Kangarootime, the leading childcare management software provider, has acquired Clay, the fastest-growing AI platform in early education.
The acquisition of Clay by Kangarootime is elevating how early childhood centers operate, by providing a comprehensive suite of tools ranging from business and center management to behavioral and developmental support, personalized curriculum, and staff coaching solutions. This combination includes Kangarootime’s school management and analytics tools with Clay’s innovative training, coaching, and curriculum solutions. Together, they address the need for childcare centers to train educators, retain staff, reduce burnout, and improve children’s learning outcomes.
“We’re very excited to join forces with Clay on our collective mission to serve the early education space more holistically,” reported Scott Wayman, Founder & CEO of Kangarootime. “There is a major labor crisis in childcare today. We’re leaning into solutions our customers need for the classroom in addition to managing their business to make educators’ roles easier.”
“Now with the support of early childhood development-based technology, teachers of all backgrounds can perform at higher levels and spend more time directly engaging with children,” Wayman states. “By empowering teachers, we create a winning scenario where schools are retaining the staff they need to provide quality childcare for the families they serve.
Clay CEO and Co-Founder Lee Rotenberg commented, “By joining Kangarootime, we’re setting a new standard in early childhood education, blending AI innovation with comprehensive childcare solutions to enrich learning and streamline operations. Together, we’re excited to shape a brighter future for educators and children.”
Clay will enhance the Kangarootime toolkit with three significant additions:
1) Behavioral and Developmental Surveys: Clay’s extensive screening engine identifies potential behavioral and developmental challenges in children at the earliest onset, providing educators with valuable insights into their students’ needs and how to best support them.
2) ECE Coach: Clay’s ECE Coach delivers immediate, expert support on a wide range of early childhood education topics. This tool reduces educators’ dependency on center directors for advice on challenging classroom dynamics, parent communications, and more.
3) Personalized, AI-Powered Curriculum: The Weekly Planner feature enables teachers to quickly generate high-quality, state standards-aligned weekly plans within minutes. Clay’s dynamic, customized approach to curriculum development ensures that lesson planning is both efficient and effective, meeting state standards and supporting the educator community by giving hours back to their day.
The purchase of Clay, based in New York, NY, continues to solidify Kangarootime’s position in the market as a partner with franchise and enterprise operators. Kangarootime brings automation to childcare and provides childcare professionals with the tools to enhance the quality of their classrooms, digitalize their businesses, and seamlessly communicate with parents. “This acquisition will further expand Kangarootime’s platform into the classroom and at home, with actionable strategies to support children’s growth for both parents and teachers. We’ve never seen this kind of reach before from a single platform in the industry,” states Wayman.
This strategic move by Kangarootime highlights a pivotal advancement in enhancing early childhood education by offering robust solutions to both educators and administrators while better-supporting children and families.
For media inquiries please reach out to Alissa.Vogelsang@Kangarootime.com.
