How it runs for daycares, private schools and education providers
Registration, supply and annual tuition are deferred and released by month. Payroll from Gusto or your provider is coded to classrooms. Food, supplies and curriculum costs are coded to the site. Every account is reconciled monthly, and a second accountant reviews the file before you see the numbers.
What is outsourced bookkeeping?
Outsourced bookkeeping means a remote accounting team records, categorizes and reconciles your business transactions instead of an employee doing it in-house. You keep ownership of the accounting file and the bank relationship. The provider works inside your software on a fixed schedule, so the books are ready for reporting, tax and lending whenever you need them.
What we handle for daycares, private schools and education providers
- Brightwheel or Procare billing tied to QuickBooks family records every month
- Subsidy and food-program remittances split by child and posted against copays
- Registration, supply and annual tuition deferred and released across the school year
- Payroll journal coded by classroom and site, with substitutes tracked separately
- Food, supplies, curriculum and licensing costs coded by site
The KPI that matters here
Billing-app revenue and ledger revenue agree family by family at every 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
Frequently asked questions
How do you get billing data out of Brightwheel or Procare?
From the standard billing, payments, deposit and enrollment reports both platforms export by date range. The bookkeeper compares the report to what reached QuickBooks Online and posts missing charges or payments by family. The app stays the system parents use; the ledger is brought into agreement with it every month.
Do you keep each family's balance in QuickBooks too?
Yes, at the level needed to reconcile and to produce year-end statements. Each family is a customer record with its program and subsidy status, so charges, copays, remittances and refunds are traceable. The billing app remains the day-to-day source for parents; the ledger holds the reconciled record for tax and reporting.
How do you handle a family that withdraws mid-year?
The unearned portion of any prepaid tuition or fee is refunded or forfeited according to your policy, and the entry comes out of deferred revenue rather than out of the month's income. Outstanding copays or balances are listed for follow-up. The enrollment report and the ledger are updated the same week so the family is not billed again.
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