FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Everything you need to know about Kinderflow. Can't find an answer? Email us.
About Kinderflow
Who is Kinderflow for?
- Home daycares — Simple, affordable tools built for small in-home programs that need to stay organized without enterprise-level complexity.
- Preschools & daycare centers — Manage multiple rooms, staff, and guardians from one dashboard.
- Aftercare programs — Track daily sign-ins and sign-outs, communicate with parents, and handle billing in one place.
- Summer camps — Enrollment, attendance, and invoicing for seasonal programs.
- Multi-location operators — Run several sites under a single account with per-location reporting and kiosks.
Are you funded by private equity or venture capital?
No — and we're proud of it. Kinderflow is independently owned and operated. We're parents who love our kids and love our daycare, but were frustrated by the clunky, overpriced software options out there. So we built something better. No investors pushing us toward growth-at-all-costs, no surprise acquisitions — just a product built to genuinely serve the people running childcare programs.
Getting Started
Is there a free trial?
Right now, Kinderflow's Free plan isn't a trial — it's free, no time limit and no credit card required. Paid plans with more capacity are coming back soon.
Do I need to talk to anyone to sign up?
No. You can sign up, choose a plan, and get started entirely on your own at kinderflow.io/signup. There are no sales calls, demos required, or quotes to request.
How long does setup take?
Most programs are up and running within 30 minutes. Our onboarding flow walks you through adding your locations, rooms, and staff step by step.
Can I import my existing data?
You can add children, guardians, and staff manually through the dashboard. If you need help importing a large existing dataset, reach out to us at support@kinderflow.io and we'll work with you.
Plans & Pricing
What plans are available?
Free – $0/mo: 1 location, up to 20 children, up to 10 staff. Attendance, kiosk sign-in, enrollment, daily reports, and invoicing (you collect payment yourself — Venmo, Cash App, etc.). No credit card required.
Paid plans with more capacity (multiple locations, higher child/staff limits, online guardian payments, staff certification tracking) are temporarily paused while we work through a billing provider issue — they'll return soon.
Are there any setup fees or hidden costs?
No setup fees, ever. Your monthly subscription is the only platform cost. There are standard Stripe payment processing fees (ACH: 0.8%, capped at $5; credit card: 2.9% + $0.30) when guardians pay invoices online — these are passed through at cost.
What are the fees when guardians pay tuition online?
When a guardian pays an invoice online, a payment processing fee is added on top of the tuition amount. Kinderflow does not take any cut — the fee goes directly to Stripe, our payment processor, at their standard rates:
- ACH bank transfer: 0.8% of the transaction, capped at $5.00
- Credit or debit card: 2.9% + $0.30 per transaction
For example, a $500 tuition payment would incur a $4.00 ACH fee or a $14.80 credit card fee. We display the exact fee to guardians before they confirm payment so there are no surprises.
Online payments are part of our paid plans, currently paused (see above). On the Free plan, you collect tuition directly from families yourself — no processing fees from us either way.
Can I change plans later?
Yes, you can upgrade or downgrade your plan at any time from your account settings. Changes take effect at the start of your next billing cycle.
What happens if I hit the Free plan's limits?
You'll see a message when you try to add a location, child, or staff member beyond the Free plan's caps. Your existing data is never affected — paid plans with higher limits are coming back soon, and we'll let you know as soon as they're available.
Can I cancel at any time?
Yes. Cancel anytime from your account settings — no penalties or cancellation fees. Your access continues through the end of your current billing period.
Will prices go up after I sign up?
No. When you sign up, your monthly rate is locked in for 3 years— we won't raise it on you. We're an independent, self-funded company with no investors pressuring us to extract more from customers over time. The price you see is the price you pay.
You can still cancel anytime with no penalties. The lock-in protects you, not us.
Features
Does Kinderflow work on mobile?
Yes. The dashboard and guardian portal are fully responsive and work on any modern smartphone or tablet browser. A dedicated mobile app is on our roadmap.
Can parents sign children in and out?
Yes. Each location has a Kiosk mode accessible at a shareable link. Guardians can sign children in and out using their PIN, select which child, and provide a signature — all without needing a Kinderflow account.
Does Kinderflow handle billing and invoicing?
Yes. You can create invoices for guardians and track payment status on every plan. On the Free plan, you collect payment yourself (Venmo, Cash App, check, etc.) and mark invoices paid manually. Online payments via ACH or credit card, plus guardian AutoPay, are part of our paid plans, currently paused while we resolve a billing provider issue.
How many staff accounts can I have?
The Free plan supports up to 10 staff accounts. Paid plans with higher limits are coming back soon.
Does it support multiple locations?
The Free plan supports 1 location. Paid plans with support for multiple locations are temporarily paused and will return soon. Each location has its own rooms, programs, attendance records, and kiosk.
Can I track staff certifications?
Yes, on the Growth and Pro plans. You can record certification types and expiry dates for each staff member, and the dashboard will alert you when certifications are expiring within 30 days. Note: Kinderflow records what you enter — it does not verify or authenticate certifications.
Roles & Access
What access roles does Kinderflow support?
Kinderflow has three roles — and that's intentional.
- Director / Admin — Full access: students, staff, billing, settings, all guardian information, reports, and messaging across the entire program.
- Teacher — Classroom access: their assigned students and basic guardian contact info, daily reports, attendance, and parent messaging. No billing or admin access.
- Parent / Guardian — Family portal: their own children's reports and attendance, invoices and payments, child profile updates, and messaging with staff.
Can I create custom roles or granular permissions?
No — and we think that's the right call. We've seen small daycare programs end up with 15 slightly-different permission profiles that no one can keep track of. That complexity becomes a maintenance burden and a security risk. Three clearly defined roles cover the real-world needs of most programs. Kinderflow is not an enterprise system, and we're proud of that.
Can a Director see everything — including parent billing and contact info?
Yes. Directors and Admins have full access across the account — student records, guardian contact information, invoices, payments, attendance, reports, and all settings. This is the account owner role, typically the center director or owner.
Can teachers see billing or invoice information?
No. Teachers only see the students in their assigned rooms, basic guardian contact details, and their own classroom activity (reports, attendance, messages). Billing and financial information is only visible to Directors and Admins.
Data & Security
Who owns my data?
You do. All data you enter — child records, guardian information, attendance, invoices — belongs to your organization. Kinderflow stores it solely to provide the service.
Can I export my data?
Yes. You can export your data yourself, right from the dashboard — CSV export is available on the Students, Guardians, Staff, Reports, and Attendance pages, and certifications also support PDF export. Need a full account-wide export? Contact us at hello@kinderflow.io and we'll help.
What happens to my data if I cancel?
Your data remains accessible through the end of your billing period. After cancellation, we retain your data for a reasonable period before deletion in accordance with our Privacy Policy. You can request immediate deletion by contacting privacy@kinderflow.io.
Is Kinderflow secure?
All data is encrypted in transit (TLS) and at rest. Authentication and data storage are handled by Supabase (built on AWS), and payments are processed by Stripe. We do not store raw payment card data.
Support
How do I get help?
Email us at support@kinderflow.io. It's a small team, so you're talking directly to the people who build the product.
Is there a setup or onboarding service?
Our self-serve onboarding is designed to get you running quickly. If you'd like hands-on help, reach out to support@kinderflow.io and we'll schedule a walkthrough.