One of the most important aspects of running a childcare center is being able to invoice families and collect payments on a timely basis.  With the right tuition billing strategy, owners and managers can ensure that they have enough cash flow to deliver the best possible experience for parents and children, while also compensating their staff fairly. 

We’ve highlighted 5 steps to help you plan and implement childcare billing:

1. Decide your tuition rate 

The first step in child care billing is determining what you will charge and how much you will charge. Before you choose a rate, do some research on other child care centers in your area. Also, consider the costs of running and maintaining your facilities, how much supplies and programming will cost, as well as how much you will need to pay your employees to ensure they are properly compensated. If you are trying to figure out your budget, consider the following costs:

• Snacks or meals  
• Staff salary which includes part-time aides and substitutes
• Rent or mortgage payments
• Business licensing and fees
• Cleaning costs
• Office supplies
• Food and beverages
• Utilities (phone, water, electric, trash)
• Marketing and advertising costs
• Insurance
• Taxes
• Unexpected costs

2. Determine how often you will charge your customers

Another factor to consider when establishing your billing practices is the frequency with which you will charge parents. Some child care centers charge parents once a week for the hours their child was in their care. Others send monthly invoices to parents. Some centers even invoice on a less frequent basis, such as by the quarter or semester. Decide what makes the most sense for your program, and inform parents that this is how frequently they can expect to be invoiced. Also, it is critical to keep track of how frequently you bill parents, pay your employees, and pay your bills in order to run a profitable child care business.

3. Set child care billing fees and policies

When developing policies for your child care billing, keep in mind conditions that may arise    that are not covered by standard tuition.

• Late payment penalties – These will incentivize timely payments.
• Partial payment options – These give parents more flexibility. If you offer partial payments, make sure the final payments have due dates.
• Advance payments – This can be advantageous for parents who work irregular hours and require flexibility.
• Holiday policies – If your childcare center bills by the week, you should establish holiday policies to inform parents if your childcare center is closed and if payment is expected for the holiday.
• School closings – Because rules and regulations change quickly during uncertain times, having a policy that covers school closures will help keep your business afloat. In the event of unexpected closure, you can (and should) charge a portion of the tuition!

4. Decide your mode of payments 

When it comes to making payments, think about the best payment options for your families so that they make their payments on time:

• Bank deposits

This option allows parents to make deposits directly in your center’s bank account. However, it may be difficult to trace payments back to families. 

• Online payments

If you truly want to go contactless, online payments are the most secure option. Childcare management platforms like KinderPass enable parents to make payments directly in the app using their credit or debit card. Although these services are typically charged at a small percentage, they may be a worthwhile investment if you want to be as safe and seamless as possible.

5. Generate important reports

Payment reports are important not only for tax season but also for ensuring that you can look up historical data and report any discrepancies to parents. KinderPass allows you to access all payment history in one streamlined place by using an online payment system. In addition, you can pull multiple reports for different purposes such as summary reports, payment reports, and account receivable reports. 

6. Choose the right tool for your billing

KinderPass is a comprehensive platform which streamlines and simplifies daily operations, including billing. It creates billing plans, automatically invoices parents, collects payments online through the Parent App, digitizes invoicing and tax reports, and keeps payment information secure. Furthermore, parents may even set up automated payments to ensure that they pay on time, every time.

Book a demo with one of our childcare experts today to learn how KinderPass can help your daycare or preschool automate its billing.