Procare Solutions, a leading child care management software provider, has enhanced its support to early childhood education (ECE) providers throughout 2023, whilst continuing to advocate for their needs. The company, in operation for over three decades, has seen tremendous growth in the past year, with two out of three child care businesses that utilise software relying on Procare’s solutions—almost 37,000 child care centres in total.

The company’s Chief Executive Officer, JoAnn Kintzel, affirmed, “Child care providers in 2023 continued to prove they are the backbone of our economy.

"As 2024 approaches, we will continue to lay the foundation for further enhancements to help ECE providers prepare children for kindergarten while growing their businesses," he said.

Among the highlights for Procare Solutions this year was the launch of Vine Assessments—an integrated assessment framework developed to better align with the state standards of all 50 states. It offers a development continuum with 21 goals for children from birth to five years, bolstering their preparation for kindergarten. This tool also forms part of Procare’s classroom-management capability—an essential feature of the software suite.

Thanks to additions like Vine Assessments, Procare Solutions distinguished itself as the sole child care management software provider offering proprietary integrated assessments for children from birth to five years at no extra cost, providing a clear method for ECE staff to document the developmental progress of children under their care.

Procare also worked to streamline educators' everyday tasks by updating its mobile app to allow parents to input morning drop-off notes detailing their child's morning activities, such as wake-up times, last meal, and bathroom usage. Staff scheduling was enhanced to allow administrators to name and edit staff schedules easily, and a Programs feature allowed the creation of custom programs and events. Additionally, Procare introduced improvements like shareable milestones and observations, along with nap checks to assist caregivers in monitoring children’s sleep schedules.

Despite the expiration of pandemic-era funding for child care, states are facing decisions about whether to continue certain policies and programs established through relief funds. Procare Solutions supports the advocacy efforts of entities like the Early Care and Education Consortium, National Child Care Association and Child Care Aware of America in pushing for additional child care funding and supplies a state-by-state list of resources to assist in this endeavour.

Fresh off their certification as SOC 2 Type 2 compliant—a notable achievement in the cybersecurity world—Procare Solutions is already looking ahead. As they move into 2024, the enhanced focus has reaffirmed their commitment to standing by child care providers. Procare intends to develop solutions tailored to each care centre or programme, allowing educators and centre leaders to concentrate on the vital task of caring for the children in their care.