Do you really have an all-in-one childcare solution?
Learn how to determine if your all-in-one childcare solution is single-platform or multi-platform—and why it matters.
As a childcare owner, it is essential to understand where your family and child data sits—and how secure your software is. Do you know the difference between multi-platform providers that share data with external vendors and single-vendor solutions? Can you identify a true all-in-one childcare solution versus platforms masquerading as all-in-one platforms?
An integrated childcare solution can help you manage administrative tasks, interact with families and increase occupancy—all at an advanced level of efficiency. Most services are willing to adopt new software, even if that means some extra work and training initially. Who doesn’t want to spend more time educating children and bonding with families than manually logging attendance or making CCS submissions every single week?
Several software providers are good at helping childcare managers achieve this goal. But many are now advertising their products as all-in-one childcare solutions. They claim to fulfil all of a service’s needs in one place. How does this impact your choice of childcare software? Why is it essential to have all services in a single location? And how do you determine if a provider is actually doing it?
Well, there’s more to childcare management than simply having software manage all your interactions in one place. What’s important is to look behind the scenes and know how the software functions.
Finding an all-in-one childcare solution—get to know your options
Most providers, proudly using the “all-in-one” terminology, use what is known as a “multi-platform” solution. This integrates more than one software program using APIs. An API is a connection between different software or apps that allows them to communicate and transfer data. To complete the childcare experience and offer all services in one place (CCS management, administration, education, family engagement), these software providers need to partner with third-party solutions to fill gaps in their own services.
The first challenge is often in data security
With multi-platform systems sharing data across third-party solutions, you must ensure all parties with access to data are compliant and store data correctly. Multiple connections between databases (via APIs) also means additional potential breach points for hackers. Some all-in-one childcare solutions require families, educators or administrators to log in to different systems. This results in users requiring multiple passwords, posing yet another potential security issue.
The next difficulty is often from a user’s perspective
Even if the software has managed to connect all the different platforms with a single login (Single Sign-On or SSO), the actual user experience is typically not ideal as the different platforms function differently. This includes how you navigate around menus, the formats of reports, and the general look and feel of the interface. Differences mean wasted time and frustration.
Multi-platform options aren’t an all-in-one childcare solution—and will likely result in support challenges
Typically, multi-platform “all-in-one childcare solutions” will have different channels for support. For each separate platform, you end up sending parents in different directions when it’s time to troubleshoot. All these programs require training, and updates happen at various times. Eventually, more time is spent by managers and educators dealing with the anxiety associated with change.
An all-in-one childcare solution has significant benefits
A true all-in-one childcare solution, built on one platform and using one data centre, rids you of the extra frustration caused by multi-channel management. It encourages your teams to automate childcare management fully. Such a provider gives you the peace of mind you need when caring for children. You’ll also enjoy the confidence that your software won’t let you down when interacting with families.
Instead of integrating separate platforms for CCS management, family engagement and marketing and then running it with your education system, a single-platform solution brings it all together for you. It houses a unified set of software designed to work seamlessly from its inception and offers a single login for both staff and families. It safely stores all of your sensitive data in one location. This positions your service as one that cares more about safeguarding child information.
Customer support and engineering are in one place, and training is often built into the software. Quick and easy integrations make it much simpler for your teams to handle the new system. It’s also much easier for families to use. Fewer contracts, negotiations and partnerships are easier on your pocketbook. A single platform takes less time to administer than other solutions.
Xplor Education is a single-platform early learning solution that does not use APIs to integrate different platforms into one. It has one native app (or software program) developed specifically for all childcare management system functions to work seamlessly together. Native apps have proven to be high-performing programs and deliver the best user experience across the board. In the early learning sector, this means that each function and visual is designed to match your service’s needs. This provides all families and educators with a seamless experience.
Read this free guide here for a more detailed review of single vs multi-platforms.
Understand the difference
Let us help you make a well-informed decision. Our Understanding Your Software Options guide will help you learn about your software options. It also demonstrates how each type will impact your service’s performance.
Family experience is a top priority when choosing software
When working with a multi-platform solution, even if your teams can handle the change well, you must consider the families you serve. Family experience plays a massive role in occupancy and retention, from the when families reach out to when they enrol. The software you implement will impact how families feel about your service and how long they keep their children enroled.
A few questions you should ask a multi-platform software provider:
- Does your product truly maximise the family experience, especially since there are multiple support channels and apps to switch between?
- What if there is an end to one of the multi-platform partnerships? Does that leave us with an incomplete package to offer families?
- How secure is child/centre data when stored across multiple databases? What happens in the case of a breach or when a partnership ends?
- Are there offshore development teams working on the platforms? If yes, how much access do they have to our data?
Some providers have only specialised in one childcare service. They have no experience delivering support for all the sector’s engagement, pedagogical and development needs. Integrating with other software providers signals that they are still learning. They’re finding their way into the full-service package and might still need to update as they go. All of this can impact the family experience if you aren’t fully aware of the extent of your software provider’s “all-in-one” status.
All-in-one childcare solution—Making the right choice
Automating your tasks using software is ultimately more rewarding. But it can take a few weeks before your teams become entirely comfortable with the change. If implemented well, the benefits of efficient software solutions will begin to reflect in your service’s performance. This shows up in the form of improved child development, better family interactions and eventually, higher occupancy. With multi-platform management, this becomes less of a possibility in the long run.
Start analysing your software choices by asking how the programs function and which part of their performance impacts your childcare in the long run. Don’t just accept “all-in-one” claims. Determine whether the platform functions independently and is truly capable of delivering the best experience to your families and staff.
Customers at Xplor Education have enjoyed a great deal of uniformity with our comprehensive childcare platform. They continue to use it to make children and families feel happier and more engaged. If you would like to know how Xplor Education can help your service or simply need more information on childcare management software, reach out. We’re happy to help.
