Demystifying the electronic payment process so that you can accept credit card payments from parents.
It’s time to cut through the confusion surrounding electronic payments so that you can make the right options for your organization more clear. With off-the-shelf options like PayPal and Square, in addition to the myriad other choices flooding the market today it’s easy to get confused. However, with knowledge of just a few basic terms and concepts your choices will become much simpler.

Gateway: Many of you already process credit card payments through a terminal or point of sale system at your child care center. To accomplish this you had to set up a merchant account which processes your credit card transactions, deducts transaction fees and other charges, and then deposits the remaining balance into your bank account. When it comes to processing credit cards and other transactions such as ACH on the web, or through an app, you will need one additional party known as a gateway. Many merchant account providers are affiliated with a gateway, or in some cases are gateways themselves. In either case fees for these services may or may not show up on your bill as many merchant account providers build the fees into their transaction fees and other charges. Gateway fees can range between $15 and $50 a month for access to a gateway if you are processing credit cards online. Remember that having a merchant account does not automatically mean that you have a gateway or can process payments online as these services must be set up explicitly.
Choosing your providers: With that said, we can now dive into deciding which options work best for your organization. There are numerous providers when it comes to online payments for your organization beginning with off-the-shelf providers such as PayPal and Square. While off-the-shelf providers are enormously popular, easy to set up, and offer freebies they also represent the high side of individual transaction rates. Other child care systems also provide these type of services usually by reselling them packaged with their existing products and charges. These services can be a good option for in-home childcare businesses, or child care centers that are just getting started and have a small number of transactions each month. Most banks and credit unions can provide you with individual transaction rates that often significantly reduce costs to your organization overtime. Additionally, substantial savings can be had by going with a value-added-merchant service providers like our partners at First American. These partners offer “rate matching” and a host of other services in addition to the ability to process ACH transactions. This is an important consideration as most off-the-shelf services do not work with ACH, which is increasingly popular among child care customers.
At the end of the day you want to choose a service provider that will be transparent with costs, provide the greatest range of services, and meet the financial needs of both your customers and your organization. A great first step is to check with your current bank or credit union which will provide a good option, or at least a benchmark for vetting other value-added partners like ours. Please let us know if you have any questions about electronic payments for child care centers, or any other child care management tips you would like for us to provide in the future!
Recent Articles from Prime:

How to Attract Parents and Increase Childcare Enrollment Guide
There is an art to attracting and winning over parents when you are trying to boost your enrollment.
Check out this guide for some tips that will help you to help tackle the question of how to increase the number of enrolled and waitlisted kiddos for your center. … Read More

Prime Childcare V2.6 Now Supports Daily Body Temperature Checks to Protect Daycares and Other Facilities
Prime Childcare V2.6 now allows temperature checks that can be customized to meet facility standards, while being compliant with various state and local mandates. Facility administrators set a maximum temperature threshold which alerts staff whenever a child exceeds that number,

6 Secrets to Help Toddlers Develop a Love for Reading
Good reading skills benefit the child academically and are an essential skill for lifelong success. The following tips will help you turn your toddler into an avid reader all through the different life stages. … Read More

How To Lead A Low-Stress Move To A Child Care Management System
4 Important Steps To Help You & Your Staff Embrace The Digital Age The benefits of moving to a child care management system are numerous and well documented. What is far less well known is how to prepare. Transitioning from

5 Tips on Running a Successful Drop-In Program
Drop-in daycare can be a lucrative revenue stream for your daycare center, too. Before you start a drop-in program, though, it’s important to know the pros and cons of adding one. … Read More

Adding a New Revenue Stream With Drop-In Childcare
Hard times call for creative measures. Learn how to diversify your income stream with drop-in care. … Read More