Bloomily vs. illumine

illumine in its own words

The illumine home page calls it "a childcare management system designed to help you grow and maximize your revenue" (illumine). The same page says it helps you manage waitlists and offers "contactless attendance with QR ID cards and kiosk codes." Its US pricing page says it is designed for US operators running two or more locations. Its plans are sized by the number of centers, from 1-2 centers up to 10 or more (illumine US pricing).

Its billing page goes into detail. There, illumine says it tracks approvals "for CCAP, Head Start, DHS, DCFS, and other programs." It splits invoices across parents or agencies, and it prorates tuition when a child joins mid-month or leaves early. It also offers "Form 2441 with EIN for tax-ready statements" (illumine billing). The pricing page lists live translation in 15+ languages, US state-approved enrollment forms and APIs. It also says illumine charges no payment processing fees (illumine US pricing).

Where Bloomily fits a preschool or childcare center better

Bloomily is built around a center's day, from the first tour to the afternoon pickup.

Enrollment that starts on your own website. Bloomily has a real website builder inside it. A tour booked from the couch at 7 PM is on your enrollment list in the morning (Bloomily website builder). Offers, forms, deposits and waitlists follow in the same pipeline. Missing signatures get reminders in each family's language until the packet is done (Bloomily enrollment).

Live ratios from real check-ins. Families check in at a kiosk with the last 4 digits of their phone and a PIN. Or they show a QR code from the family app, and staff can always check a child in by hand (Bloomily check-in). Each room shows who is in it and whether it has enough teachers (Bloomily for preschools). Ratios come from real check-ins of children and staff, not from the schedule (Bloomily classrooms).

A day families can follow. At 3:30 PM teachers finish the day's report and add photos. Families get it in the app and by email (Bloomily for preschools). The parent app runs on iPhone and Android (Bloomily for parents). A parent sets their language once, and your messages arrive translated, while theirs come back in yours (Bloomily communication).

Tuition and subsidies on one invoice. Tuition bills on your charge day, and families on autopay pay without a nudge (Bloomily for preschools). A subsidy invoice splits the agency's share from the family's. You still file your claim with the agency (Bloomily daycare management). At year end, billing gives you a statement with every payment and your tax ID (Bloomily billing).

What to check if you rely on illumine's subsidy billing

If subsidies drive your billing, bring a real case to both demos. illumine describes approval tracking for several agency programs and invoices split between parents and agencies. Ask both companies to bill one subsidy family for a month that starts mid-month. Then look at the family's share and the agency's share on the invoice.

Payments are the next thing to check. The illumine pricing page says it charges no payment processing fees. Ask which processor handles payments and what it charges per card and bank payment. In Bloomily, every payment has a processing fee, and your program decides who covers it: your families, or you. The rates are on Bloomily's payments page (Bloomily payments).

If you run several sites, compare how each company handles them. illumine sizes its US plans by the number of centers. In Bloomily, signing up yourself covers one location, and Concierge sets up every site you run. A family with children at two of your locations has one record and signs in once (Bloomily multi-location). illumine's pricing page also says it provides APIs to integrate with your existing system, so weigh that if you connect other software.

Moving from illumine to Bloomily

Bring the list you keep today, as it is. AI help does the reading. That can be a spreadsheet, another system's export, a PDF or a photo of a paper list. Nothing saves until you approve it.

When you are ready, send each family one invite. Their child is already on their account. Keep your old system running beside Bloomily as long as you like (Switching to Bloomily).

Questions to ask in both demos

• What does a center our size pay, and what does payment processing cost per card and bank payment?
• Can a director see a room's ratio change as children and staff check in?
• How does one subsidy family's invoice show the agency's share and the family's share?
• What year-end statement do families get, and does it show your tax ID?
• Is there a public website or enrollment page, and where does a tour request land?
• Do messages translate both ways between staff and parents?
• Can families pay tuition and set up autopay in an app on iPhone and Android?

Which one fits your center

Choose Bloomily when you want one system for a center's day: tours, check-in, live ratios, the daily report and tuition. If you run many locations or track subsidy approvals across several agencies, illumine's pages speak to that. See Bloomily for preschools and daycares and Bloomily's preschool pricing.