime’s Insights use your historical data to support owners and directors through high level decisions. This is especially helpful when determining compliant classroom staffing needs. 

Kangarootime offers a new way of handling your business data with our forecasting tool. An easy-to-read chart pulls in historical data and allows for “what if” scenarios that can help you stay on top of scheduling, compliance, and scale.

Kangarootime’s Executive Metrics report helps directors and owners dig deeper. Dive into a clear financial and enrollment picture, compare revenue periods against each other, and set real year-over-year goals. Kangarootime's executive metrics report pulls several individual reports together into one view, showing month-over-month revenue and enrollment side by side, along with the deltas between them.

Once fees, discounts, and subsidies are all factored in, the real financial picture per student is often very different from what an owner assumed it was.

Ready to see the difference?

Kangarootime helps childcare and before/after school owners and directors clearly see and tackle where their business is now and in the future. Want to learn more? Schedule a call with one of our experts today.

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