How it runs for daycares, private schools and education providers
Payroll leaves weekly or twice monthly. Your dedicated accountant reconciles every account in QuickBooks Online each month, ties each app deposit to the parent payments inside it, matches state and food-program receipts to the accruals, and lists every unmatched item with a reason.
What is a bank reconciliation service?
A bank reconciliation service compares the transactions in your accounting software with the transactions on your bank and credit-card statements and explains every difference. The goal is a ledger balance that agrees with the statement after timing items such as outstanding checks and deposits in transit. Done monthly, it catches missing entries, duplicates, bank errors and fraud early.
What we handle for daycares, private schools and education providers
- Brightwheel or Procare deposits matched to the parent payments they contain, fees separated
- State subsidy and food-program receipts matched to the accruals for those periods
- Office deposits of checks and cash reconciled to the family payments recorded
- Payroll debits and tax impounds agreed to the payroll register
- Site credit cards reconciled monthly with receipts matched
The KPI that matters here
Zero unreconciled bank or card items older than 30 days at each month-end.
Childcare & education compliance notes
State subsidy programs
Child-care assistance, state pre-K and Head Start funding each come with their own attendance or enrollment reporting, authorized rates and copay rules. We post each remittance by child and period, reconcile it to the attendance or enrollment report you submitted, and keep the authorization on file with the family record. Program reporting stays with your director; we give her reconciled numbers to report from.
Tuition deferred revenue
Tuition and fees paid before the service is delivered are a liability until the month of care or instruction. We defer annual and installment tuition, registration and supply fees, and release them on a schedule that matches the school calendar. Withdrawals and refunds are posted against the deferred balance, so the P&L is not distorted by a single family leaving.
Ratios and licensing fees
Staff-to-child ratios set the minimum payroll for each room, and licensing renewals, background checks and inspection fees come due on the state's calendar. We code payroll by classroom, track licensing and training costs by site, and keep the renewal dates on the close calendar so the fee is accrued rather than a surprise.
Food program claims
CACFP reimbursement depends on meal counts, eligibility tiers and a monthly claim. We accrue the claim from your meal-count report, match it to the reimbursement when it lands, and keep food purchases in the same month as the meals. Claim submission stays with your food-program contact.
Childcare & education software we work in
- QuickBooks Online
- Gusto
- Brightwheel
- Procare
- All 50 platforms
More for daycares, private schools and education providers
Other services for childcare & education
Bank reconciliation in other industries
Frequently asked questions
Why does the Brightwheel or Procare deposit not match tuition billed?
Because the app deposits what parents actually paid, net of card and ACH fees, in batches that lag the charge by a few days. The reconciliation matches each deposit to the parent payments inside it, posts the fee as an expense, and leaves unpaid tuition on the family's balance. Our payment processor reconciliation service covers the batch tie-out in detail.
How do you reconcile a lump-sum state remittance?
The remittance is split by child and period using the state's remittance advice, applied to each family's state receivable, and the total is matched to the bank deposit. Any child on the advice who is not on your enrollment list, or any authorized amount that differs from what was paid, is listed for the director.
Do you reconcile the site credit cards?
Yes. Each site card is reconciled monthly, with transactions coded by site and category and receipts matched through your receipt app or the card portal. Grocery purchases are coded to the meal month. Personal or unexplained charges are listed for the owner. Over time the report shows supply and food spend per site.
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