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Daycare Center and Family Home Forum>Helpful New Software
michael_987 05:28 PM 10-11-2010
Save time and connect with parents with new, easy to use software:

CareSoft Technologies [www.CareSoftTech.com] offers an online Childcare Tracker program for providers and parents. Teachers log in during the day to record events, upload photographs, and print supply labels. Parents log in anytime to see the up-to-the-minute status of their children, view pictures from class, or browse reports from any day.

Please visit www.CareSoftTech.com to watch a demo, read about more features, or sign up to try it free for a month. Any feedback from the website or program is much appreciated; CareSoft is committed to constantly improving its software to make life easier for both providers and parents.

If you have any questions please feel free to reply to all or contact me directly. This is a great program for teachers and parents!

Thank you for reading,
Michael
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missnikki 08:31 AM 10-12-2010
Hmmm. Interesting way to get our attention, Michael987. Seems smarmy to use the forum administrator's name to hawk your software. Good luck on that, Michael987.
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laundryduchess@yahoo.com 09:11 AM 10-12-2010
lol,.. good call Missnikki. =-)
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michael_987 10:03 AM 10-12-2010
Hello,

I'm new to the forum so I can't tell if you're joking, but my name is Michael also.

Has anyone looked at the software? I really would like to hear from you and find out what you think. CareSoft was founded by parents who are dedicated to improving the child care experience. I apologize if my initial post sounded more like an annoying solicitation... my hope was to get a discussion started.

Thank you, Michael
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momofsix 10:46 AM 10-12-2010
I did look at the program, and it looks interesting, though not something I would use. My parents don't read/want dailly written logs, and I already put pics and weekly updates on a private on-line page for free. There is no way I could do "up to the minute" updates on children, not while i'm busy with them!
I could see where this might be helpful in a larger center setting versus a daycare home like I have.
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Michael 10:55 AM 10-12-2010
I don't allow advertising on the forum but Michael emailed me and I feel his program may be of some use. Michael is also a member and can answer questions here or via PM.

PS - I am managing the forum from a cruise ship in the Atlantic currently running away from Cozumel and Hurricane Paula.
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laundryduchess@yahoo.com 11:16 AM 10-12-2010
Let me be the first to say Michael,... get off the computer! go enjoy your time away!!!!!
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michael_987 11:21 AM 10-12-2010
Hello momofsix,

I really appreciate you taking the time to share your thoughts even though the software is not something you would use. You are right that "up to the minute" was a poor choice of words... I should have said that parents can see updates as soon as they are added by the teacher. I know you are very busy with the kids! One of our hopes was that if documentation could be easier and more efficient, that would free up more time to spend with the kids

Thank you again, Michael
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missnikki 02:14 PM 10-12-2010
Well, I suppose I could apologize for coming off as skeptical, so I'm sorry for that.
As to the cruise ship and hurricane Paula- don't spill your margarita when the boat rocks too hard!
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michael_987 03:09 PM 10-12-2010
Hi missnikki,

There's no need to be sorry but I do appreciate your apology!

This forum is such a great place... I think it's amazing how many providers have come together here and I'm thankful for the opportunity to be a part of it.

I look forward to hearing more feedback, questions, and ideas if anyone else is willing to share.

Thank you, Michael
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DBug 03:47 PM 10-12-2010
Hi Michael_987 -- I checked out the website, and it's an intriguing concept. My dc Parents are very interested in their child's day, and this might be something that works for them. I'm interested to know though, what's the security like? How easy would it be for someone to hack in and view all of the children's personal information?
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michael_987 04:27 PM 10-12-2010
Hello DBug,

That is an excellent question - thank you for asking. Security was taken very seriously as a top concern during the design and development of this software.

All information is stored in a secure database which is protected by firewalls so that nobody could access it even if they were somehow able to obtain details about its location. It was designed such that only the software itself can access its data.

The software is highly secure such that no data may be accessed without being logged in. Every page and every photograph in the site performs a check when it's loaded for a valid log-in session. If anyone who wasn't logged in was able to obtain the direct path to a page or picture in the site they would be redirected to the log-in page. Users' passwords are also encrypted and never sent to the server in normal plain text form.

Within the application teachers have access only to the data for their center(s). Parents only have access to view information for their own children; teachers control whether parents even have access and decide which children are available to each parent.

I hope that helps to answer your question. If you have more detailed questions regarding security or specific technologies being used please let me know. One of the system engineers for the software is security certified (CISSP) and I would be happy to put you in contact with him if there's anything I'm not able to answer.

Thanks again, Michael
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tymaboy 06:14 AM 10-13-2010
Originally Posted by Michael:
I don't allow advsertising on the forum but Michael emailed me and I feel his program may be of some use. Michael is also a member and can answer questions here or via PM.

PS - I am managing the forum from a cruise ship in the Atlantic currently running away from Cozumel and Hurricane Paula.
Have fun with that! I was on a cruise when Hurrican Dennis (right before Katrina) went threw. It was not fun. People were barfing all over the place from the ship rocking so much. We got an extra day on the ship since the port had been closed. Pissed me off cuz I wanted a day in New Orleans (never been there) & we were going to stay in one of the so called huanted hotels there. We just made our flight when we got off the ship. The rest of the cruise was great.
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Michael 10:15 AM 10-13-2010
Thanks you. Mostly rain on the way to my "new" destination, Nassau, Bahamas. That hurricane seems to be following me....
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MarinaVanessa 10:30 AM 10-13-2010
Okay so I got curious about the product and agree that this would make sense in a big daycare center but not so much for a small family daycare home. It might work for some of the large daycare homes but seeing as to most of us that have large or small family daycares don't do daily reports anyway and use email when we want to share pictures I don't find the program relevant to the needs of my business.

I didn't see the cost of the program on the website which makes me think that it may be high and so that is why it is not posted.

I think that if someone made a program that was a combination of like the Redeaf Press Calendar keeper and Quickbooks but catered particularly to family daycare homes it would be a great hit. Of course it would have to keep track of payments, attendance, activities, curriculum, meal logs, meal menu's, phone calls, notes, reminders, incidents, mileage, expenses etc. for it to work for me and so I think I may be asking for alot lol.
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momofsix 10:33 AM 10-13-2010
Originally Posted by Michael:
Thanks you. Mostly rain on the way to my "new" destination, Nassau, Bahamas. That hurricane seems to be following me....
Hopefully you can stay ahead of it! have a great time, i'm trying not to be jealous-never done a cruise before! Have a drink (or 2) for me
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michael_987 11:36 AM 10-13-2010
Hello MarinaVanessa,

Thank you very much for taking the time to share your thoughts.

I found your last paragraph, about the program you might like, especially interesting. CareSoft is currently in the planning stage of two additional modules that could be used independently or in combination with the existing Childcare Tracker program.

One of those modules will be used for invoicing parents and collecting payments. It will be capable of integrating with the Childcare Tracker program which already tracks attendance, activities, meal logs, notes, incidents, and phone calls. One existing feature I haven't mentioned is that parents may electronically acknowledge incidents during the day which can save time at pick-up. It sounds like the addition of mileage and expenses needs to be considered for the new module.

The other new module will be a meal and activity planning calendar. It will be capable of transferring scheduled items from its calendar to the Childcare Tracker.

If you have any interest in the planning of these new modules, in terms of expressing your business needs, please contact me directly via PM. I would be happy to hear more about how new technology could help you run your business.

Regarding the cost of the current program, it isn't posted on the site because it depends on multiple factors. The subscription is monthly and based on the number of children that were checked in for the month. You can enter all of your children into the system and only pay for the ones you use. For example, you could offer the service to parents and only use it for the children of interested parents. One thing that I will say, in all honesty, is that we don't want cost to prevent anyone from being able to use it. We are always open to work with people and find a fitting solution given their circumstances. For smaller centers or homes, the monthly cost per child normally ranges from $5 to $8; for larger centers or homes there isn't a set price. In any situation we will work with the home or center to determine what fits best for them. Also, anyone can sign up without entering any kind of billing information and use the software free for a month.

Going back to your description of the program that would be better for you, I know it sounds like asking for a lot but I believe it is all very reasonable and certainly possible. Again, I very much appreciate your feedback and it was great to hear your ideas

Thank you, Michael
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MarinaVanessa 12:39 PM 10-13-2010
Originally Posted by michael_987:
CareSoft is currently in the planning stage of two additional modules that could be used independently or in combination with the existing Childcare Tracker program.
I find the additional modules interesting. You have peaked my curiosity. Thanks for clarifying the pricing for me. It makes sense to charge based on who would actually use the program vs. a set monthly for the whole daycare. This is especially so for some of us that only have a capacity of 6 and even then when only a few clients would actually check the program.

Originally Posted by michael_987:
Also, anyone can sign up without entering any kind of billing information and use the software free for a month.
I did sign up to test it I am now waiting for my confirmation e-mail which I apparently need in order to activate the account?? I can't sign in to try it out so I am assuming that this is the reason why. I signed up about an hour or so ago and still havn't received an e-mail. On that note it would benefit the software and the company if the confirmation e-mails could be automatic and instant, I know I don't like waiting hours for an e-mail just to try out a program. Just my honest opinion coming from a consumer, hope it helps.
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michael_987 12:59 PM 10-13-2010
Hi MarinaVanessa,

I'm very happy to hear that you've signed up to try out the software and I look forward to hearing more of your thoughts. I apologize that the confirmation email has not yet arrived; you are correct that it's necessary in order to activate your account before you can log in. I also understand that it's frustrating to have to wait. The email is supposed to be instant and automatic so I will immediately contact one of our engineers and find out why you haven't received it yet. In the meantime, if you have a junk email folder, please check if the message ended up there. The sender address I believe will appear as no-reply@CareSoftTech.com.

I will reply shortly as soon as I have more information.

Thank you again, Michael
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michael_987 01:20 PM 10-13-2010
Hi MarinaVanessa,

I tried sending a private message to you however I'm not sure if it worked because it does not appear in my Sent Items folder.

Your initial account that you signed up with should now be active. It appears the email may have been blocked by your email provider; I apologize again for the inconvenience. Please let me know if you have any trouble logging in. I would also be happy to help if you'd like any assistance getting set up after you log in.

Thank you, Michael
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Tags:caresoft, software, technology, tracking, website
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