Questions directors actually ask
Short, direct answers about Ashby childcare software — how fast you can start, billing, parent app, privacy, and where pricing stands.
What is Ashby?
Ashby is self-serve childcare management software for small US centers and in-home daycares. Brand as Ashby; ashbycare.com is the address.
Who is Ashby for?
Ashby is built for US in-home providers and small licensed single-site centers that want software a teacher with a tablet can actually use — and that they can stand up in minutes.
How fast can I get started?
Ashby is self-serve. Start from the website, create an account, and set up your organization without a demo or a sales call.
How does Ashby pricing work?
The pricing model is still being locked. We will not invent a sticker price. Processing fees will be called out, not buried. Until then, the pricing page stays honest about what is not ready yet.
Does Ashby include daycare billing and autopay?
Yes. Billing is a core product: tuition plans, Stripe Connect so funds settle to your account, ACH and card, invoicing, autopay, dunning, statements, and year-end childcare tax documents.
Is there a daycare parent app?
Yes. The parent experience is a phone-first web app (PWA) with today-at-a-glance, daily reports, consent-gated photos, messaging, and payments. A separate native mobile app is deferred on purpose.
How does photo sharing work?
Photo sharing is off by default. A child appears in photos only when photo consent is on for that child. Group photos respect non-consenting children.
Does Ashby send child data to AI providers?
No. AI drafts use non-sensitive inputs only. Drafts require human approval before a parent sees them. We use providers with no-training, zero-retention commitments on our data.
Does Ashby run payroll?
Not ourselves. Staff timeclock and scheduling are in scope. Payroll runs through an embedded payroll provider (we do not handle tax filings or direct deposit).
How do roles and permissions work?
Ashby uses nine roles across organization, location, and family scopes. Access is checked live from the database on every request. Permissions also gate fields — for example, food service sees allergies but not addresses. Read the full guide at /resources/roles-and-permissions.
Can I import from another childcare platform?
Yes. Ashby includes a guided CSV import for children, guardians, and tuition balances from common incumbent exports, with preview and validation before commit.
Start now — be live in 5 minutes
Ashby is built for small US centers and in-home daycares. Open an account, set up your rooms, and run the day — without a long onboarding project.