thoreed Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 Hello all, I am currently in the process of choosing some Nursery Management software to replace the very time-consuming manual processes we are now using. I'm finding it difficult to choose between the various products on the market and wondered whether anyone here has had experience of one or more of them and can provide me with some pointers or recommendations. Thanks for your help! Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mundia Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 Hi there Tom. Just thought id take the opportunity to welcome you to the forum if you havent been already welcomed. Hope you will join us often. I dont know anythng about the software you ae looking at but Im very certain that another member will be able to point you in the right direction Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thoreed Posted January 16, 2004 Author Share Posted January 16, 2004 Mundia, Thanks for the welcome! Apparently nursery management software is not such a hot topic! Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 17, 2004 Share Posted January 17, 2004 Hi Tom I think that it is probably more that it is expensive than not being a hot topic. I have been to exhibitions where there have been a couple of stands selling management software and quite frankly the cost was too much-especially for a small pre-school. I think the case is the same for a lot of small private day nurseries too. Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thoreed Posted January 18, 2004 Author Share Posted January 18, 2004 Hi Linda, Yes, that's very true, although some of the packages can be bought for under £500. It seems to me that if management software can save significant amounts of staff time by automatically producing rotas, registers, milk returns and the like, it might justify the investment, even in a small pre-school. In my nursery, I find that administration can take up at least half the capacity of a full-time manager, so anything that can reduce this must be worth looking into! Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted January 18, 2004 Share Posted January 18, 2004 Hi Tom Yes you are right-anything that saves time and money is worth looking at. I suppose it's hard to see the value of something when the upfront cost is quite expensive and it may take some time to recoup that cost. good luck with your search Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 4, 2004 Share Posted April 4, 2004 Hi Tom, In the next couple of weeks our Nursery is going to be using a computer package! i am unsure at the moment anything about it but as soon as i know i will let you know! sorry for not being to much help with this subject! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thoreed Posted April 5, 2004 Author Share Posted April 5, 2004 Hi all, After quite a bit of research, I went ahead and purchased one of the software packages on the market. It is called BabyTech and has been advertising quite heavily in Nursery World and at various Early Years exhibitions. If you are considering going for a management package, please DO NOT go for this one. It is poorly developed, full of programming errors and therefore more or less unusable in a nursery environment. A complete and utter waste of money! If anyone has had better experiences with this or other packages, please do let me know... Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 Hi Tom Sorry to hear you have had such a bad experience with the software. It's such a nightmare! Is it completely useless? And was it very expensive? I've seen quite a few of these packages for sale when I have been to exhibitions-I'm afraid the price and the lack of recommendation by somebody I know always puts me off! Linda Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubblejack Posted April 5, 2004 Share Posted April 5, 2004 Tom, I wouldn't be afraid to tell them so either. Tell them you will not recommend their software package. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thoreed Posted April 10, 2004 Author Share Posted April 10, 2004 Hi, I certainly have told them, in no uncertain terms! It was extremely expensive (£1700), and was sold to me on the basis that it is much more reliable and advanced than the cheaper versions. Unfortunately, it turns out that it is so full of programming errors that we can't trust it, so the money was completely wasted. I guess i'll know better next time! Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thoreed Posted April 10, 2004 Author Share Posted April 10, 2004 By the way, how do people here deal with invoicing parents? Have you got a reliable method that is not too time-consuming? Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bubblejack Posted April 10, 2004 Share Posted April 10, 2004 I write the childs name on an envelope with the ammont owing for the following term. I give it out with the following terms newsletter. Parents return the envelope with the correct cash or cheque. I mark the payment off on my records and keep the envelope as proof of payment untill every one has paid up, which is normally by the end of the second week. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Helen Posted April 12, 2004 Share Posted April 12, 2004 Hi Tom, My invoices are all done individually by hand. We have only 36 children on the books, so it takes about an hour, twice a term. I'll contact some other management software companies next week, and see if they would like us to review them. Clearly, this is an area that would be of use to you and many others. It does seem crazy to have to purchase something upfront to find that it doesn't do its job properly. Are they going to refund you? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thoreed Posted April 18, 2004 Author Share Posted April 18, 2004 Helen, I think a review of the various packages would be a great idea. No, they are not going to refund me, despite my repeated requests. Not a good experience! Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thoreed Posted April 18, 2004 Author Share Posted April 18, 2004 Hi again... As for how to do invoicing, we have around 150 children on the roll so it is very difficult to prepare invoices completely by hand (150 x 12 months = 1800 invoices per year)! We need to find a way of either automating or partly automating the process so that it doesn't take up too much management time every month. Any suggestions? Tom Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Carol Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 Hi I have tried a couple of trial nursery management packages but I havent found one that is nice and friendly to use. At the present time I sit down with my administator and we work out the bills and then she prepares them on excell/word for the whole term. We only have 27 children but it takes a while to do and when we are working out NEG differences its a nightmare. As for assessments/reports I am currently using assessease which is related to the foundation stage profile, but you can change the wording to suit your setting. I think its about £60 - £70. www.assessease.co.uk Carol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Posted April 18, 2004 Share Posted April 18, 2004 Hi Tom - How long have you had the softtware? If you can show it has programming errors and is not fit for purpose, perhaps that would be a basis on which to reclaim your money. £1700 is a lot to give up on and if it's unuseable.... If you or others would like to write 'warts and all' but accurate reviews we'll be happy to see if we can set up a page of reviews so others don't have the same problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted April 20, 2004 Share Posted April 20, 2004 Hi Tom, I am sorry you have had difficulties with this package, but I am also relieved that it is not just me! We purchased this system, also on the understanding that it will save me time and effort, however this is not always the case. In some areas, such as the registers, it has saved me time, but the finance side is a nightmare. Also my printer is not recognised on their system, so even though I have complained a number of times, I still can't print out my milk claim! What a waste of money! Caroline Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.
Note: Your post will require moderator approval before it will be visible.