MyKidReports is the best management app for after school programs for most small and mid-size programs, because it publishes a clear price of $0.99 per child per month, is free for up to 5 children, and covers registration, billing, attendance and parent messaging in one account. Brightwheel is the closest all-in-one choice for larger centers, with a free plan for 1 staff member and fewer than 20 students, while its Premium price is quote only and depends on enrollment and locations. Sawyer is the best pick when you want new families to find your classes through a parent marketplace, but its Launch plan carries a 30% fee on marketplace bookings, and that fee is required on Launch.
After school programs need a different daily routine from full-day care. Children arrive in waves, some attend only two days a week, others drop in on early release days, and pickup times change by family. The right app keeps the roster, the attendance log, the invoice and the parent message in one place, so staff spend the afternoon with children instead of chasing paper forms. Pick first by how you charge families, then by how many children you serve, because the billing model decides the monthly cost more than any single feature.
On this page
Best management app for after school: comparison table
Swipe the table sideways on a phone to see every column.
| # | Name | Best for | Starting price | Free plan / trial | Link |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Brightwheel | All-in-one care management for growing centers | quote only | Yes | Visit |
| 2 | MyKidReports | Small after school programs on a tight budget | $0.99 per child/month | Yes | Visit |
| 3 | Procare | Large centers that need deep admin tools | quote only | No | Visit |
| 4 | Lillio | Parent communication and learning records | quote only | Free trial | Visit |
| 5 | Famly | Learning records and parent messaging in one place | $49 per month | Free trial (14 days) | Visit |
| 6 | Playground | Simple billing and attendance for small programs | quote only | Yes | Visit |
| 7 | Sawyer | Activity classes that want marketplace bookings | $71 per month | Free trial | Visit |
| 8 | Jumbula | Registration and enrollment for many program types | $15 per month | Free trial | Visit |
The 8 best best management app for after schools, in detail
Brightwheel
Best for: All-in-one care management for growing centers
Brightwheel is the all-in-one option most after school directors already know. Its free plan supports 1 staff member and fewer than 20 students, with unlimited family accounts, daily reports, photo sharing, tuition invoicing, subsidy tracking and next-business-day direct deposit. Premium removes the staff and student limits and adds family messaging, online forms, waitlist management, lesson planning, ratio tracking and live support.
- The trade-off is price clarity.
- Brightwheel states on its own site that Premium pricing is customized for each program rather than published as a price list.
- Billing, communication, attendance, lesson planning and reporting sit inside a single monthly charge, with no separate module fee for billing.
- Standard service fees still apply on card, ACH and check payments.
Pros
- Free plan covers 1 staff member and fewer than 20 students
- Premium bundles billing, attendance and messaging
Cons
- Premium price is quote only
- Experience Curriculum costs extra
MyKidReports
Best for: Small after school programs on a tight budget
MyKidReports is built for before and after care, not adapted from full-day daycare, and that shows in its schedules. A child can enroll in before-care, after-care, or both, with flexible schedules, drop-in or recurring enrollment, and hourly to monthly billing. The check-in kiosk records pickup times with signatures and timestamps, and a child can sit on more than one plan at the same time, with both lines on one family invoice.
- The price is the clearest in this list.
- It is free for up to 5 children, then $0.99 per enrolled child per month on Pro, up to 100 children, with unlimited staff accounts and no setup fee an
- Choose MyKidReports when you want a published price and one invoice per family.
Pros
- Free for up to 5 children with every core feature included
- $0.99 per child per month, no setup fee, no contract
Cons
- Over 100 children moves to quoted Enterprise
- card payments are 2.79%, bank payments are $0.49 each
Procare
Best for: Large centers that need deep admin tools
Procare is the long-standing admin system for childcare centers, preschools and after school programs, and it goes deeper on administration than most rivals in this list. Enrollment, attendance, staff management, lesson planning, family engagement, tuition collection and reporting sit in one system, with cloud Procare Online and installed Procare Desktop. Payments run through Tuition Express, its own payment processing service.
- That depth comes with a quote-only price.
- Procare does not publish a monthly price on its own site, and its pricing link opens a request form rather than a price list.
- The company states that it charges no setup fees and no per-child charges, with a smaller essentials option at a lower monthly rate for smaller center
- Choose Procare when you run a larger center and want deep finance and staff tools in one place, and skip it when you need a published starting price o
Pros
- One monthly price with no per-child charges
- covers enrollment, attendance, billing and staff records
Cons
- Price is quote only and depends on modules
- no free plan and no free trial is advertised
Lillio
Best for: Parent communication and learning records
Lillio, formerly HiMama, is the childcare platform that leans hardest on parent communication and learning. Daily reports, photos, messaging, observations, assessments and curriculum sit next to attendance and billing, and the parent app is free for families. The product covers Center Management, Lillio Academy for staff training, and two Lillio Learning curriculum options.
- The limit is price transparency.
- Lillio does not publish its pricing, and its listings show every product as custom quote, with pricing customized based on a center’s needs and size.
- A free trial is available, but there is no free plan.
- Payments run through a Stripe integration, and the module list at each price is settled during the quote.
Pros
- Strong parent communication, daily reports and learning records
- app is free for parents
Cons
- Price is quote only at every enrollment size
- no free plan, only a free trial
Famly
Best for: Learning records and parent messaging in one place
Famly is a childcare platform built around learning, communication and daily operations. Attendance with automatic ratio checks, parent messaging with built-in translation, newsfeed updates, lesson plans, learning observations, billing, invoicing and enrollment sit in one system. The US pricing page shows a starting price of $49 per month, priced by the number of children, with all features included.
- That start makes Famly easier to budget than quote-only rivals, even though the figure rises with child count and nothing is published above 200 child
- The UK site publishes three tiers at 79, 159 and 209 pounds per month excluding VAT, with accident and medicine records starting on the 159 pound plan
- Famly states that there are no hidden fees, but it does not publish payment processing rates.
- A 14-day free trial is available, and there is no free plan.
Pros
- US price starts at $49 per month, all features included
- parent messaging includes live translation
Cons
- No free plan, only a 14-day free trial
- payment processing rates are not published
Playground
Best for: Simple billing and attendance for small programs
Playground is a childcare management platform for billing, enrollment, attendance and parent communication, with a strong focus on attendance-based billing. You can set a custom billing rate per student and charge families based on daily, hourly or per-minute attendance, with accrued charges shown for approval in the Payments tab. Enrollment listings let families apply online and pick a pricing plan, while billing plans can run weekly, bi-weekly, semi-monthly, monthly or as one-off charges.
- Playground offers a free account, and its plans after that are quote-based, with processing fees of 3% plus $0.30 on cards and a $1.00 flat fee on ban
- The free account limits are not published, so a program that outgrows it needs a written quote.
Pros
- Free account is available
- attendance billing can charge by day, hour or minute
Cons
- Subscription price is quote only
- plan limits for the free account are not published
Sawyer
Best for: Activity classes that want marketplace bookings
Sawyer is registration and scheduling software for children’s activity businesses, including after school classes, camps, STEM, music, art and sports. Its standout feature is a parent marketplace where families search for and book activities, which can bring new families to a program that has no local profile yet. The official pricing page lists Launch at $71 per month billed annually, Grow at $189, and Scale at $379, with Enterprise by quote.
- No setup fee applies, and monthly contracts are month to month, with 30 days notice to cancel.
- The marketplace fee is the detail to read first.
- Marketplace bookings carry a 30% fee on Launch, where the listing is required, 20% on Grow, and 15% on Scale, where the listing is optional.
- Payment plans, deposits, waitlists and custom form questions start on Grow.
Pros
- Published prices of $71, $189 and $379 per month on annual billing
- parent marketplace can bring new families
Cons
- Launch carries a 30% marketplace fee, listing required
- payment plans, deposits and waitlists start on Grow
Jumbula
Best for: Registration and enrollment for many program types
Jumbula is an online registration, payment and class management system for classes, camps, childcare and after school programs. It covers flexible schedules, custom registration forms, attendance tracking, discounts, waitlists, drop-ins, payment plans and reporting, with a no-code website builder, email and SMS marketing, and integrated payment processing. Single and group registration, family document upload, waivers with e-signature, and pre-registration tools are included across the plans.
- The pricing page lists Pay As You Go at $15 per month billed monthly, or $144 billed annually, with the first month free, Rise at $150 per month, and
- Pay As You Go charges per enrollment, with packs at $20 for 10, $45 for 25, $80 for 50 and $140 for 100, while Rise and Ascend include unlimited enrol
- Rise includes 2,500 marketing emails per month.
- Nonprofits receive a 20% discount.
Pros
- Pay As You Go starts at $15 per month, first month free
- Rise at $150 per month adds unlimited enrollments
Cons
- Pay As You Go charges per enrollment
- SMS and photo sharing are add-ons on the entry plan
How we chose
We chose apps that cover the full after school routine: registration, attendance, billing, parent messaging and reporting. Prices and plan limits come from official vendor pricing pages and docs opened on 2026-11-12. We did not test any tool hands-on. Where a vendor hid the price, we wrote quote only. Four of the eight apps are quote only, so most buyers must request a written quote before they can compare monthly costs. The unique angle is the billing model split: per-child, per-enrollment and marketplace fees change the monthly total in different ways, so a $15 plan can cost more than a $49 plan once sign-up volume grows.
Which app fits your program size and budget
| Program size | First pick | Monthly cost at that size | Why it fits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Up to 5 children | MyKidReports | $0 per month | Free tier covers every core feature |
| 6 to 20 children | MyKidReports | $9.90 to $19.80 per month | Per-child price stays under $20 a month |
| 30 children | MyKidReports | $29.70 per month | Published per-child price, one invoice per family |
| 40 children | MyKidReports | $39.60 per month | Still under $40 a month at $0.99 per child |
| 60 children | Famly or Jumbula Rise | $49 per month or $150 per month | Famly starts at $49 per month; Jumbula Rise adds unlimited enrollments |
| Activity classes that need new families | Sawyer Launch | $71 per month (billed annually) | Marketplace listing, plus a 30% fee on marketplace bookings |
| Large center with deep admin needs | Procare or Brightwheel | quote only | One monthly charge, no per-child billing on Procare; all-in-one billing on Brightwheel |
Frequently asked questions
What is the best management app for after school programs?
MyKidReports is the best pick for most small and mid-size after school programs, because it is free for up to 5 children, then $0.99 per child per month, with registration, billing, attendance and parent messaging in one account. Brightwheel is the closest all-in-one choice for larger centers, while Sawyer suits activity classes that want marketplace bookings.
How much does after school management software cost?
Costs range from $0 on a free tier to quote-only plans for large centers. MyKidReports costs $0.99 per child per month after 5 free children, so 30 children cost $29.70 a month. Famly starts at $49 per month, Jumbula at $15 per month, and Sawyer at $71 per month billed annually.
Which app is best for a small after school program with 20 children?
MyKidReports is the best fit at 20 children, because 11 to 20 children cost $19.80 a month on Pro, with unlimited staff accounts and no setup fee. Brightwheel free covers fewer than 20 students but only 1 staff member, so it suits a one-teacher program, while Famly starts at $49 per month.
Which app is best for after school classes that need new families?
Sawyer is the best fit when new families matter, because its parent marketplace lets families search for and book classes and camps. Launch costs $71 per month billed annually, but it carries a 30% fee on marketplace bookings, and the listing is required on Launch, so read that fee before you sign.
Is there a free management app for after school programs?
Yes, two apps in this list offer a free option. Brightwheel has a free plan for 1 staff member and fewer than 20 students, and MyKidReports is free for up to 5 children with every core feature included. Playground also offers a free account, while Lillio, Famly, Sawyer and Jumbula offer a free trial instead of a free plan.
What should I check before I buy after school management software?
Check the billing model, the plan limits that force an upgrade, payment processing fees, and add-on costs. Per-child, flat monthly, per-enrollment and marketplace fee models change the total in different ways. Ask for processing fees and upgrade limits in writing before you sign, so the first invoice matches the quote.
Sources
- https://www.mybrightwheel.com/
- https://mybrightwheel.com/blog/how-much-is-brightwheel-premium
- https://mykidreports.com/
- https://mykidreports.com/before-and-after-care-software
- https://www.procaresolutions.com/
- https://www.lillio.com/
- https://www.famly.co/
- https://www.famly.co/us/pricing
- https://www.tryplayground.com/
- https://www.hisawyer.com/
- https://www.hisawyer.com/for-business/pricing
- https://www.jumbula.com/
- https://jumbula.com/Pricing/
Prices and features were read on each company’s own website in November 2026. They change often, so confirm the current offer on the official site before you sign up or buy.