The 2025 Child Care Management Software Industry Trends Report from Procare Solutions found 39.8% of child care organizations identify enrollment management as a significant obstacle.
Staffing shortages limit their ability to manage full enrollment. The report also showed that early childhood education leaders say challenges such as inconsistent attendance, which is largely impacted by shifting family schedules and broader economic instability, as well as limited access to public funding is forcing many centers to serve fewer families, directly affecting enrollment numbers.
And the number of centers reporting being under-enrolled grew from last year:
Let’s take a deeper look at the report’s findings and how Procare can help with these challenges!
Relying on Manual Business Processes
But even as families continue to want more engagement and digital payment options, the Procare Solutions survey showed that about 44% of respondents rely on paper and pencil to run their businesses:
Using a daycare waitlist template, or relying on sticky notes to keep track of families who’ve shown an interest in your center, creates extra work for you in addition to the work it takes to manage staff and run your early childhood education program.
To meet the challenges of today that will persist into tomorrow, programs must look at how to incorporate child care management software to grow and prosper.
How Procare Can Help!
Procare is designed to help child care centers automate and grow enrollment. Here’s how Procare can help tackle enrollment challenges:
Digitized Enrollment Process
Gone are the days of juggling piles of paperwork! Procare provides an online registration and waitlist system so parents can sign up their children, upload documents and complete forms, entirely digitally. This saves hours of administrative work and reduces the risk of errors or misplaced information.
Our daycare enrollment software asks families to enter their information just once. It then automatically maps the data to all necessary forms and systems, including registration, waivers, billing and more.
Real-Time Insights
With Procare’s dashboard, child care providers can track enrollment trends, analyze occupancy rates and monitor capacity in real time. This data allows you to do targeting outreach efforts to fill vacant spots. And Procare helps you generate reports to anticipate enrollment drops or expansions based on historical data, giving you an edge in long-term planning.
Improved Family Communication
Communication is a critical part of building trust and maintaining enrollment. Procare’s family engagement communication features — which includes email and text alerts, mobile app updates and digital newsletters — ensure families stay informed about important deadlines, tuition payments and changes in scheduling.
Clear communication can increase retention and reduce enrollment churn!
Simplified Billing and Payments
Tuition management can be a source of friction in maintaining full enrollment. Procare automates billing and payment collection, making it easier for families to stay on top of their payments while giving child care providers peace of mind with consistent cash flow.
Take control of your tuition collection by initiating recurring payments on a weekly or monthly basis, or on a schedule of your choice.
Procare automates your child care invoicing safely and securely, and provides parents with frequent reminders and allows for flexibility with the payment methods you’re able to accept. Electronic payments mean you’ll receive your funds faster!
With fluctuating attendance and operational hurdles, staying ahead feels tougher than ever. Want to learn more about what Procare can do to boost your enrollment, such as using analytics to fill gaps? Download our free Master Enrollment Management in 2025 with Procare guide. It provides the solutions you need to overcome these obstacles. Learn how to streamline your enrollment processes, enhance communication and stabilize your operations — all with Procare at your side.
