What is Ashby?
Ashby is free childcare management software for childcare centers and in-home daycares. Manage attendance, enrollment, tuition, and family communication in one place.
How can we help?
Questions about Ashby, answered. Search for a topic or browse everything below.
72 questions, answered
Is Ashby right for my daycare?
Is Ashby suitable for a small in-home daycare?
Yes. In-home providers can organize children, families, attendance, and tuition without a monthly software subscription. Start with the tools your program needs and add more as you go.
Can I use Ashby for a childcare center with several classrooms?
Yes. Set up rooms, assign children and staff, and manage the daily work of your center. Access depends on each person’s role and assigned locations or rooms.
Can I manage multiple locations in one account?
Yes. Your organization can have several locations, each with its own rooms, hours, and staff assignments. People only see the locations their role allows them to access.
How is Ashby different from Brightwheel or Procare?
Ashby offers free software, direct online signup, and published payment pricing: $1.99 per successful online collection, plus Stripe processing fees. Use our comparison pages to review differences rather than assuming every platform includes the same tools.
Which countries and languages does Ashby support?
Ashby’s current launch is for US childcare programs. The parent interface supports English and Spanish; staff and shared check-in screens use English. Choosing Spanish does not automatically translate messages, documents, or legal text written by your school.
Pricing and fees
Is Ashby really free?
Yes. All available software features are included without a monthly subscription or per-child software fee. Online payments are optional and have separate collection and processing fees.
Are there subscriptions, contracts, or per-child fees?
There is no paid software subscription or per-child software fee. You still accept Ashby’s terms and privacy agreements when creating your account. Optional online collections have payment fees.
How does Ashby make money?
Ashby earns $1.99 for each successful online card or bank payment collected through the platform. Stripe charges its processing fee separately. You can use the software without enabling online payments.
What does an online payment cost, including processing?
Each successful card or ACH collection has a $1.99 Ashby fee plus separate Stripe processing fees. Review the applicable processing rate before collecting payments. One payment covering several children has one Ashby collection fee; forty successful collections cost $79.60 in Ashby fees, plus processing.
Who pays the fees—the school or the family?
Parents pay the fees by default. The school can choose separately who pays Stripe’s processing fee and who pays Ashby’s collection fee. Families see their fees before paying.
Is there a charge for recording cash, checks, or subsidy payments?
No. Recording cash, checks, payments collected elsewhere, or the agency share of a subsidy is free. The $1.99 collection fee applies to a successful online payment through Ashby.
Getting started and switching
How do I create my school’s account?
Choose Get started free and create an account with email or Google. Enter your program details and accept the required agreements. The Getting started guide then helps you complete your school’s setup.
What information should I prepare before getting started?
Have your program’s legal name, address, and program type ready. You can add rooms, hours, staff, families, and tuition details as you work through setup. Keep your permit and school policies available when completing the relevant settings.
Do I need a sales call, credit card, or bank account to begin?
No. Create an account online without a demo or sales meeting, and start without entering payment details or connecting a bank. Bank setup is only needed when you want to collect online payments.
Can I import records from spreadsheets or another childcare system?
Yes. Upload a supported spreadsheet of child and family records, match the columns, and review the results before saving. Export records from your current provider first; this is a reviewed import, not automatic synchronization between platforms.
What information can I import, and what needs to be entered separately?
The roster import supports child and family fields shown in its column-matching step. Review the preview and validation messages before saving. Do not assume that photos, signed documents, messages, or historical billing records transfer with a roster spreadsheet.
Can I set up Ashby before inviting staff and families?
Yes. Add your school details and prepare records before sending invitations. After a spreadsheet import, review the records and choose which pending families to invite. Parent access is recommended, but staff can run the school without every parent signing in.
Enrollment and family records
Can I track inquiries, tours, and a waiting list?
Yes. Enrollment helps you organize prospective families, arrange visits, and track families waiting for a place. Public school website inquiries can enter this workflow.
Can families apply online and complete enrollment paperwork?
Yes. The enrollment workflow lets invited families provide information and complete the available enrollment steps online. Staff review submissions before approval; keep any additional paperwork your program requires.
How do I offer a place and enroll a child?
Open the family in Enrollment, review the details, and offer a place when you are ready. Follow the enrollment steps to collect and review the information needed before admitting the child. Staff can also add children without requiring a parent login.
Can I manage siblings and link them to the same family?
Yes. Each child has a separate record, and a guardian can be linked to more than one child. Families can access their linked children from the same account.
Can I keep emergency contacts, allergies, and authorized pickup details?
Yes. Child records include care information and linked emergency and pickup contacts. Access depends on staff roles; an emergency or pickup contact does not automatically receive a parent account.
What happens to records when a child changes rooms or leaves?
Moving rooms keeps the child’s record and enrollment history. Mark a child as having left when care ends; records are not simply erased at departure. Retention periods and recorded holds determine when removal is allowed.
Tuition and invoices
Can I create recurring tuition plans and invoices?
Yes. Set tuition plans and billing periods, then prepare invoices for review and approval before collection. A tuition plan and an approved invoice are separate steps, so review amounts before charging families.
Can families pay by card or bank transfer?
Yes. Schools that enable online payments can offer supported card and ACH bank payments through Stripe. Bank payments can take time to process, so check the payment status before treating a payment as complete.
Can families set up automatic payments?
Yes. Families can save a payment method and set up available autopay for tuition invoices. Review the payment method and authorization before enabling automatic collection.
Can I handle part-time schedules, different tuition rates, and discounts?
Use tuition plans and child-specific adjustments to reflect the agreed rate, including a custom weekly amount or percentage discount. Review the resulting invoice; do not assume a schedule change automatically changes tuition.
Can I split tuition between parents or other payers?
Yes. Payer arrangements let you assign payment responsibility between payers. Review the arrangements and generated invoices so each person is billed for the intended share.
Can I track subsidy payments and the family’s remaining balance?
Ashby has workflows for recording agency and family portions and reviewing subsidy payments. Availability and evidence requirements depend on the program and jurisdiction. Recording an agency receipt does not itself collect money or prove that a claim is ready to submit.
Payment problems and bookkeeping
What happens when a payment fails or an invoice is overdue?
Review the invoice balance and payment activity, then follow up with the family about a suitable payment method. Failed attempts do not add an Ashby collection fee. A bank payment can be returned after initially appearing successful, so its status can change.
Can I send payment reminders and apply late fees?
Use the available billing follow-up tools and reviewed invoice adjustments to manage unpaid balances and charges. Follow your school’s agreed policies; a late-pickup charge is different from a late-payment charge. Do not assume a fee is added automatically.
Can I correct an invoice, issue a credit, or refund a payment?
Eligible invoices can be adjusted or voided, subject to their payment status. A credit or void does not automatically return money already collected. For a refund, contact support to confirm the available process before promising a family that funds have been sent.
When do payments reach my school’s bank account?
Deposit timing depends on the payment method, Stripe processing, and your school’s account status. Review Bank & payments for readiness or requests for more information. An invoice marked paid is not a guarantee that its funds have already reached your bank.
Can families download receipts, statements, and annual payment summaries?
Families can review payment history and the available statements, including year-end payment summaries. These reflect recorded payments; families should check details before using a summary for their own tax preparation.
Can I export financial records for my accountant or use QuickBooks?
Yes, you can export accountant spreadsheets and billing reports. Live QuickBooks synchronization is not currently available. Ashby manages tuition billing; your accounting system remains the place for your school’s books.
Attendance and daily care
How do children check in and out?
Staff record arrivals and departures from Attendance, including the pickup and signature steps required by the flow. Keep the room and date correct so the school’s daily record reflects who is present.
Can I record absences and correct attendance mistakes?
Yes. Use attendance actions to record an absence or correct an entry when your role permits it. Review the date, time, and child before saving so the daily record remains accurate.
How does Ashby help staff check who is authorized to pick up a child?
The child’s authorized pickup contacts are available in the attendance workflow. Staff must still verify the person collecting the child and follow the school’s pickup procedures. A name in the system does not replace an identity check.
Can I see room attendance and staff-to-child ratios?
Yes. Attendance and staff presence help you review room coverage and ratio information. Keep room assignments and check-ins current; the software supports your review and does not replace supervision or licensing requirements.
Can teachers record meals, naps, diapers, and daily activities?
Yes. Staff can record care activities and notes in daily reports and share updates with linked families. Private drafts stay private until shared; review each update before making it visible to parents.
How are incidents reviewed, shared, and acknowledged by families?
Teachers submit incidents for director review. Authorized staff review and share the report, and families acknowledge shared incidents from their own account. Keep following any separate notification and reporting requirements that apply to your school.
Family communication
Do parents need to download an app?
Families can use the parent web app in a phone browser without an app-store download. They can read shared reports, exchange messages, view approved photos, and manage payments.
Can my school use Ashby if some parents do not create an account?
Yes. Staff can manage records and daily work without every parent signing in. Parent access is recommended for shared updates, online payments, and the actions families need to complete themselves.
Can I message one family, a classroom, or the whole school?
Yes. Use private conversations, groups, and announcements to reach the intended families. Messages stay in Ashby; SMS texting is not currently supported. Review recipients before sending, and use the school’s emergency procedures for urgent safety situations.
Can parents reply, and can staff see whether messages were read?
Families can reply in conversations they are allowed to access. Read indicators help staff follow communication, but do not guarantee that someone has understood or acted on a message.
Can I share photos and videos, and how does consent work?
Photo sharing is off by default. Check consent and tag the children shown before sharing classroom photos or supported videos with authorized families. Permission to share privately does not permit publishing child photos on a public school website.
Can separate guardians have their own access, and what can each see?
Yes. Link each authorized guardian to the appropriate children and invite them using their own account. Access follows those links and permissions. Review any family access restrictions with your school rather than assuming that a relationship label enforces a custody arrangement.
Staff and school management
How do I invite teachers and assign their access?
Invite staff by email from Team and choose their role and permitted locations. Assign rooms where needed so teachers have the access required for their daily work.
Can I limit staff to particular rooms or locations?
Yes. Roles and assignments control access to school information. Educators are limited to their assigned rooms; broader administrative roles can have wider access, so choose roles carefully.
Can staff clock in, record breaks, and submit timesheets?
Yes. Staff time tools support clock-in, breaks, corrections, and timesheet review. Authorized staff can review and export hours for the next payroll step.
Can I manage schedules, closures, events, and conferences?
Yes. Calendar tools cover events, conferences, care schedules, and staff schedules. Review the relevant publishing and invitation steps; saving a draft does not automatically notify families.
Does Ashby calculate payroll or file payroll taxes?
No. Payroll integration through a specialist provider is planned and is not currently available. Ashby does not run payroll, file payroll taxes, or make direct deposits to staff.
How do I remove access when a staff member leaves?
Turn off the person’s school access in Team and review their roles and assignments. Removing access is separate from deleting school records or completed work.
Safety, privacy, and records
Who can see children’s information?
People see information based on their role, assigned locations or rooms, and links to the child. Families see their own linked children. Review invitations and assignments whenever responsibilities change.
How does Ashby protect my school’s data?
Safeguards include encryption in transit and at rest, separation between schools’ data, role-based access, and auditing of access to sensitive child records. No system can guarantee absolute security; the privacy policy explains the safeguards and responsibilities.
Who owns the records my school enters?
Your school controls the school records it provides; Ashby processes them to deliver the service under the applicable agreements. Families’ privacy rights and your recordkeeping obligations still apply.
How long are records kept, and can I change retention settings?
Authorized owners and administrators can review record-retention settings. Required periods, saved record history, and holds can keep records longer; changing a setting does not immediately delete records or shorten saved evidence.
Can I export my records or request account deletion?
School owners can use School account to download school records and attachments and manage closure. Deleting a personal login is a separate request and does not automatically remove school records, cancel tuition, or stop automatic payments. Retention rules and holds still apply.
Does Ashby replace licensing requirements or guarantee compliance?
No. Ashby helps organize records and checks, but your school remains responsible for its licensing requirements and care practices. Review applicable requirements with the appropriate authority; a completed software checklist is not a licensing approval.
School websites, reports, and AI
Can I create a public website for my daycare?
Yes. Prepare school pages, review the draft, and publish the approved version. Public pages must not include child names, photos, medical details, or other private child information.
Can I use my own domain and receive inquiries or tour requests?
Your default address uses ashbycare.com/schools/your-school. When Manage address is available, follow its steps to connect a domain you own. Published contact pages accept inquiries, and available tour times let visitors schedule a visit.
What attendance, enrollment, and financial reports can I see?
School reports show attendance and enrollment trends, collections, and current unpaid balances. Report coverage depends on records entered in Ashby; historical paper records are not included automatically. Review each report’s date and status definitions before interpreting totals.
Can I track meal records and prepare information for CACFP?
You can record meals and review attendance and supporting evidence. CACFP claim readiness depends on the applicable agency or sponsor rules and required formats; meal records alone do not establish eligibility or submit a reimbursement claim. Verify the workflow available for your program before relying on it for filing.
What can Ashby’s AI features help with, and can I leave them off?
Optional drafting can help with supported report activities and message topics. The owner controls the optional drafting setting, and staff review drafts before sharing. Product Help is a separate feature; neither a Help answer nor a draft performs school tasks for you.
What information reaches an AI provider, and who reviews drafts?
Report and message drafting uses selected topics and options. Ask Ashby matches your question to Help guides inside Ashby; OpenAI receives only the matched guides and a general staff role, not your question or conversation. Keep personal details out of product-help questions. The owner’s optional drafting setting and product Help are separate. Staff review drafts before sharing them with families.
Devices, support, and leaving Ashby
Which phones, tablets, computers, and browsers can I use?
Use the web app from a current browser on a phone, tablet, or computer. Families can use a phone browser, and staff can use a tablet or computer for school work. Check your school’s usual workflows on its devices before replacing an existing process.
Do I need special equipment for check-in?
Staff can use the browser attendance page on a phone, tablet, or computer. You do not need a dedicated biometric reader for that workflow. Review your device setup and supervision arrangements before using a shared check-in station.
Does Ashby work without an internet connection?
Plan to use Ashby with an internet connection. Attendance has pending-update handling for interruptions, but that does not make the whole app available offline. Reconnect and check that pending attendance changes were saved; keep a backup process for outages.
How do I get help or report a problem?
Start with the public guides or Help in the app. Signed-in staff can choose Contact support beside the account menu and describe the problem. Keep child details out of support messages.
What should I do if I cannot sign in or access my school?
Use the sign-in method and email associated with your account. For an email-and-password account, use password recovery if needed. If you can sign in but cannot access the school, ask its owner or administrator to check your invitation and active access.
What happens if I stop using Ashby or close my daycare?
Download the records and attachments you need before requesting school deletion in School account. The current closure flow schedules deletion after 30 days and lets you cancel before the deadline; record holds can pause removal. Resolve outstanding billing and retention responsibilities separately.
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