Requirements checklist
What to ask for when choosing software for preschools and Montessori schools.
A checklist built from how preschools and Montessori schools work, to print or save as a PDF and bring to any supplier meeting.
What the software should cover
Tick each one that matters to your business.
- Enquiries, visits and admission
- Child record and authorised pick-up
- Attendance with drop and pick-up
- Daily report to parents
- Observations and progress by area
- Fee plans, concessions and receipts
- Staff rota and room cover
Roles that need their own access
Who logs in, and what each person may see or change.
- For the director
- For teachers
- At the front office
- For helpers and carers
- For families
Reports to ask for
Ask to see each one with your own sample data.
- Enrolment by age group against capacity
- Enquiries and visits by stage
- Daily attendance with late pick-ups
- Children with health or food notes by room
- Fees raised, received and pending by family
- Extended care hours charged
- Observations recorded by area and child
Systems it may need to connect to
Note which ones you already run.
- WhatsApp or other messaging
- SMS
- Card and transfer payments
- Accounting export
- Photo ID and label printer
Questions for any vendor
Put these to every supplier you are comparing.
- Is it for Montessori only or for any preschool?
- How does the gate check for authorised adults work?
- Who can see health and food notes?
- Can parents receive the day report?
- How are extended-care charges worked out?
- Can observation notes carry photographs?
- Can children and fee balances be moved from our registers?
- What happens to a child’s record when they move on?
- What does it cost?
- Do we need it for a small playgroup?
- When could teachers mark arrival and pick-up in it?
- What should the director and front desk have ready?
Where the work usually breaks today
Circle the ones you recognise. They set the order of the project.
- Pick-up cannot be checked quickly
- Daily reports depend on handwriting
- Allergy and food notes stay in the office
- Observations are not kept by skill
- Fees have too many parts
Prefer to talk it through? See the preschools and Montessori schools page.