How long does it take to switch daycare software?

Plan three weeks, but your own work is an hour or two spread across them. Week one you set up the new account in parallel and upload your roster. Week two you cut over on a billing boundary. Week three you watch the first pay cycle land and then cancel the old subscription.

Will I lose my data when I switch?

Not the data that matters going forward: families, children, staff, rooms, billing plans, and documents all move. What does not move anywhere is saved payment methods, because no platform can transfer stored cards, and historical activity feeds, which you keep by leaving the old system read-only or exporting once.

What do parents have to do?

Two things: accept an invitation email to set up their login, and re-add a card or bank account once on their first invoice. After that, autopay continues. A one-paragraph email a week before the switch is enough warning; a template is on this page.

Can I export my data from brightwheel, Procare, Lillio, or Playground?

Every platform we have seen lets an administrator export at least a roster, and support can usually produce the rest on request. Ask for the roster, family contacts, current balances, and documents as CSV or PDF. If an export is not available, photos of printed rosters or paper sign-in sheets work for the NestliCare migration too.

What does switching to NestliCare cost?

Nothing. The software is free with no paid plan, and the migration is done for you by the NestliCare team at no cost, whatever your size. The only cost is the standard processing fee when a parent later pays tuition online, which parents cover by default.

Do I need to change my Stripe account?

No. If you already collect payments through Stripe, connect that same account during onboarding. Your payout schedule, bank account, and tax settings carry over without interruption.

When is the best time of year to switch?

Any month works if you cut over on the 1st or the 15th. Many daycares switch in late summer before a new school year or in January at the start of a tax year, because the first invoices in the new system line up with a clean period.

What if I want to leave NestliCare later?

Export everything yourself, any time, from Settings, then Data Export: full family roster, transaction history, and activity logs as CSV. Your data is never held as leverage.

The switching playbook

How to switch daycare software without losing data

Switching from brightwheel, Procare, Lillio, Playground, or a binder of paper takes three weeks on the calendar and an hour or two of your own time. Families, children, staff, rooms, billing plans, and documents move. Saved payment methods do not, on any platform, so parents re-add one card once. Here is the exact sequence, what to ask your current vendor for, and the email to send parents. Migration into NestliCare is done for you, free.

Updated September 3, 2026

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What moves, what does not

Data	How it moves into NestliCare	Your effort
Families and children	Upload your roster export or photos to Settings, then Data Migration. Our team loads it.	Minutes to upload
Staff	Same upload, or invite each person from the Staff page.	Minutes
Rooms and capacity	Configure once under Organization, then Rooms.	About 15 minutes
Billing plans	Recreate under Billing and Payments. Plans attach to families in one step.	About 30 minutes
Saved payment methods	Cannot move. No platform can transfer stored cards or bank accounts. Parents re-add once on their first invoice.	Under a minute per parent
Existing Stripe account	Keep it. Connect the same Stripe account during onboarding; payouts, bank, and tax settings carry over.	Five minutes
Historical attendance, photos, old messages	Not worth migrating. Keep the old system read-only or export a final PDF or CSV for your records.	None

What to ask your current vendor for

Every platform we have seen lets an administrator export at least a roster, and support can usually produce the rest. Ask in writing, a week before you plan to cut over:

Student or child roster as CSV or spreadsheet, with birthdates and room assignments
Family and guardian contact list, including authorized pickups
Current balances and any open invoices, so nothing is billed twice
Immunization records and signed documents as PDFs
A final export of anything you are required to keep for licensing or taxes

If an export is not offered, photos of printed rosters and paper sign-in sheets are enough. The NestliCare migration accepts CSV, Excel, PDF, Word, and photos, and our team does the data entry.

The three-week cutover

Week 1: set up in parallel

Create your NestliCare account, organization, and centers.
Upload roster and staff files to Settings, then Data Migration. We load them while you continue.
Configure rooms, programs, and billing plans.
Invite staff so they can explore before the switch.

Week 2: cut over on a billing boundary

Pick the 1st or the 15th as the start date.
Mark the old system read-only.
Send parents the one-paragraph email below.
Invite parents; generate the first NestliCare invoices.

Week 3: watch, then cancel

Keep the old system for reference; do not cancel yet.
Confirm the first payouts land from Stripe.
Cancel the old subscription once the first pay cycle completes cleanly.

The parent email

Copy, edit the two brackets, send a week before the switch.

Hi families,
We are moving our daycare's billing and daily updates to a new system called NestliCare starting [date]. Here is what changes for you:
Daily activity feed, messaging, and photos move to a new app. You will get an invitation email to set up your account.
Your [next month] invoice arrives through NestliCare. If you were on autopay, you will re-add your card or bank once; after that, autopay continues.
Nothing about your child's day changes. Same teachers, same routines.
If anything is unclear, reply to this email or message the teachers in the new app.

Switching, answered plainly

How long does it take to switch daycare software?: Plan three weeks, but your own work is an hour or two spread across them. Week one you set up the new account in parallel and upload your roster. Week two you cut over on a billing boundary. Week three you watch the first pay cycle land and then cancel the old subscription.
Will I lose my data when I switch?: Not the data that matters going forward: families, children, staff, rooms, billing plans, and documents all move. What does not move anywhere is saved payment methods, because no platform can transfer stored cards, and historical activity feeds, which you keep by leaving the old system read-only or exporting once.
What do parents have to do?: Two things: accept an invitation email to set up their login, and re-add a card or bank account once on their first invoice. After that, autopay continues. A one-paragraph email a week before the switch is enough warning; a template is on this page.
Can I export my data from brightwheel, Procare, Lillio, or Playground?: Every platform we have seen lets an administrator export at least a roster, and support can usually produce the rest on request. Ask for the roster, family contacts, current balances, and documents as CSV or PDF. If an export is not available, photos of printed rosters or paper sign-in sheets work for the NestliCare migration too.
What does switching to NestliCare cost?: Nothing. The software is free with no paid plan, and the migration is done for you by the NestliCare team at no cost, whatever your size. The only cost is the standard processing fee when a parent later pays tuition online, which parents cover by default.
Do I need to change my Stripe account?: No. If you already collect payments through Stripe, connect that same account during onboarding. Your payout schedule, bank account, and tax settings carry over without interruption.
When is the best time of year to switch?: Any month works if you cut over on the 1st or the 15th. Many daycares switch in late summer before a new school year or in January at the start of a tax year, because the first invoices in the new system line up with a clean period.
What if I want to leave NestliCare later?: Export everything yourself, any time, from Settings, then Data Export: full family roster, transaction history, and activity logs as CSV. Your data is never held as leverage.

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