CHILDCARE Sage: Professional Childcare Management Software

(866) 842-7806

ChildCare Sage
Professional Childcare Management Software
"The Only Professional and Affordable Solution"

(866) 842-7806

Childcare Sage Recommendations

Over the years, many centers have asked us to recommend hardware and devices to use with the childcare sage system. These include what computers to use for the main program, what devices/computers to use for the timeclock, and how to use the ChildCare Timeclock with a door strike. This page has suggestions and a recommended list of hardware, software and accessories that our research has turned up. Most of these recommendations focus on the timeclock functionality in our software.

Many centers want a clean and uncluttered look to the timeclock. If your center has a lot of space or a counter or reception area, the simplest solution is to setup a desktop in that area. You can use a USB keypad (about $10-$15) to make signing in/out simpler. If your entrance is cramped, or you want to put the timeclock into a hallway, we suggest either mounting a touchscreen monitor, or using a Windows tablet. If you want to go the touchscreen monitor route, choose a wall that has a room behind it, run the wires to the touchscreen monitor through the wall and put the computer box in the room on the other side. The simpler route is to get a Windows tablet that you can mount on the wall. The tablet also has the benefit of being portable, so you can carry it outside if children will be picked up from the playground.

Touch Screen Monitor: Instead of using a keyboard, keypad or mouse, centers can use a touchscreen monitor with our timeclock. The monitor can be hung on a wall for a clean, elegant and small-footprint look. One that we recommend is from monoprice.com and costs $131: Touch-Screen Monitor

Windows Tablets: A windows tablet is the perfect solution for a timeclock computer. It is small, can be portable or easily mounted, and looks great. Smaller windows tablets come in 7 and 8 inch sizes, and are available from a number of companies (hp, dell, lenovo, toshiba, asus, etc.) Our timeclock includes a special tablet mode specifically designed for these screen sizes and resolution. One that we recommend is from HP and costs less than $100: HP Stream 7. You can also purchase a case for this tablet HP Stream 7 Case for about $20 or a wall mount HP Stream 7 Mount for about $65. If you will be using a wired network, you also need to purchase a Tablet Dongle ($20), and a USB to Ethernet Adapter ($10).

Outside Door Lock Keypad: Some centers want to combine their front door access control with a timeclock. If your door leads to the street, there are 3 problems with this: 1) the timeclock has to be weather proof, 2) if the weather is bad, parents will not wait in line to check in (the first person will open the door and everyone else will follow them in,) and 3) if a person forgets something in their car and want to come back in, they don't want to sign in/out, they just want to open the door.

Because of this, we recommend a programmable electronic lock for the front door and our software timeclock on a computer (or netbook) once they come in. We did extensive research to find an outside keypad that is simple, foolproof and programmable. Most programmable keypads on the market cost over $750. This one is about $460( $338 for the keypad and $129 for the programming software and cables) and comes from www.gokeyless.com. Digital Keypad + Software

Inside Door Access Control: Some centers want to combine inside door access with a timeclock. The easiest solution is to use the touch screen monitor above mounted to a wall near the door, along with the door strike controller from control anything. Please see the door strike manual for specifics.

Electric Door Strike: To have an electric door at the center, you must have an electric door strike that is installed into the door frame of your entrance door. At retail, the electric door strikes cost between $120 and $250. We have found many new in box electric door strikes on ebay for between $35 and $70. Simply search for "electric door strike." Before you order the door strike, make sure it is the correct type, voltage, etc. In terms of brand, Adams Rite, Folger Adam, Rutherford, Trine, etc.

Childcare Sage™
Rockville, MD USA

Have questions? Contact us at sales@childcaresage.com