In a childcare center, morning drop-off is a record, not just a hello. You need to show who handed the child over and when, that the child was well enough to stay, and that every enrolled child’s immunizations are on file. A licensing visit can ask for any of it. The front door is where those records start, so the software behind it matters.
Check-in and check-out as a record
A paper sign-in sheet fails in the same ways. Someone forgets to sign out at 5:40 because the toddler is crying. Handwriting is unreadable. Two rooms are combined and nobody knows who is where. When a custody question or an evacuation comes up, “roughly who is here” is not an answer.
What the front door should capture:
- The child, the adult, the time, in and out.
- A signature from the guardian at both ends.
- A live count of children and staff, so you know your ratio while the day is happening and not after.
Bloomz for Childcare does this with a kiosk that asks for a PIN first, with a QR code as an option, and a guardian signature. Staff clock in on the same system, which gives you the live ratio view. Read how the front desk works.
Also live: verified pickup, which stops the handover when a custody restriction is on file, and age-band ratio tables per room.
Health screening that does not slow the line
A quick screen at drop-off protects a room of small children who cannot speak up for themselves. It only works if it takes seconds and leaves a dated record. In Bloomz the screening is optional. The parent answers a few questions at check-in and it is logged automatically, so when someone asks whether you screened a given day, you can show it.
Health profiles carry allergies where staff can see them. That matters most for the teacher covering a room she does not usually work in.
Immunization tracking, before the visit
Every state sets its own immunization rules and exemption paperwork. The risk is a filing cabinet and a hope. A better routine looks like this:
- Enter each child’s vaccine record when you enroll them.
- Track it against the CDC schedule, so what is due and what is overdue is visible.
- Look at the list monthly, not on the morning of the visit.
- Export what you need when an inspector asks.
Bloomz tracks immunizations against the CDC schedule and flags what is missing. It helps you keep the record an inspector will ask for. It does not decide what your state requires, so check your licensing rules for exemptions and deadlines.
What is live today
Live today: PIN-first kiosk check-in and out with QR, guardian signatures, optional health screening, staff clock-in with a live ratio view, health profiles with allergies, and CDC-schedule immunization tracking.
Also live: verified pickup with a custody-restriction stop, age-band ratio tables per room, incident and injury reports with parent acknowledgement, a parent medication authorization with a room-staff medication log, an emergency drill log, and staff credential tracking with expiry dates.
Also live: staff scheduling with a ratio check before the week, lesson plans, observations with progress reports, and CACFP meal records. Bloomz does not file CACFP claims. It records meals and exports the counts for your sponsor, and it imports DRDP and Teaching Strategies GOLD results through a preset set up against your export, without scoring them. Bloomz does not run payroll, but approved staff hours export to Gusto or QuickBooks Payroll. Subsidy attendance stays in your state’s system outside Washington; Bloomz produces a Washington DCYF attendance export, and it is not yet on DCYF’s approved list.
What to ask in any demo
- Does check-in capture who dropped off and who picked up, with a signature, or does it only mark the child present?
- Is the health screening logged with a date?
- Can I see my ratio right now, and what happens when two rooms combine?
- Can I list every child with a missing or overdue immunization in under a minute?
- What is live today, and what is only planned?
Pricing is quoted per center on a short call, with a Best Price Guarantee: we beat a competitor’s written quote by 10%. It is free for families. See Bloomz for Childcare, or read the side-by-side with Brightwheel.
If your program continues into school
Centers that sit next to elementary grades can keep the same family account into K-12 on Bloomz. District-run pre-K and Head Start programs have their own guide: software for district-run pre-K and Head Start.
