For family child care and home daycare owners

Home daycare tuition reminders, sent automatically by text.

TuitionPing is payment reminder software for family child care providers who want a monthly follow-up schedule without giving parents another app. Add each family's amount and due day, review your wording, and let the schedule handle the texts. Keep your existing payment method and verify the money arrived before confirming receipt.

Try the interactive demoStart a 30-day trial

Demo: no account or card. Real trial: card required at Stripe checkout, $0 today.

Where tuition follow-up breaks down for home providers

You are the entire office

Cooking, cleaning, licensing paperwork, nap schedules and parent updates already fill the day. Reminder texts compete with all of it, so they go out late, in a rush, or not at all — and tuition quietly slips a week.

Every family is on a different rhythm

One family pays monthly on the 1st, another started mid-month, a third is part-time with a smaller amount. Holding six different due dates, amounts and arrangements in your head works until the first busy week. Miss one family's date and you have sent a reminder for a payment that is not due yet — the fastest way to teach parents to ignore your texts.

Asking face-to-face is the hard part

You see these parents every morning and every evening. Asking about an overdue payment at pickup, in front of other families, is awkward for everyone. A polite text sent by a system keeps the relationship warm and the business part separate.

Hand-texting the same message eight times

Copying the same reminder to each family, one phone at a time, after cleanup and dishes, is exactly the kind of small repeated task that gets skipped when you're tired — and it's the task that gets you paid on time.

Choosing a payment reminder app for your home daycare

No new app for parents

You use the TuitionPing dashboard; families use their normal text-message app. A parent can reply PAID, and you check your records before confirming receipt. The reply reports a payment; it is not a bank confirmation.

Keep the way families already pay

Accept the checks, cash or payment service covered by your agreement. Include clear payment instructions in your reminder wording. TuitionPing does not move money or provide an automatic connection to those services.

Check your billing schedule first

The paid reminder service follows monthly due-day schedules. If you bill weekly, use the free reminder generator or payment tracker for that workflow, and check the service's supported settings before subscribing.

The Micro plan is $9/month for up to 10 families · 1 location. Compare monthly and annual pricing, limits and trial terms, or draft a free reminder first.

A simple routine for a small roster

1. Write down the agreement

Give each family the amount, due date, payment method and any late-fee terms before enrollment. A reminder reinforces that agreement; it does not replace it. Families who know the date and the fee rarely need the third reminder.

2. Enter each family's details

Add the parent contact, tuition amount and due date, then choose English or Spanish. Obtain permission for tuition texts before adding a phone number. A second parent's number can be added so both caregivers see the reminder.

3. Let the schedule handle follow-up

The app schedules a heads-up three days before the due date, a due-day reminder, and unpaid follow-ups at three and seven days overdue. Customize the message wording to sound like your program, and set quiet hours so texts arrive at reasonable times.

4. Pause when life happens

A family on vacation, a payment already arranged, a temporary hardship you have agreed on — pause (snooze) reminders for that family until a date you choose, so nobody gets nudged about a balance you have already discussed.

5. Check your actual receipts

Review checks, transfers or the payment platform you already use. A parent replying PAID records a report for review. Mark the tuition paid after you confirm receipt — the reply starts the check, it does not replace it.

Example: six families with different due dates

One family's monthly tuition is due on the 5th and another's on the 10th. A part-time family owes a smaller amount on the 15th. Put their own dates and amounts on their records, and each family gets its own schedule — no group text, no crossed wires. A due-day text can say: ‘Hi Alex, tuition of $800 for Little Oak Daycare is due today. Please use our usual payment method and reply PAID once sent.’ You still check your records before verifying payment. If the family on the 10th pays by check at pickup on the 9th, you mark it verified and that family's follow-ups stop — the other family's schedule is untouched. Nothing about one family's payment changes what anyone else receives.

Illustrative program and amount. Your enrollment agreement determines the actual amount and timing.

Keep the system you already trust

Choose a focused reminder tool when your payment method and bookkeeping already work, and you want a consistent monthly text schedule. You still check payments and resolve discrepancies with each family. Match your family count and location count to the current pricing guide before starting the trial. If you need integrated payment collection, attendance or enrollment, evaluate a broader childcare management platform.

Get your balances organized first

If you need a clear record before putting reminders on a schedule, start with the free daycare tuition payment tracker for Excel and Google Sheets. Record each bill, approved credits and verified payments, then review the remaining balance and overdue status. The standalone workbook works without a TuitionPing account and includes a worked example.

Common questions

Do parents need another app?

No. Parents receive ordinary text messages and can reply from any phone. They do not need a TuitionPing parent account, a download, or a login.

Can I keep taking checks or transfers?

Yes. TuitionPing handles reminders and parent replies. You continue using your existing payment method — check, transfer, cash, or the app you already use — and verify receipt yourself.

How much does it cost for a home daycare?

The Micro plan is $9/month for up to 10 families at one location, and every plan starts with a 30-day free trial. A card is collected at signup but is not charged during the trial.

Can both parents get the reminder?

Yes. Add a second parent's phone number and both numbers receive the texts. Either parent can reply PAID, and the reply is recorded against the same family.

Can I pause reminders for one family?

Yes. Each family can be paused (snoozed) until a date you set — useful for vacations or a payment arrangement you have already made — while everyone else's reminders continue normally.

Can I start with the free tracker instead?

Yes. The tuition payment tracker works independently of TuitionPing. It helps organize balances but does not send reminders. Many home providers start there and switch to automatic texts when the hand-texting gets old.

What if a parent doesn't have a smartphone?

Any phone that can receive text messages works, including a basic flip phone. Parents do not need internet access, an app, or a data plan to get a reminder or reply PAID.

Start with a sample or a free resource

Explore the complete reminder and payment-review sequence with fictional families, or use the free tools with your current process.

Explore the sample daycareCustomize a written tuition policyDownload the free payment tracker

More program workflows