NestliCare in Maine
Daycare software for Maine
NestliCare is free daycare software for Maine centers and family child care providers: attendance with times and signatures, the child records Maine DHHS licensing asks to see, Child Care Subsidy Program payments recorded against each family's invoice, CACFP meal logs, billing with autopay, and parent messaging. Unlimited children and staff, no subscription, no trial. The only cost anywhere is the standard processing fee when a parent pays tuition online.
· Agency and program names checked against Maine DHHS’s own site.
Who licenses child care in Maine
- Home-based programs are called
- family child care provider
- Child care subsidy
- Child Care Subsidy Program
- Quality rating system
- Rising Stars for ME
Ratios, group sizes, staff training hours, and the exact records you must keep are set by Maine DHHS and change. We do not reprint them here; read the current rules on the agency's site and treat this page as the software side of the answer.
The records a licensing visit asks for, kept as you go
Attendance with times and signatures
Every check-in and check-out is stamped with the time and who did it: a parent signature at the door, a QR scan, a kiosk PIN, or a staff entry. Daily and monthly attendance reports export in a click for a licensing visit or a subsidy claim.
Child records licensing asks to see
Enrollment forms, emergency contacts, authorized pickups, allergies and medical notes, immunization records with expiry reminders, and signed policies live on each child’s profile. Missing documents show up as a list, not a surprise.
Subsidy and private pay side by side
Record subsidy payments against the family’s invoice alongside what the parent pays, so the ledger matches what the state paid and what the family owes. Attendance exports carry the hours a subsidy agency asks for.
Meals and CACFP
Log meals by child and meal type, plan menus, and export CACFP-friendly records. The My Food Program integration sends attendance and meal counts for claims.
What it costs a Maine program
Software: $0
Every feature, unlimited children, staff, rooms, and locations. Not a trial, not a tier.
Online tuition: processing fee only
2.9% plus 50 cents per card payment, or 1% capped at $6 per bank transfer. Parents cover it at checkout by default; you can absorb it instead.
Cash, check, subsidy: $0
Offline payments are recorded against the same invoice at no cost. A program that never collects online pays nothing at all.
The business model is written up on how we make money.
Daycare software in Maine, answered plainly
- Who licenses daycares in Maine?
- Maine Department of Health and Human Services, Child Care Licensing licenses child care in Maine. A home-based program is called a family child care provider. Ratios, group sizes, training hours, and required records are set by Maine DHHS and change over time, so check the current rules on the agency’s site before you open.
- Does NestliCare work with Child Care Subsidy Program?
- Yes, in the sense that matters to a provider: you record each Child Care Subsidy Program payment against the family’s invoice, the parent’s share is billed and collected separately, and attendance exports carry the dates and hours a subsidy claim asks for. NestliCare does not submit claims to the state for you.
- Is NestliCare free for a family child care provider in Maine?
- Yes. Every feature is free for every program, home or center, with unlimited children and staff. There is no trial and no paid tier. The only cost anywhere is the standard processing fee when a parent pays tuition online, which the parent covers at checkout by default.
- Does it keep the records a licensing visit asks for?
- It keeps attendance with times and signatures, enrollment and emergency information, authorized pickups, immunization records with expiry dates, incident reports, staff records with training hours, and signed policies, all exportable. What a specific inspector asks for is up to your state; the records are there when they do.
- Does it handle CACFP in Maine?
- Meal logging by child and meal type, menu planning, and CACFP-friendly exports are built in, and the My Food Program integration sends attendance and meal counts for claims. Your sponsor or state agency still reviews and pays the claim.
- Can families in the state pay by card, bank transfer, cash, or check?
- All four. Online payments run through Stripe with cards and bank (ACH) transfers, and autopay is available. Cash, check, and subsidy payments are recorded offline against the same invoice, at no cost.