Hi. I’m Carla Snuggs, Daycare feature writer for Suite101.com and a reviewer for Child Care Software Store.

In this video I am going to take you on a tour of Childcare Sage, a daycare management software program developed by B & I Computer Consultants, Inc.  This software allows child care businesses to easily and effectively manage families, contacts, finances, and employees.

The software is simply divided into three functions: Contact functions, Center functions, and Batch functions.

Contact Functions

• Creating and managing contact records is simple. You can add all the essential information for the contact or family including photos, immunization records, medical information, and pickup information. Childcare Sage allows childcare providers to keep all vital information in one secure place. This keeps children safe and also helps childcare businesses to run more efficiently.
• Once you have entered information for your contacts, their records are easy to retrieve. You can simply click through each record or sort them by category or class. Clicking on “List” opens a full list of contacts. Once you have found the desired contact you can view or edit information, email the contact, write notes about the contact in the journal, print or view individual ledgers, schedule an appointment, or create an invoice directly from the contact’s record.
• Family information is well organized. Select the family name from the list of families and then contact information, pictures, and the client’s ledger is right at your fingertips. Here you can also email the contact, create an invoice, or set or view appointments.
• The Attendance and Meal Loader function is quite valuable. You can quickly transfer attendance sheets and meal plans into the Childcare Sage system.
• The Charge Accounts function allows you to easily create batch charges. Simply select the client then enter the date, amount, and a description of the charge. You can then post the charges to the client’s account.
• The EFT payment scheduler is a timesaver because you can, in a few clicks, schedule ACH and Credit Card Payments from client’s accounts and also post and review scheduled payments.
• Activities, appointments, and birthdays are easy to manage. Clicking on “Activities” displays the day’s (or several days') activities all on one screen and includes a handy “to-do” list. This is an extremely practical function for busy child care administrators because it helps keep track of all of the important tasks.

Center Functions

• Clicking on “Utilities” connects you to the heart of setting up the database, forms, and passwords.
• The Center Expenses function helps childcare businesses easily keep track of operating expenses like mortgage, food, equipment and supplies. This is a great function for family daycare businesses because it helps them keep business expenses separate from personal expenses. In case of an IRS audit, your records will be neatly organized and safely stored.
• The Menu Planner is a convenient feature. With this versatile feature you can click on a day in the menu calendar, then enter, view, or print the menu for the day for 3 categories of children: newborns, infants or older children.
• The Center Journal helps business keep and print a daily journal and record daily events.
• The Reports Menu organizes all of the important reports and forms necessary to manage a thriving childcare business.  From accounting reports and attendance reports to billing reports and meal reports, Childcare Sage helps you to prepare, organize, and print highly detailed reports in Microsoft Word or Excel format.  Childcare forms include critical forms like childcare center policies, consent forms, and activity authorization forms. These forms protect both the children and the childcare business.  Timesheet logs help manage staff attendance.

Batch Functions

• Batch functions allow you to create batches of payments, timesheets, and schedules. This means you can establish expenses and timesheets for groups of contacts rather than one contact at a time.
• Using the Barcode Expenses function, items can be scanned by barcode and charged to a child’s account. This saves a tremendous amount of time and is of huge benefit to busy childcare center administrators.

Manuals
Right from the main screen users can access the Sage Manual, Users Guide, TimeClock Manual, and Sage Rates Manual. All are easily printable and available in PDF format.

What I like best:

• The TimeClock program lets parents sign themselves in and out and includes the option to include fingerprint scanning. Both childcare businesses and parents can appreciate this safety feature.
• Many of the functions can be scheduled and automated such as charges, bills and paysheets.
• Childcare Sage helps you build production reports which help childcare business save money.
• I appreciate that the software allows you to upload photos of clients and staff. All daycare software programs should have this added safety feature.
• As appointments come due, they pop in a separate window, so you can’t miss it.
• The software offers a very high level of password protection. Childcare businesses store extremely vital records and must put a great deal of trust that this info is secure.  Childcare Sage offers them this protection.
• Childcare Sage offers outstanding customer service: toll free phone support and email support. There are user forums so purchasers can connect with other users. As well, customer service can remotely log into your computer to demonstrate functions or diagnose problems.
• Value. Childcare Sage is relative inexpensive and because it is so comprehensive, you are definitely getting the best bang for your buck.

The Cons:
While the software is very comprehensive and the interface is user friendly, there are many features and functions to learn and this can be overwhelming. However, if any questions arise, the manuals are very clearly written and customer service is only a phone call away.

Overall
Childcare businesses will benefit immensely from the purchase of Childcare Sage. It is very comprehensive, affordable, user friendly and provides a wide range of support necessary should any problems arise.

Editor's Rating:

About the Author

Carla Snuggs is a freelance writer from Southern California. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Family and Consumer Science with an emphasis in child development and also holds a Master of Library and Information Science degree.