Frequently Asked Questions

Does it cost anything to use Zukeepr as a parent?

Browsing daycares is free, and so is applying — the free plan covers up to five active applications at a time. You pay a one-time $10 administrative fee only if a daycare accepts your application, and the Zukeepr service fee on each invoice after that — $3 + 0.55% per invoice, starting with the December 1 billing run (currently $3 + 1%). Stripe payment processing fees apply to every transaction and are shown before you are charged.

How do I know a daycare is licensed?

Every daycare's license document is reviewed by our team before its listing goes live.

How many daycares can I apply to?

Up to five at a time on the free plan. Applications that have been declined do not count against that, so the limit is about how many are live at once rather than how many you have ever sent. Premium lifts the limit if you need more — see the pricing page for details.

What happens after I apply?

The daycare reviews your application and either offers you a place or declines. You will see the status change in your dashboard and receive an email. If you are offered a place, you choose whether to accept — nothing is charged unless you do.

When am I charged?

Nothing is charged while you browse or apply. The $10 administrative fee is charged at the moment you accept an offer of enrollment, alongside any registration fee the daycare has set. Monthly tuition begins according to the schedule your daycare sets.

Can I see attendance and daily notes for my child?

Where your daycare has enabled those tools. Attendance, daily logs, meals, naps and report cards are optional features each daycare switches on for itself, so availability depends on your provider rather than on your plan.

How long are photos kept?

Photos in report cards and messages are kept for 30 days. Open any photo to save it to your device.

How do I pay?

Through Zukeepr, by credit card, using Stripe. US families can also pay from a US bank account (ACH), which is the lower-cost option where it is available. Your payment details are held by Stripe, not by Zukeepr, and every invoice itemizes what you are paying before you are charged.

Is Zukeepr available where I live?

Parent search is starting in North Texas. Search your area to see which licensed daycares are listed near you today.

What can I run on Zukeepr day to day?

The whole day. Check children in and out from your roster, keep a daily log of meals and naps, send daily report cards, file incident reports (with PDF export), publish events and closures on a calendar, and print emergency-contact and pickup sheets. For your team there is a staff list, staff logins with Staff and Manager roles, rooms, staff time off and certification tracking with automatic expiry reminders. Billing runs monthly on its own, and families get receipts in your legal business name and tax receipts at year end.

How much does Zukeepr cost for daycares?

Running your daycare on Zukeepr is free for up to 20 enrolled families — attendance, daily logs, report cards, incident reports, staff logins, billing and messaging are all included. Premium is $11.99/month USD/CAD (first month free) and removes the limits — more than 20 families and up to 5 locations — and adds staff coverage planning, accounting CSV export, photos in messages, automatic child and staff birthdays on your calendar, a local tuition benchmark (your rates vs licensed daycares in your city, shown once at least five of them list prices), listing performance (views, saves and applications over the last 30 days, with tips), a capacity timeline (filled and open spots in each room for the next 12 months, with what each empty spot costs) and income and losses by month. Promoted listings start at $29/month per city.

Can my staff use Zukeepr?

Yes, on every plan. Invite each team member to their own login as Staff or Manager. Staff check children in and out, write daily logs and report cards and message families; Managers also handle applications, reviews, rooms and certifications. Billing and your center's settings stay with you as the owner. Coverage planning by room, with ratios and time off, is part of Daycare Premium.

How does Zukeepr check daycares?

You add your childcare license number and upload your license during setup. We review every license document before a listing goes live — usually within 1–2 business days. Publishing your listing also needs your pricing and a connected bank account.

How do payments work?

You connect a Stripe account during onboarding and set each child's rate, part-time rates included. Monthly billing then runs automatically: families pay through the Zukeepr app — by credit card, and US families can also pay from a US bank account (ACH) — and Stripe deposits your full tuition amount directly into your account. Your accounting view shows what has been billed, paid and is still owed. The Zukeepr service fee — $3 + 0.55% per invoice, starting with the December 1 billing run (currently $3 + 1%) — is charged to the parent, not to you.

Can I manage multiple locations?

Yes. The free plan covers one location. Daycare Premium ($11.99/month USD/CAD) includes up to 5 locations under one account. Need more? Contact us at support@zukeepr.com for a custom plan.

Do you take a cut of my tuition?

Never. Zukeepr charges parents the Zukeepr service fee: $3 + 0.55% per invoice, starting with the December 1 billing run (currently $3 + 1%). Your tuition goes 100% to you via Stripe Connect.

Does Stripe charge me?

No. No Stripe fees are taken from your amount — you receive your full amount. Parents pay Stripe’s payment processing fee on top of what you charge, and Zukeepr pays Stripe’s Connect and invoicing costs out of its service fee.

Do I have to take applications through Zukeepr?

No. Most of Zukeepr is for running the center you already have, and the marketplace is optional upside. Your verified listing stays up. You choose when you take applications, and you can mark spots as available or unavailable whenever you like. If you keep your own waitlist, keep it — many providers use Zukeepr to fill the occasional opening alongside it.

How long does it take to set up?

Most daycares complete their profile in under 10 minutes. We review your license document, usually within 1–2 business days. Once your license is approved and your pricing and bank account are in place, you can publish your listing.

Is Zukeepr available in my city?

The tools for running your daycare work anywhere in the US and Canada, from day one. Parent search is starting in North Texas; list your daycare now and families will find you as search opens near you.

How is a family charged for their first month?

If care starts after the 10th, or after that month’s billing run, the rest of that month is the family’s first tuition payment, charged on the day care starts (by US bank account, on or after that day and at least 10 days after its notice). Every month after that is charged in full on the 1st. You receive your full amount. Parents pay Zukeepr’s service fee and Stripe’s processing fee. Zukeepr pays Stripe’s Connect costs out of the service fee.

Is applying really free?

Yes. Browsing every listed daycare is free, and so is applying — the free plan covers up to five active applications at a time, and declined applications do not count towards that. You are not charged anything until a daycare accepts you. No credit card is required to apply.

When exactly am I charged the $10?

Only after a daycare accepts your application and you accept their offer. The fee is charged per child, per daycare — so enrolling two children, or enrolling one child at a second daycare later, means the fee applies to each enrollment. If your application is declined or expires, or you decline the offer, you are not charged. This matches Section 5.2 of the Parent Agreement.

How does the Zukeepr service fee work?

It's $3 plus 1% of the amount your daycare set, on each invoice, per child — rounded to the cent. It becomes $3 + 0.55% per invoice, starting with the December 1 billing run (currently $3 + 1%): on $1,000 of tuition that is $8.50. Two children enrolled means one invoice, and one service fee, for each. If your daycare sends a separate charge through the platform, such as a late-pickup or supplies fee, that invoice carries its own service fee. It's never charged on the acceptance payment, which carries the one-time $10 admin fee instead. Your daycare receives its full amount, and you always see exactly what you'll owe before you pay.

What payment methods do you accept?

Credit cards, and US families can also pay from a US bank account (ACH). Canadian families pay by credit card. Both carry Stripe's processing fees, which we pass through at cost and never mark up: for a credit card, Stripe's cost of about 2.9% + $0.30, never more than 3% of the amount; for a US bank account, 0.8% capped at $5.00 per successful transaction. For US families, paying by bank account is the lower-cost option for recurring monthly tuition. Credit-card payments made before December 7, 2026 carry no processing fee — Zukeepr covers it.

Why is there a processing fee at all?

Banks and card networks charge to move money. We don't hide that cost inside higher prices or take a cut of it. We show it to you, charge it at cost, and point you to the cheapest option.

Can I switch payment methods?

Yes, anytime. Head to Billing → Payment Method to update your payment method. The change takes effect on your next billing cycle — your existing enrollments and payment history are never affected.

Can I cancel anytime?

Yes. No contracts, no lock-in, no cancellation fees. Cancel whenever you need to — we'll never hold you to anything.

Do you take a cut of tuition?

Never. Daycares set their own tuition rates and receive the full amount they set, paid directly through Stripe Connect. Zukeepr charges the parent the Zukeepr service fee, $3 + 0.55% per invoice, starting with the December 1 billing run (currently $3 + 1%); nothing is deducted from the daycare's payout.

My daycare just joined Zukeepr — do I pay the $10 fee?

No — if your daycare is already on Zukeepr and invited you directly, that enrollment carries no admin fee. You'll be set up automatically and can start using the platform right away. The exemption is tied to the invitation itself, so a second child the daycare has not invited would be treated as a new application.