Playground vs SmartTeach

Playground is the leading early childhood management system used by hundreds of thousands of child care providers, teachers, and families. It is an all-in-one platform for child care operations & family connection From classrooms to the front office to families at home, Playground gives everyone the tools they need to stay in sync, reduce administrative overhead, and create better child care experiences. Get real-time access to daily activity updates, billing, enrollment, compliance, messaging, and more. Directors save hours of admin work per week. Families get a window into their child’s day. Teachers spend less time on paperwork and more time teaching. FAMILY EXPERIENCE - Engage families with a single platform that makes communication effortless and meaningful. - Real-time activity feed (meals, naps, diapering, potty, sunscreen) - Daily reports with photos, videos, and notes - Personalized calendars and newsletters - Digital paperwork and e-signatures - In-app messaging, announcements, and RSVPs - Mobile check-in/out with ETA sharing - Tuition billing and payment in one place CENTER OPERATIONS - Manage daily workflows across every area of your program, from check-in to licensing reports. - Digital attendance & live ratio tracking - Staff clock-in/out & timecards - Pay staff and file payroll taxes - CACFP and subsidy tracking - Paperwork automation and custom packets - Late pickup fee automation - Allergy alerts and food program tracking - Licensing-ready reports LEARNING & OBSERVATION - Support child development and curriculum planning with tools that work for teachers and families. - Lesson plan builder and internal curriculum bank - State standard alignment or custom domains - Developmental milestone tracking - Child development reports - Activity observations with media - Easy family sharing ENGAGEMENT & COMMUNICATION - Keep families informed and staff aligned—with minimal lift. - Messaging, daily student feed, branded email newsletters, and SMS announcements - Staff and family communication - Scheduled posts and approval settings - Media gallery and downloadable content - Engagement dashboard with classroom and student-level insights REPORTING & COMPLIANCE - Replace clunky systems with one fast, customizable reporting suite. - Customizable, real-time reports across billing, attendance, staff time, food, and more - Exportable and printable reports for licensing and audits - Ratio alerts and missing signature flags Whether you’re a parent checking in from your phone or a director running a multi-site operation, Playground brings clarity, connection, and control to every part of your day. Download Playground today and experience the difference.

The SmartTeach® app by Teaching Strategies offers early childhood educators an easy and efficient way to quickly complete essential daily tasks on the fly, online, or offline. The SmartTeach app simplifies teaching, documentation, classroom management, and family engagement throughout the day, enabling teachers to make the most of every moment with easy-to-use tools right at their fingertips. The SmartTeach app is accessible to Teachers and Administrators using Teaching Strategies products such as GOLD®, The Creative Curriculum® Cloud, Kickstart LiteracyTM, and Tadpoles®. Download SmartTeach by Teaching Strategies to access our new and improved features & functionality. SmartTeach offers early childhood educators a single app to support all essential classroom tasks, including: Create documentation and share insights with families View and teach directly from your daily schedule, curriculum, activities, and care routines Communicate with families Save & share photos, videos, and other media across devices View & assess from resources like Intentional Teaching Experiences, Skill Development Cards, and Mighty Minutes®* Identify Infant and Toddler children’s developmental level with the Entry Screener to dynamically populate individualized support for each child* Take attendance, move children or staff, and complete name-to-face checks* Track care routines and share Daily Reports with families* Conduct health screenings for children and/or staff* *Feature availability is dependent on which Teaching Strategies products your classroom licenses.