Free tools
Daycare profitability calculator
Enter your numbers — see monthly profit, margin, per-child profit and break-even. Free, no signup.
Free toolAI lesson plan generator for daycares
A play-based, multi-day plan in ~20 seconds. Free, no signup — built by the Mitten team.
Free toolBC daycare staff ratio calculator
Pick your licence type, enter enrolment — see the staff required and your group maximum.
Guides for daycare owners
Daycare taxes in Canada: what you can deduct
What Canadian daycare and home childcare providers can deduct, how GST applies to childcare, payroll obligatio…
Starting upHow to start a daycare in BC
The step-by-step path to opening a licensed daycare in British Columbia — licence types, health authority appr…
Licensing & complianceBC daycare staff ratios, explained
Staff-to-child ratios for BC licensed child care — group child care by age, multi-age, family child care and s…
ProgrammingHow to write daycare lesson plans (without losing your evenings)
A practical system for writing weekly daycare lesson plans: developmental domains, play-based structure, a reu…
Parent experienceDaycare daily reports that parents actually love
What belongs in a daycare daily report — meals, naps, activities, photos — with samples, timing tips, and the …
Money & taxesSetting (and raising) your daycare tuition
How to set daycare tuition in BC — market benchmarks, the $10-a-day and CCFRI funding context, cost-based pric…
Money & taxesDaycare profit margins: what’s normal, what moves them
Typical daycare profit margins, why staffing ratios dominate the math, and seven practical levers — occupancy,…
Money & taxesDaycare payroll, demystified
A practical payroll guide for daycare owners in BC — source deductions (CPP, EI, income tax), vacation pay, st…
Parent experienceParent communication that builds trust (and boundaries)
How daycares communicate with parents well — choosing channels, setting healthy boundaries, handling hard conv…
GrowthHow to fill your daycare (and keep a waitlist)
A practical marketing playbook for daycares — Google Business Profile, local SEO, referral engines, tours that…
Childcare software guides & comparisons
Brightwheel: pricing & setup
What Brightwheel costs, how setup works, what it does well, where owners get frustrated — and a cheaper, simpl…
Software guideLillio (HiMama): pricing & setup
What Lillio (formerly HiMama) costs, how setup works, its strengths in documentation, common complaints — and …
Software guideProcare: pricing & setup
What Procare costs, how setup works, its strength in centre administration and billing, common complaints — an…
Software guideFamly: pricing & setup
What Famly costs, how setup works, its modern design strengths, trade-offs for North American programs — and a…
Software guideKangarootime: pricing & setup
What Kangarootime costs, how setup works, its automation strengths for larger centres, trade-offs — and a simp…
ComparisonBest Brightwheel alternatives
Looking for a Brightwheel alternative? An honest comparison of Mitten, Lillio (HiMama), Procare, Famly, Kangar…
Run your daycare on Mitten — free to start
Everything these guides recommend — daily reports, billing, payroll prep, parent messaging — is one app.
Start free — no card needed → See the live demo