Community and care
Bookkeeping for daycares and childcare centers
Parents pay weekly. State programs pay on their own schedule. Payroll runs every two weeks no matter what. Your books have to keep up with all three.
Updated October 4, 2026
In short
Florida childcare centers and family daycares collect tuition through apps like Brightwheel or Procare, and many also receive School Readiness and VPK payments through their local Early Learning Coalition, plus food program reimbursements. We reconcile all of it, track who owes tuition, and keep payroll, the biggest cost, clearly recorded. Most centers fit Moderate.
How the money moves
How money comes in and goes out
Private-pay families pay tuition weekly or monthly, often on autopay through a childcare app. Subsidized families' care is paid by the School Readiness program, and VPK hours are paid by the state, both through the local Early Learning Coalition, usually monthly and in arrears. Some centers also receive meal reimbursements from the federal food program.
Payroll is usually the largest expense by far, followed by rent, food and supplies.
Common problems
Where the books usually go wrong
Program payments in arrears
School Readiness and VPK payments arrive weeks after the care was given, and need matching to the right month and attendance.
Tuition balances
Families who are a few weeks behind add up quietly unless someone watches the balances.
Payroll-heavy books
With staff ratios to keep, payroll is most of the expense line, and it needs to be recorded accurately every pay period.
Every month
What we do every month
- Reconcile tuition payments from your childcare app
- Match School Readiness, VPK and food program payments to the months they cover
- Keep an aging list of family tuition balances
- Record payroll from your provider every pay period
- Report revenue by source so you can see private pay against program pay
A month of books, for example
A 60-child center collects private tuition through Brightwheel and receives School Readiness and VPK payments from its coalition. Each month we'd reconcile the Brightwheel payouts, match the coalition's payment to the previous month's attendance, record two payrolls, and show that three families are more than two weeks behind.
Illustrative example, not a client story.
Getting started
What we need from you
- Access to your childcare app's billing and payout reports
- Early Learning Coalition and food program payment remittances
- Payroll reports from your provider
Software and statements we work from
- Brightwheel
- Procare
- Kangarootime
- Early Learning Coalition remittances
- Gusto
- QuickBooks Online
Price
What it costs
Most centers fit Moderate, $400 to $600 a month. A small family daycare may fit Simple; multi-site centers usually sit in Complex.
One flat monthly price, set after the free review. See the pricing guide or estimate your tier.
Questions
Common questions
Can you match VPK and School Readiness payments to attendance?
We match each payment to the month and program it covers using the coalition's remittance. Attendance records stay in your childcare software.
Do you run payroll?
We record payroll from your provider so the books match. Running payroll itself we'd discuss in the review.
Can you track tuition owed by families?
Yes. We keep an aging list each month so you can follow up before balances grow.
Do you see children's information?
No. We work from payment and billing totals, not child records.
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