Discovery Village, a leading childcare center and preschool, serves communities in Westchester and the Rockland Counties.
Kangarootime is Discovery Village’s childcare management platform of choice, dedicated to automating billing and invoicing, effectively managing staff, communicating with families, and giving teachers control of the classroom.
We met with Shira Leibowitz, CEO and Founder of Discovery Village, to learn more about how Kangarootime and Kisi support trust, ease of use, and security amongst their members.
With 100+ members including parents and staff, having one app that covers security and operations is crucial for Discovery Village in maintaining a secure and flexible space. That’s why Shira utilizes Kangarootime’s software in tandem with Kisi door locks to ensure safety at her center.
Prioritizing Safety and Security
Kangarootime and Kisi have been in place since the very first day Discovery Village opened back in 2019. When Shira purchased the center, the access control system consisted of a keypad with a code. There wasn’t enough flexibility, and it didn’t seem secure enough.
Prior to Discovery Village, Shira was a principal of pre-K to 8th grade schools for 20 years. Most of the education centers she managed were faith-based Jewish schools and antiSemitic threats against the schools weren’t uncommon. During these years, Shira received substantial training in security and emergency response protocol.
“Secure doors were non-negotiable to me. I looked for a solution that had high standards, and the recommendation to use Kisi came from a parent in the school who was in a security-related field and knew of the integration with Kangarootime”, says Shira Leibowitz.
Kisi’s secure access methods let students, parents, staff, and visitors access the school easily without sacrificing security. The Kangarootime and Kisi integration enables childcare centers to instantly change or revoke access on a user, door, or group-wide basis and ensure security remains the top priority.
Providing Peace of Mind to Parents and Staff
During the pandemic, one of Discovery Village’s priorities was maintaining trust with parents while adhering to the proper biosecurity protocols. Parents were welcome to visit their children during the day, and having Kisi installed in the outfacing doors added a layer of security and convenience.
Using the Kangarootime parent app, families had constant access to their children during the center’s working hours. With Kisi, family members can access the space without additional registration work.
The scheduled unlocks feature allows operators to set the doors to be open during specific windows of time, increasing the security and efficiency of the space. As Shira told us, teachers are aware of the activated members, and there is a lot of trust associated with this system.
In addition to securing the main doors, Discovery Village also has a camera system in place, and parents are able to access the footage while on site. This integration allows caregivers to see in real-time that the building is secured and their children’s safety is the main priority.
“It’s a very elegant integration, and the Kisi security is very good. Having one app handling everything is amazing”, says Shira Leibowitz.
The system’s granularity and the various access methods allow administrators to only activate access for parents or issue one-time credentials for emergency pick-ups from other family members. In situations where access needs to be revoked immediately, the automation between Kisi and Kangarootime makes it easy for administrators to change permissions.
Easy-to-Install Systems
“During the installation process, I never felt like we were not secure. It took some tech work to get it installed, but both Kisi and Kangarootime helped us through it, and we were tended to and cared for”, says Shira Leibowitz.
Discovery Village has been open for four years, and with Shira’s heavy focus on security, Kisi continues to be the reliable solution that scales with the growing members.
In addition to Kisi’s security – Kangarootime allows Discovery Village to streamline operations through automated billing, staff mangagement tools, family communication features, and in-app access.
Kangarootime has been key in enhancing the operations and communications at Discovery Village. For Shira and her staff, it provides them with all of the tools they need to provide quality care while keeping safety and security at the forefront.
“After having bomb threats and living through dangerous situations, I’ve received lots of training from law enforcement and anti-terrorist units. Being able to secure access to your property is vital and non-negotiable to my business”, says Shira Leibowitz.
Using Kangarootime and Kisi, Shira and her team are able to monitor access to their center easily and securely. To get started with Kangarootime and Kisi, schedule a time to chat with us here.
