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labs@atheron:~/industries/childcare/apps$ build app --web --mobile

Childcare parent apps

Updates for parents, tools for educators.

A parent who can see how the day went calls less, and an educator who signs in on a tablet counts less. We build the parent apps, enrolment portals and room tools around your centres, with children's information kept private.

Start a projectSee the example projects

// what matters here

What is different in this industry.

01

The day, shared with care

Updates and photos go only to each child's own family, with consent you record.

02

A waitlist families can see

Families see where they stand and accept a space online, so the office takes fewer calls.

03

Ratios you can see

Live counts for every room against the ratios you set, with an alert before a room is over.

04

Built for children's information

Access is limited, logged and set by you, so you can meet your privacy obligations.

// example projects

Priced examples for this service.

Each one is hypothetical, labelled as such, and priced live from our rate card. Open any of them in the estimator and make it yours.

Example projectWeb appMobile app

Parent app with daily updates

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

A group of childcare centres sends updates by paper notes and email, parents call to ask about naps and meals, and fees are paid by cheque and e-transfer with no record in one place.

// What we would build

An iOS and Android app for parents and a matching app for educators: daily updates and photos with parents' consent, secure messages with the room, sign-in and sign-out, and fees and statements in one place.

// What is in it

  • Daily updates on meals, naps and activities
  • Photos shared only with each child's own family, with consent
  • Secure messages between parents and educators
  • Sign-in and sign-out with the authorised pick-up list
  • Fees, statements and tax receipts in the app
  • Every screen in the languages your families speak

// Stack

  • Next.js
  • React Native
  • PostgreSQL
  • Stripe
  • AWS

// estimate

Build
≈ US$127,000 to US$194,000, delivered within 26 weeksCAD 180,900 to 276,600
Hosting
≈ US$492 a monthCAD 700 a month
Support
≈ US$2,500 a monthCAD 3,565 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery
2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Design approved
6.4 to 10.4 weeks
Core features
1.9 to 2.9 weeks
Full build
1.4 to 1.9 weeks
First build on devices
3.4 to 5.9 weeks
Testing and fixes
0.4 to 0.9 weeks
Store submission
0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Launch
0.9 to 1.4 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

App store review
1 week

How it is paid

Deposit 20%
CAD 36,180 to 55,320
Discovery 9.2%
CAD 16,642.80 to 25,447.20
Design approved 9.2%
CAD 16,642.80 to 25,447.20
Core features 7.6%
CAD 13,748.40 to 21,021.60
Full build 5%
CAD 9,045 to 13,830
First build on devices 20.1%
CAD 36,360.90 to 55,596.60
Testing and fixes 2.5%
CAD 4,522.50 to 6,915.00
Store submission 6.7%
CAD 12,120.30 to 18,532.20
Launch 9.7%
CAD 17,547.30 to 26,830.20
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%)
CAD 18,090 to 27,660
Start from this example
Example projectWeb app

Waitlist and enrolment portal

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

A nonprofit with four centres keeps its waitlist in a spreadsheet, families call every month to ask where they stand, and enrolment paperwork is filled in on paper.

// What we would build

A portal designed for busy parents: join the waitlist for one or more centres, see where you stand, accept a space when it opens, and complete enrolment forms online, with a priority list the director manages.

// What is in it

  • One waitlist form for every centre
  • Families see their place and update their dates
  • Spaces offered by the director, accepted online
  • Enrolment forms and documents completed online
  • Pages designed for parents on a phone

// Stack

  • Next.js
  • PostgreSQL
  • DigitalOcean

// estimate

Build
≈ US$59,800 to US$91,500, delivered within 17 weeksCAD 85,200 to 130,300
Hosting
≈ US$176 a monthCAD 250 a month
Support
≈ US$1,000 a monthCAD 1,425 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery
2.9 to 3.4 weeks
Design approved
4.4 to 7.4 weeks
Core features
1.9 to 2.9 weeks
Full build
1.4 to 1.9 weeks
Testing and fixes
0.9 to 1.4 weeks
Launch
0.9 to 1.4 weeks

How it is paid

Deposit 20%
CAD 17,040 to 26,060
Discovery 7.7%
CAD 6,560.40 to 10,033.10
Design approved 7.7%
CAD 6,560.40 to 10,033.10
Core features 23.3%
CAD 19,851.60 to 30,359.90
Full build 15.5%
CAD 13,206.00 to 20,196.50
Testing and fixes 7.7%
CAD 6,560.40 to 10,033.10
Launch 8.1%
CAD 6,901.20 to 10,554.30
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%)
CAD 8,520 to 13,030
Start from this example
Example projectWeb appMobile app

Staff attendance and ratio app

Hypothetical. Not a client, not a result.

// The problem

Educators count children and staff in each room by hand through the day, and the director only knows a room was over ratio when someone writes it down.

// What we would build

An Android tablet app in each room and a web view for the director: children and educators signed in and out, live counts for each room against the ratios you set, and an alert when a room is close to its limit.

// What is in it

  • Children and educators signed in and out on a room tablet
  • Live counts for every room
  • Alerts when a room nears the ratio you set
  • A record of each day's counts for your files
  • Works through short network drops

// Stack

  • Next.js
  • React Native (Android)
  • PostgreSQL
  • AWS

// estimate

Build
≈ US$90,700 to US$139,000, delivered within 26 weeksCAD 129,100 to 197,500
Hosting
≈ US$176 a monthCAD 250 a month
Support
≈ US$2,500 a monthCAD 3,565 a month

Prices in your currency are estimates from today's Bank of Canada rate. All invoicing is in CAD or USD.

Timeline by milestone

Discovery
4 to 4.5 weeks
Design approved
4.5 to 7.5 weeks
Core features
2.5 to 4 weeks
Full build
1.5 to 2.5 weeks
First build on devices
3 to 5 weeks
Testing and fixes
0.5 to 1.5 weeks
Store submission
1.5 to 2 weeks
Launch
1.5 to 2 weeks

Outside our hands, and added to the calendar

App store review
1 week

How it is paid

Deposit 20%
CAD 25,820 to 39,500
Discovery 9.1%
CAD 11,748.10 to 17,972.50
Design approved 9.1%
CAD 11,748.10 to 17,972.50
Core features 9.2%
CAD 11,877.20 to 18,170.00
Full build 6.1%
CAD 7,875.10 to 12,047.50
First build on devices 18%
CAD 23,238 to 35,550
Testing and fixes 3%
CAD 3,873 to 5,925
Store submission 6%
CAD 7,746 to 11,850
Launch 9.5%
CAD 12,264.50 to 18,762.50
Holdback, 30 days after launch (10%)
CAD 12,910 to 19,750
Start from this example

// questions

Questions we get about this.

Who can see the photos in the childcare app?

Only each child's own family, and only with the consent you record. Nothing is public.

Can the waitlist portal serve several centres?

Yes. Families choose one or more centres, and each director manages their own list.

Does the attendance app work if the centre's internet drops?

Yes, through short drops. It keeps counting on the tablet and syncs when the connection returns.

Back to the industry: Childcare and early learningAbout the service: Web and mobile apps

// next

Not quite your project?

Tell us what you have in mind. We will come back to you with a range and the questions that would narrow it. Or book a call and talk it through.

Start a projectBook a call
Childcare parent app, enrolment portal and attendance app development | Atheron Network Labs