Kinderlime Reviews

Pros
As a director, I have worked with several different software platforms over the years. Recently our software company "retired" and I was so disappointed because we loved CCM! Lots of apps are out there and at first many seemed good, but once you start working with them the frustrations are slowly revealed. So I actually ran the demos for four different leading child care management apps with a few of my *real* clients for three weeks in summer 2018. It was a LOT of extra work but I wanted to make sure that I experienced fully living with each app before making a commitment. In the end there was NO contest. Kinderlime software does so much more than competitors. It is easy to use and more intelligently designed. It has enough muscle with billing, organization and reporting features that you can really use it to keep the business side of your school organized and keep connected to your clients. I had very little time to get up and running and the Kinderlime team honestly provided me with 24 hour tech support, even at 1:00am! The features such as parent email, parent texting, tagging, batch child actions, enhanced filtering and headache-free automated billing take so much work off my plate! Kinderlime runs smoothly with quick reports right inside the app. Myself and my coworker can both work on it at the same time. I could go on, but I'm generally a tough sell but any Director or Manager will be thrilled with this software!

Cons
I wish they had features to support management of staff data, communication between teachers and the front office, and teacher appreciation (Track hire date, reminder of teacher employment anniversaries, log of training dates with renewal reminders, and a list of personal favorites for teacher gift giving). --Whichever company runs with my idea is going to have an edge! I created a work-around in Kinderlime to enable me to text staff by creating a student named"Staff Members" and then assigning all of the staff as if they were the "Parents".

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
In the two years of use of Kinderlime there have been alot of adjustments and learning of how to best use this product to meet our needs. The customer service is always very responsive even though we are in a totally different timezone. They have also sought to resolve issues as they come up as relate to our specific organization and help direct how to use things that we have trouble with.

Cons
I am reviewing two features as they are what I am currently working through in using the software. 1. We have been trying to implement the carpool feature to avoid individuals having multiple pins for different children they are picking up. The carpool feature is too difficult to monitor. When the caregiver is a parent, the next time that name is used as a carpool it must be added as a carpool to each sibling even if they are linked. Also, to use the carpool feature the individual must first be a parent or caregiver in the system on another child. If that status changes in any way (original parent or caregiver is deleted) the individual is also deleted from being a carpool entry in multiple other locations. There is no warning pop up indicating the individual being removed will also be removed from other locations. 2. The alphabetical sorting not traditional alpha order and does not match up to other lists causing confusion when making comparisons between other school softwares or reports that use normal alpha ordering. From what I have observed Kinderlime alpha order does not consider any commas or spaces thus greatly affecting sort order (for instance a traditional sort would consider the punctuation and spacing to show Su, John; Su, Joseph; Su, Lisa; Suki, Mary while kinderlime makes the order to be Su, John; Su, Joseph, Suki, Mary; Su, Lisa ignoring the commas and spaces looking only at the actual letters. In a longer list this is very frustrating & confusing.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 5/10

Pros
It's easy to use and navigate. The updates usually add another useful part to the program. I love the layout and the easy on the eyes colors. Just about everything can be customized or added to to fit our needs. The reports section has just about everything I need to run. And the check in and out process with signatures meet my license specialists needs.

Cons
The messaging system is really my biggest complaint. It is not easy to navigate or stay on top of easily. I like that everyone in the info circle gets the messages, but it’s difficult to answer a lot of parents when you have to leave incoming to check sent for each message, and check dates to make sure you are not seeing an older response. If the messages were more like a feed or email run so that you could see sent and responses together for each child. Second issue I have ran into several times, is not being able to do newsletters through the desk top version on my tablet. I work a lot on the go, and don’t have access to a laptop. So, this is something I am only able to do from a desk top or laptop system. The only other thing that ends up quite time consuming is running log in and out reports for each child. At this time for licensing needs I have to run each child’s log separately. I wish we could run more at a time. That would be a huge time saver. Also, if a mistake is made to a not and sent to multiple accounts, if there is a mistake you have to go in and fix each note under each child rather than a master fix.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 8/10

Pros
It appears state-of-the art when parents are checking in/out their child on the phone or computer. Previously, we had used paper daily to sign the students out.

Cons
1. This software does not allow us to turn off some features that we do not use like the Billing. An amount accumulates through the school year. When I tried clearing their balances, notifications were sent out to parents. This alarms the parents because of an unexpected invoice. We use a different program for billing parents. 2. The report to Export ALL students, Parents and authorized pickups is not ALL people on the student's authorized pick up list. The carpoolers are not picked up. Therefore, we cannot use it to verify with another list. 3. The auto-generated emails cannot be customized to fit our school communication. 4. The Message box cannot be cleared. I also would like this turned off so that the parents do not use this for communication. 5. I like the feature of automatic notification when the child is checked in. However, when it is the wrong student that was checked in, there should be some kind of automatic email to "disregard the previous email." 6. When the parent signs up, they no longer get the automatic notification emails when the child is checked in. It should be defaulted so that the parent will always get the emails unless they manually select no emails. As a new signer, they may not know to set it up to continue receiving the automatic emails. 7. I find the GIF in the Support Communication an unprofessional insert. I am not tech savvy and accidentally sent an inappropriate GIF that does not represent our school standards.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 7/10

Pros
What we like most about the program is that it allows us to connect more meaningfully with the parents of the New Americans children we serve in our programs, through the messaging features and newsletter features. It's provided our parents, who are often not invited to participate in their children's care or schooling, with an accessible way to stay engaged with their children and with our program.

Cons
So many of our parents and children are English Language Learners, and are new technology users. It would benefit our program greatly if there were more opportunity to directly engage with parents and participants through the app. Specifically, allowing us to direct and mass message and text them consistently! This is because our parents are more apt to use a texting feature over an emailing or app feature. We've found this to be the truth with our grandparents as well. Our program provdes full transportation to participants, we pick up and drop off kids at home. Having the ability to text parents a notification when their child is on the bus, or about to be picked up, would be fantastic for our logistics, parent engagement and participant safety.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
Kinderlime allowed me and my staff to stay in real-time connection with our attendance, communications with parents and caregivers, and billing all in one platform! I am now able to keep records and communications at hand so that I provide efficient customer service to all stakeholders, including staff. I so appreciate that Kinderlime continuously improves the platform based on input from end users (like me) and always (ALWAYS) responds to requests for help or clarification before the day ends. (I am on the east coast so a time difference is expected.) Kinderlime tech support's prompt replies and interactions through the chat function have always been helpful and thoroughly clarifying. I recommend this service without hesitation or hidden concerns. You will be very satisfied!

Cons
The only challenge I have is that the theme and font colors are sometimes difficult to see. I have to angle my screen "just so" to see things well. The colors are very pleasant, though, so I wouldn't want them to change much.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
This software is so user friendly! The layout and design is easy to navigate through. The billing feature has been the greatest asset using this software.

Cons
Our biggest issues with Kinderlime have been over the messaging system. I don't like that it doesn't show the string of messages between the parents and staff. You can't see at a glance if a staff member replied to a parent's message and sometimes messages get missed and no one replies thinking someone else did. It makes us look unprofessional when we aren't sure if a message has been answered. Our other issue was with Stripe and almost $20,000 not being deposited into our account for 3 months until our accountant caught it. No one from Stripe or Kinderlime informed us that they were needing additional info for security, even though we had already been using the system for over a year. It was nearly impossible to speak to someone from Stripe with NO customer service. Another level of communication between the two would be helpful. Kinderlime was so helpful in getting the issue resolved.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
I can access Kinderlime from my desktop, cellphone tablet. and so can my parents. It is super easy to use. It is designed to be paperless and it allows me to run my Home Daycare with ease, even when I am not in the office.

Cons
There is not much more I can ask of the features and functions of Kinderlime. I do participate in the Child Nutrition Program and I have to go to different software to enter my meals and attendance, it would be nice to integrate Kinderlime with the programs like KidKare.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Kinderlime software is very user friendly and does not require a great amount of time to set up. It is a one stop software program. Parents are able to sign their children in with a pin or signature. No more forgetting to pay and late fee. Parents can pay their tuition from the ease of the home computer. Kinderlime is very affordable for smaller child care facility. This program along has impressed parents and help me gain students.

Cons
I don't have a problem with this software. I have a home daycare and a tutorial session I offer on the weekends and Kinderlime allows me to create different classes for each group I work with. We even use it for Children's church sign in.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Kinderlime has done an excellent job listening to business needs and implementing features we ask for. There are more features for every conceivable activity and tracking need related to childcare, and we love the ease of use. It is the only software we trust to track our daily ratios and staff time cards.

Cons
I personally do not like that there are two or three different sign in screens to click around to--there is the "home" screen of all children (that you can sign them in and out of), an attendance screen that I can sign them in and out on, AND the pin login screen that is difficult to get to. It's confusing for parents and staff.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
The ease of use and the organization of this software has totally changed our business practices and model. We are running a more efficient daycare, focusing more on the kids and not the business side of things. Our teachers are now able to eliminate the task of filling out meal sheets and incident reports and having to keep up with paper trails. The Sign In/Out feature along with the Parent App has given our parents something to talk about to their friends and family. Parents love being able to electronically sign their children in and out of our facility. They also love having their invoices go directly to their mobile device for billing and payment history. Our local CCS and CPS offices are amazed at what this program has done for us and are now directing parents in need of childcare services to our facility. We've seen our business increase each month since we've implemented this software. The invoicing feature has eliminated hours of work with the simple click of a button. Employee Time Sheets are already calculated and ready for payroll. Child enrollment is a breeze for those parents who are on the go and are dropping in their children for the first time. Most of them have switched from Drop In Status to Full Time Enrollment. The newsletter feature is just fantastic for sending out quick notices or monthly notices about what's happening at our daycare. Parents who were less involved in our activities have now shown a great interest in participation.

Cons
Not every business is ran the same way and has its different needs. Having stated that, I feel that an improvement on the communication end of the software between parent and administration could use some improvement. The parents are able to send notices via the application but on the dashboard there is no way to communicate back with the parent or even between administration. There are no notices that alert administration that a parent has reached out to them on the dashboard. Also, there are no employee accruals(ie. sick, vacation) and uses included with the time clock feature. This would really keep everything in one place when it comes to employee management. There is also no place for teacher information and document uploading to have for our files. This would be a great way to go paperless without having to file. While these may seem like more of a preferred review it is something that I like least about this software because it does not have these things. Being able to just use this software would allow our facility to open up one window and manage our daycare would take care of all our needs.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
We converted our child care management system into this all-in-one program a little over a year ago and we couldn't be happier. All students, all activities, all staff, including billing are at my finger-tips! This program has cut down on my management time significantly because all features are readily available without having to navigate to another browser or program. Time-savings and thoroughness is a priority and our parents love the features of online payments and seeing 'real-time' activities their child is involved in. Another great feature is the customer service! I cannot say enough about the promptness of Kinderlime's customer service. This is very important!

Cons
I do not have any concerns at this time. We have been very satisfied.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I love how there are always updates and new features!!! I've been using KinderLime since 2012 and I loved it then, but I SuperLove it now!!! So many things that make my job as a teacher, director and owner SO MUCH faster & easier. I love the intuitive of the app and website. Very simple learning curve - just download and go!!! I'm made several suggestions for improvements over the years and most of my requests have been added features shortly after, so I know they listen to their customers and care what we think!!! When another provider asks about software, I always recommend KinderLime.

Cons
So far, it doesn't track employee hours on the app, so I have to log into the computer to see if someone is approaching their hours for the week and that is not always convenient when you're making a quick decision about who to let go early.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
We enjoy how easy the program is to use. We have several seasoned teachers who are not as familiar with technology, and they were apprehensive about using the app at first. However, they find the app easy to use which made the transition into every day use of the app a breeze.

Cons
It would be nice to see a reminder for feedings/ diapers that can be seen when you look at a classroom overview. This helps teachers plan feedings, so that if four infants need a bottle around the same time, they can plan accordingly. This is something other software has that is beneficial when working in a classroom. Would also like to see an optional drop down menu that we can create for billing, so when we have several checks come in, we do not have to keep typing the same thing each time.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
I really like how easy I can file family information and keep records that are required for daycare licensing.

Cons
Sometimes it is tough to adapt to the updates. However, it's been worth it when I figure the updates out.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
We unfortunately had to search for a new software program after CCM had a merger and Smartcare was not adequate or a good fit for our program. After a few hours of research and submitting inquiries about various programs, we got a phone call from Akash at Kinderlime. After speaking with him about Kinderlime and what the program had to offer, I was sold! Not only was Kinderlime inclusive of everything we were looking for as far as billing, signing in/out and school-to-home communication, but they are located in California and have knowledge about licensing requirements (HUGE bonus points in my book!). Any time we have a question, we receive a prompt response and have had great help, and any time we share a suggestion, they pass it along to the developers! Our main points of contact have been Akash, Steve, Anna, Priya and Jerod- but I am confident that any team member would be a pleasure to collaborate with! I could go on and on about how wonderful Kinderlime and their staff is, but I'll just recommend that you sign up and see for yourself!

Cons
I'm not sure there's anything I can say I like "least" about the software. We have been constantly sending suggestions for updates or additional features that we would like to see and have received great feedback on the suggestions. We know that every school is different, but we hope that the suggestions we share could also benefit other schools. We are hoping that some of our suggestions will be developed soon! :)

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
There are more things than I can list about this software that I love! -for parents: they love being able to check in on their children during the day, it helps them feel a part of their child's day at daycare when they know they can take a peek at the latest activity -administrative: I love that most of my communication, attendance, billing, and note taking is all in one spot! it's also easy to do updates when we are on the go! -for kids: it helps their parents and care provider have smoother communication and therefore, the child is provided with the best care possible -bonus: the customer service is AMAZING! I've never been more satisfied with a company!

Cons
It does have a lot of features, this really is an all in one software. Luckily, I find all of it useful and so I use the whole system. I used to have a calendar app, a sign in station, a billing binder and receipt software, etc., and now it's all in one place.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I like the overall concept of this software because it helps us to keep our parents and staff up to date as to what is going to in the classrooms.

Cons
when they did all of the upgrades i cannot sign students out from my app on my phone and i dont like the two step part to entering checks i think the check number is enough. I also have had issues with staff not being able to select me at the director when they go to send newletters

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 7/10

Pros
It has definitely helped me manage my daycare operations- sign in/out, billing/payments, family communication, employee timecards, now learning observation and assessment, etc.

Cons
The billing - it would be easier if it would allow me to choose my pay periods with ease being as my parents have different payment schedules. Photo capability- make it easier to share videos/photos with assessors from the state that come in to visit. Should have video capabilities when observing and assessing a child or group of children

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
It is seamless and Kinderlime is constantly making updates and upgrades. This software isn't only for large centers. I am a in home child care and I feel the easy and usefulness of this product is outstanding. It really helps reduce time spent on things that I would have to do after hours. A lot of times...I can grab my phone and update a parents account while I am thinking about it. I am excited about the menu enhancement made. I plan to use that weekly. Kindelime is always making great progress. Kinderlime listens as well. I made a suggestion and in a short amount of time they made it happen. Thank you Kinderlime for your constant support of my small business.

Cons
Currently I have no complaints about the software. there are a few glitches at times, but that is understandable.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
Love the sign in feature for parents and the reports that I can print with their signatures... the billing that goes directly to parents, the newsletters that I can create. Overall just a great application to keep parents informed of their child's day, meals, billing for childcare and etc all in one place.

Cons
occasional glitch where signatures don't print but they usually fix it right away and its back up and running.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I can do everything to run my classroom and keep the parents involved with every movement their child makes.

Cons
Lesson planning is a struggle. Putting some kind of time slot in so you can search a time and bring up all the plans created for that time would help make things move faster. I feel like I am always scrolling or looking at a previous plan in order to keep a repetitive schedule that Im being slowed down a lot. I also feel that at times I run too fast for the system.Once I get started on inputting the lessons created im like click click click click and i have to pause for like 15 seconds between each click because the box at the bottom is taking forever to tell me that it was added, which I can clearly see because Im looking right at it.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
I love that I can see each teacher and child in each class. I love that the billing is all done through Kinderlime and for me. I love that Kinderlime calculates all of my before and after school kids. I love that I can pull reports on anyone that has gone over hours or just pull the monthly hours of the children. I love that my teachers can clock in and out and the hours can be pulled however I like. I love that the Childs day can be logged throughout the day, such as diapers, feeding, ouches, etc and the parents get an immediate message. I love that the parents can communicate with the teachers and I can see the back and forth communication. I love that when I have a question about the software someone gets back to me with an answer so fast! I love that I can plug in potential tours and the status and add them right into the customer database. Kinderlime has saved me long nights of work. Overtime for my employees. It really has changed my life. I looked at doing kinderlime many years ago, and regret not doing so.

Cons
So far I love everything about Kinderlime!

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10

Pros
It made sending information home with parents much faster and easier to file for future reference. Much less paper used and time writing down the information we require

Cons
I would love to see caps for children based on hours. As we have a license that only allows 40 hours a month. So if the parent and care centre could be notified that they are approaching their 40 hours and then tell them when they no longer have hours that would be very helpful

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 9/10

Pros
I love how easy it is to communicate daily activities to families. I am happy being able to send invoices and yearly statements to families and how Kinderlime keeps track making life a lot easier. The Newsletter templates are a bonus too! :-)

Cons
While I appreciate that the Kinderlime program is forever growing and adding to the software, I find that some key aspects are being missed. For example, in the old program an automatic email of a receipt was sent to the families when an invoice was paid, now it is not (even though I was told by "Help" that it was). Also now I am unable to edit/add to a preset item on the invoice process which I was able to do previously. These are both frustrating as it was available before all the recent updates.

Rating breakdown

Likelihood to recommend: 10/10