# brightwheel: Child Care App — Manage preschool & childcare

> All-in-one childcare management software for early education providers. (iPhone/iPad app by DSSV, Inc..)

- Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brightwheel-child-care-app/id902823296 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`)
- Developer: [DSSV, Inc.](https://appshunter.io/developer/902823299)
- Category: Education, Business
- Price: Free
- Rating: 4.90/5 from 144,129 App Store ratings · 468 written reviews indexed
- Age rating: 4+
- Requires: iOS 16.0 · 113 MB
- Languages: American English, French (France), European Spanish
- Released: 2014-08-25
- Data updated: 2026-08-29
- Monetization: freemium
- User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brightwheel-child-care-app/id902823296/reviews.md

## What is brightwheel?

Brightwheel is an all-in-one childcare management software that saves time and simplifies operations for early education providers. 

From billing and parent communication to curriculum and admissions, it combines everything you need in one easy-to-use platform. 

Trusted by millions of educators and families and backed by a dedicated support team, brightwheel strengthens family connections and ensures seamless operations with reliable performance and robust security. 

With brightwheel, you’ll spend less time on admin, more time with children.

Features include:
• All-in-one platform: Brightwheel combines billing, attendance, family communication, lesson planning, and reporting in one easy-to-use platform.
• User-friendly design: An intuitive interface that is quick to set up and easy for staff and families to use.
• Fast, quality support: An industry-leading, dedicated support team at your fingertips with 24/7 access to chatbot, tutorials, webinars, and community.
• Secure and reliable: Advanced security features like two-factor authentication and compliance with the highest data protection standards. With 99% uptime, the app is available virtually all the time.
• Billing and finances: Automated billing and payments for tuition and fees, customizable billing reports, and expense tracking.
• Family communication: Connect with families in real-time and centralize messaging, newsletters, and alerts.
• Photo and video sharing: Snap photos, record videos, and tag students with one click. 
• Daily reports: Log naps, meals, bathroom, and other activities. Families get a personalized feed and daily summary. 
• Calendar: Share events, holidays, and important dates with both families and staff.
• Lesson plans: Add, customize, and share your lesson plans with teachers. Upgrade to Experience Curriculum to enhance program quality with digital lessons and hands-on learning materials. 
• Assessment and observations: Make note of progress, achievements, and activities with pre-loaded state standards and a DRDP tool. Share with families or privately amongst teachers.
• Admissions and enrollment: Build custom admission packets, manage your waitlist, and make it easy for prospective families to apply online.
• Attendance: Easily track student and staff attendance via quick scan or a code. Stay in compliance with room ratio and capacity tools. 
• Reporting: Detailed reports of every brightwheel feature for billing and licensing requirements.
• Real-time syncing: Brightwheel stays up to date across all devices, including web and mobile. 
• Affordable:  Both free and premium plans available to fit your needs.

And... much more coming! Brightwheel is the #1 rated childcare management software, leading the industry through continuous innovation, frequent enhancements, and new features driven by valuable customer feedback.

## Key features

- All-in-one platform
- User-friendly design
- Billing and finances
- Family communication
- Daily reports
- Lesson plans
- Admissions and enrollment

## Chart rankings

- #21 in Top Free · Education (US App Store)

## What do users think of brightwheel?

Overall sentiment: positive

**Pros**

- 👍 Easy to use
- 📸 Ability to see photos/videos of child
- 💬 Good communication with teachers
- 📊 Helpful for tracking child's activities
- 🔍 Provides good visibility into child's day

**Cons**

- 🐛 Bugs and glitches with the app
- 💰 Issues with billing and overcharging
- 🔒 Lack of security features like Touch ID
- 📢 Too many notifications can be annoying
- 🕰️ Slow performance and lagging issues

**Commonly reported bugs**

- Push notifications not working properly
- Difficulty deleting accounts or disabling AutoPay
- Inconsistent behavior when no balance is due

**Most requested features**

- Batch download option for photos/videos
- Ability to add comments to activity logs
- Customizable notification settings
- Teacher profiles or photos in the app
- Integrated payment features

## Recent user reviews (10 of 468)

All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/brightwheel-child-care-app/id902823296/reviews.md

### 5/5 — Perfect.

*2026-08-24, version 3.104.1*

User friendly.

### 4/5 — Great updates but could use some work

*2026-08-24, version 3.104.1*

I think it’s very user friendly and I love the billing is also built in. I just wish I got a summary of last meals/naps and how much they ate at the end of the day when they check out.

### 3/5 — changed messages

*2026-08-21, version 3.104.0*

Brightwheel usually works amazingly, but i absolutely HATE the new update where the messages screen is very hard to read. There used to be bubbles surrounding each message making individual messages clear, but now it’s all together and very difficult to read.

### 5/5 — Best parent/caregiver app

*2026-08-20, version 3.104.0*

As a FTM dropping my baby off with a stranger was scary!! Having this app and being able to communicate through out the day and get pictures of her at daycare eases my mind!

### 5/5 — Amazing

*2026-08-20, version 3.104.0*

The love and support as well as up to date and real time information that we receive throughout the day allows for us to get through our day with a sense of peace that I don’t believe we would receive anywhere else. I love everything about this app and would like to thank everyone who was involved in developing this wonderful project.

### 2/5 — It’s a downgrade

*2026-08-19, version 3.104.0*

Our school district recently switched to brightwheel.
Overall it offers the same functionality with the same mediocre UX.
But what’s really annoying is for checking out a kid, besides the QR code scan from a staffer‘s phone screen, a 4-digit code needs to be memorized and then manually entered. 
I feel zero additional security by doing this.
Apparently it cannot be disabled.
Please reconsider.

### 5/5 — Wonderful

*2026-08-17, version 3.104.0*

All stars is a wonderful facility.  Our granddaughter is well taken care of and loved by the care givers.  We are so impressed by what she is learning from the great teachers.  You won’t be disappointed if you enroll your child.

### 5/5 — Family Tolson/Harper

*2026-08-14, version 3.103.0*

We are very pleased with how our little girl is treated, care for, love, natured, etc by her teachers who truly cares and it shows! Thank you all for all that you do and more when it comes to our baby girl.

### 2/5 — Behind

*2026-08-13, version 3.103.0*

The app is days behind, I’ll log on and it will only show they are checked in or out and then once a week I’ll get like 100 notifications for the last couple days for my children. Its frustrating to not see their day to day stuff like I’m supposed to.

### 5/5 — Love to see what my little is doing!

*2026-08-13*

It’s so great to get updates through the day of my little one! Pictures, notes, details on feeding/toilet. Love and recommend

## Frequently asked questions about brightwheel

### What does brightwheel do?

Brightwheel is an all-in-one childcare management software designed to simplify operations for early education providers. It handles tasks such as billing, parent communication, curriculum planning, admissions, and attendance tracking, allowing educators to spend less time on administration and more time with children.

### What are the key features of brightwheel?

Key features include an all-in-one platform for billing, attendance, and communication, a user-friendly design, fast and quality support, secure and reliable performance, automated billing and payments, real-time family communication with photo and video sharing, daily activity reports, calendar sharing, lesson planning tools, assessment and observation capabilities, admissions and enrollment management, and attendance tracking for students and staff.

### Is brightwheel free to use?

Brightwheel offers both free and premium plans to suit different needs. While core functionalities are available, certain advanced features or enhanced services may require an upgrade to a premium plan.

### What devices is brightwheel compatible with?

Brightwheel is designed to be accessible across multiple devices. It offers real-time syncing across all devices, including web browsers and mobile applications, ensuring you can manage your childcare operations from anywhere.

### How does brightwheel help with parent communication?

Brightwheel facilitates seamless parent communication by centralizing messaging, newsletters, and alerts. It allows educators to share photos and videos of children's activities in real-time, provide daily reports on naps, meals, and bathroom activities, and share important dates and events through a shared calendar.

## Version history (last 5 releases)

### 3.105.0 — 2026-08-27

Minor improvements and performance enhancements

### 3.104.1 — 2026-08-24

Minor improvements and performance enhancements

### 3.104.0 — 2026-08-17

Minor improvements and performance enhancements

### 3.103.0 — 2026-08-03

Minor improvements and performance enhancements

### 3.102.1 — 2026-07-24

Resolve issue on iOS 16

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*Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-29.*