Home Daycare Software for New York Providers: Run Enrollment and Billing for Free

If you run a home daycare in New York, you are the director, the teacher, the bookkeeper and the front desk all at once. Whether your program is in Brooklyn, Buffalo, Yonkers or a small town upstate, the paperwork does not stop when the children go home. Enrollment forms pile up, the waitlist lives in a notebook, and tuition arrives as a mix of checks, payment apps and friendly reminders.

Home daycare software is meant to take that weight off you. This guide covers what to look for, what free really means, and how Care Circle helps small New York programs run the business side for free.

Why New York home daycares need software built for small programs

Most childcare software is designed for large centers with office staff. A home daycare needs something simpler: a tool you can set up in an afternoon, that families can use from their phones, and that does not charge you a monthly bill before you have even filled your spots.

Paper enrollment slows everyone down

When a family has to print, sign and drop off a packet, you lose time and sometimes lose the family. Online enrollment lets parents apply from anywhere, at any hour, and puts every application in one place for you to review.

A waitlist you can actually use

In busy New York neighborhoods, a good home daycare often has more interest than spots. A real waitlist lets you see who is next, by program, the day a spot opens, instead of scrolling through old texts.

Tuition you do not have to chase

Late payments are stressful for small providers. Autopay, deposits and payment plans mean tuition arrives on schedule and you spend your evenings with your own family, not sending reminders.

What free home daycare software should include

Plenty of tools call themselves free. Before you sign up, check what the free plan actually covers.

Billing on the free plan

A free plan without billing leaves out the feature small providers need most. Look for deposits, installments, autopay, invoices and refunds on the free tier.

Payments that go to you

Ask where tuition money lands. With Care Circle, parents pay you directly through your own Stripe account, and Care Circle adds no fees on top for parents. You pay Stripe's standard processing fees.

A parent portal with your name on it

Families should feel like they are dealing with your program. Care Circle gives you a branded parent portal on your own address, where families manage their children, contacts, enrollments and payment methods.

Easy import and export

If you are moving from spreadsheets or another tool, you should not have to retype everything. Care Circle imports parents, children and emergency contacts from a CSV spreadsheet, and you can export them the same way whenever you like.

How Care Circle works for a New York home daycare

Care Circle is daycare management software for enrollment, billing and the parent portal. Getting started takes three steps.

Step 1: Create your daycare

Sign up, add your location, and connect your Stripe account.

Step 2: Add programs and pricing

Set up sessions, schedules, capacity, deposits and payment plans for the way your program actually runs.

Step 3: Share your invite link

Send your link to families. Parents create an account and enroll online, and payments land in your Stripe account.

Most daycares are set up in an afternoon.

Let an AI assistant do the setup

Care Circle offers full MCP access, so AI assistants can set up and manage your website for you. If you already use an AI assistant to help run your business, it can handle setup tasks on your behalf.

Room to grow

If you open a second location later, Care Circle supports multiple locations with staff permissions, audit trails and drop request approvals, so each team member sees only what you give them access to.

Care Circle pricing for New York providers

Care Circle is free for up to 20 children. You add a card when you sign up, but it is not charged while you have 20 children or fewer.

If you grow past 20, pricing is $2 per child per month for 21 to 200 children. Larger programs can contact us for pricing. There are no setup fees and no contracts.

What Care Circle does not do

We want to be clear so you can choose well. Care Circle focuses on enrollment, waitlists, billing and the parent portal. It does not include attendance tracking, lesson plans or photo messaging. If those matter to you, you can use Care Circle for the business side and pair it with a separate classroom tool.

A note on New York licensing

Licensing and recordkeeping rules for home daycares are set by the state. Software can help you stay organized, but it does not replace official guidance. Always check the official New York State sources for current requirements before relying on any tool for compliance records.

Frequently asked questions

Is there free home daycare software for New York providers?

Yes. Care Circle is free for up to 20 children, with enrollment, waitlists, billing and a parent portal included. There are no setup fees and no contracts.

Do parents pay extra fees with Care Circle?

No. Parents pay you directly through your own Stripe account, and Care Circle adds nothing on top. You pay Stripe's standard processing fees.

How long does setup take?

Most daycares are set up in an afternoon. You create your daycare, add programs and pricing, connect Stripe and share your invite link.

Can I bring my families over from a spreadsheet?

Yes. Import parents, children and emergency contacts from a CSV spreadsheet, and export them whenever you like.

Can an AI assistant set up Care Circle for me?

Yes. Care Circle offers full MCP access, so AI assistants can set up and manage your website.

Does Care Circle track attendance or share photos?

No. Care Circle does not include attendance, lesson plans or photo messaging. It focuses on enrollment, billing and the parent portal.

Is my data secure?

Card and bank details are handled by Stripe and never stored on Care Circle's servers. Every page is served over HTTPS, and each daycare's data is kept separate.

Start free today

If you care for 20 children or fewer, you can run enrollment, waitlists and billing on Care Circle for free. Your card is not charged unless you grow past 20, and tuition goes straight to your own Stripe account.

Create your daycare for free or email us at info@carecirclehq.io with any questions.

Related reading: Best free daycare software and Free daycare software guide.