Little Minds Universe in Long Island, New York, prides itself on creating a safe, stimulating environment for children. But like many childcare providers, they faced a mountain of administrative challenges—also, keeping staff engaged and committed was becoming increasingly difficult.  

Center Director Jermaine was juggling paperwork, billing, and compliance, leaving him stretched thin and struggling to stay on top of daily operations. “I was up late every night catching up on reports. It took time away from my family,” he said. That’s when Little Minds discovered Playground, a complete childcare management app that would completely transform every step of their operations and help Jermaine prioritize more important tasks.

Challenge

For Jermaine, running Little Minds Universe was fulfilling but demanding, especially when systems were scattered and disconnected. “Pick-up, drop-off, billing, you name it—each was hectic,” he explained. He was using multiple systems to operate, and other parts of the business felt the burden. Managing these processes took him away from what mattered most: quality interactions with families and his team. Paperwork was piling up, with late-night hours handling the odds and ends of payroll and attendance. “I was bound to drop the ball somewhere,” Jermaine recalled.

Little Minds Universe struggled to create the unified experience they envisioned for staff, parents, and kids. Without a central system, they were losing valuable time, operating costs seemed to be rising, and staff turnover was high.

Solution

After evaluating his options, Jermaine chose Playground for its simplicity, easy-to-use tools, and the promise of accessing everything in one place. “We used to rely on several apps, but none of them were connected,” he said. Playground changed that.

Now all child records, including billing information, attendance records, and even allergy notes are accessible in a central, web-based platform. The all-in-one system means Little Minds no longer has to toggle between apps or manually update records, returning precious hours and cutting down on the opportunity for human error.

On the staff front, it helped teachers at Little Minds Universe do their jobs better too. Playground enabled teachers to become more active in capturing and communicating key moments to families. Staff at Little Minds Universe praise the speed and accuracy of Playground in making their jobs easier, and Jermaine—he was able to use the money he saved on staff bonuses, contributing to a huge increase in retention.

Benefits

The benefits of Playground for Little Minds Universe were instant. 

First, there was a major cost saving: “Playground saves us close to $2,000 a month,” Jermaine noted. With these savings, the center reinvested in its programs, its staff, and upgraded classrooms.

Staff retention saw a huge boost: In an industry notorious for high turnover, Jermaine was thrilled to see his team members stay longer. “Since we started with Playground, everyone has been here at least a year. That’s incredibly rare,” he said. Playground made daily processes simpler, reducing burnout and giving his team the support they needed to thrive.

Cost savings and staff retention aside, Playground also strengthened the sense of community at Little Minds: Communication between staff and parents improved, with Playground enabling quick updates on each child’s daily milestones. From capturing children’s first shoe-tying moments to notifying parents about a vegetable-eating victory, Playground helped keep parents connected to their children’s day. “Parents love the updates. They know exactly what’s going on, and they feel more involved,” Jermaine shared.

Key Outcomes and ROI

With Playground, Little Minds Universe was able to:

• Save $2,000 monthly – nearly $24,000 annually, reinvested into the program

• Boost staff retention – Jermaine saw retention rates climb, with staff staying over a year

• Strengthened sense of community – Parents and teachers benefited from improved communication and transparency

Little Minds digitized bookkeeping, simplified daily processes, and saved money, but best of all they were able to refocus on delivering quality care to those who deserve it. Now, Jermaine has more time for his team, parents are happier, and the kids enjoy the benefits of a well-resourced, well-staffed center.

For Little Minds Universe, Playground paved the way for a new chapter where the team could do what they do best: care for and nurture children. By embracing Playground, Little Minds Universe found the freedom to put children first, showing just how powerful a well-designed, director-centered tool can be in the world of childcare.