The AI-native Brightwheel alternative built for compliance-heavy daycares
If you run a daycare in a state with serious compliance requirements - ratio audits, CACFP claims, immunization tracking, Brightwheel works, but you end up doing the compliance work outside the app anyway. Rawdly was built the other way around: compliance is the product, and the rest (check-in, billing, parent messaging) is just table stakes.
At a glance
The short version. A complete feature-by-feature matrix follows further down.
| Capability | Brightwheel | Rawdly |
|---|---|---|
| Daily check-in + parent updates | ||
| Invoicing + ACH / card | ||
| WA WAC 110-300 inspector mode (PDF) | ||
| Live ratio compliance monitor | ||
| CACFP menu planning + reimbursement | Partial (manual) | End-to-end |
| WCCC subsidy split-invoicing + SSPS | ||
| AI incident report drafting (voice) | ||
| Immutable audit log (SOC 2 ready) | ||
| Background checks (Sterling / Checkr) | Sterling only | Both providers |
| Multilingual parent messaging | UI translation only | AI-translated chat |
Why directors are switching
Example scenarios drawn from beta interviews. We'll replace these with named, attributed quotes once our Sprint 4 beta cohort has consented to be referenced publicly.
Passing inspection without rebuilding the binder
A licensed home daycare in Tacoma kept Brightwheel for daily check-in but maintained a separate paper binder for the licensor. When the inspector asked for the last 30 days of ratios in 30 minutes, the director exported a Rawdly “License Inspector” PDF and the inspection was over by lunch.
CACFP from a Sunday-evening project to two clicks
A faith-based daycare in Bellevue spent every Sunday evening cross-referencing Brightwheel check-in data with a hand-written meal sign-in sheet, then keying it into OSPI-WINS. Rawdly's CACFP module generates the claim packet PDF and the OSPI-WINS CSV automatically, their first reimbursement check arrived 14 days earlier than the previous month.
Incident reports in 90 seconds, by voice
A multi-site director in Spokane records a 60-second voice memo describing what happened; Rawdly's AI drafts the formal report; the director reviews, edits, signs, and sends. The previous workflow was 25 minutes per report on average, mostly retyping notes from a phone into Brightwheel's free-text field.
Feature-by-feature breakdown
Compliance & licensing
| Capability | Brightwheel | Rawdly |
|---|---|---|
| State-licensed daycare ratio config | Manual, in notes | Configurable per classroom, WA WAC seeded |
| Live ratio breach alerts | Push + dashboard banner | |
| 30-day ratio history view | ||
| Inspector-format PDF export | One tap | |
| Immutable audit log (every change) | Append-only, 7-year retention | |
| SOC 2 Type II | In progress (Sprint 12) |
Billing & subsidies
| Capability | Brightwheel | Rawdly |
|---|---|---|
| Invoice + ACH / card collection | ||
| Late-fee automation | ||
| WCCC subsidy split-invoicing | ||
| DCYF SSPS-format export | ||
| Subsidy reconciliation engine | ||
| QuickBooks / Xero export with COA mapping | CSV only | Saved mappings (Sprint 7) |
CACFP
| Capability | Brightwheel | Rawdly |
|---|---|---|
| USDA foods catalog | ||
| Meal-pattern compliance rules | ||
| Reimbursement calculator (Tier I + II) | Manual | |
| OSPI-WINS CSV export | ||
| Monthly claim packet PDF |
AI features
| Capability | Brightwheel | Rawdly |
|---|---|---|
| AI incident report drafting (voice → formal write-up) | Sprint 4 | |
| AI allergy alerts (cross-checks menu vs. child profile) | Sprint 7 | |
| AI translation of parent messages | Sprint 6 | |
| AI lesson plan drafting (aligned to ELG) | Sprint 5 | |
| AI daily summaries for parents | Available today |
What Brightwheel does that Rawdly does not (yet)
- Public marketplace for parents searching nearby daycares. Rawdly is a director-first product. A /find-a-daycare directory is on the roadmap for Phase 2 but not in 2026.
- Brightwheel learning curriculum add-on. Brightwheel sells a curriculum module. Rawdly does not, we focus on operational compliance and AI workflows.
- Multi-program scheduling beyond daycare. After-school programs with rolling rosters work in Brightwheel. Rawdly's 2026 roadmap covers daycare and preschool only.
Migration: how to switch from Brightwheel
Average migration time for a single-site, 30-child daycare: under 2 hours.
- 1
Export your data from Brightwheel
Children, staff, attendance, invoices, all available as CSV from the Brightwheel admin console.
- 2
Run the Rawdly importer
Drop the CSVs into Settings → Import. The importer validates rows and shows a preview before commit.
- 3
Reconnect parent accounts
Parents receive an email to set their Rawdly password. New messaging works immediately; old Brightwheel threads do not migrate (no Brightwheel export API for messages).
- 4
Configure your CACFP and subsidy programs
Set up once, claims auto-generate. This is the step that pays for the migration, most centers recover the switching cost in the first claim cycle.
- 5
Generate your first License Inspector PDF
Sanity-check the 30-day export and you're ready for an unannounced inspection the same day.
Pricing comparison
Brightwheel does not publish public pricing. Per public reviews on G2 and Capterra, mid-size daycares (25–50 children) report monthly fees of $200–$450, with add-ons for billing and curriculum sold separately.
Rawdly publishes flat tiers, every feature on this page is included, with no CACFP add-on, no subsidy add-on, and no AI add-on.
FAQ
Is Rawdly really free to try?
Can I run Brightwheel and Rawdly side-by-side during a migration?
Will I lose my Brightwheel parent messaging history?
Does Rawdly work for in-home / family daycare providers?
Is Rawdly available outside Washington State today?
Compliance is the product
Everything else is table stakes. Book a 15-minute walkthrough or try the live sandbox, no signup, no card, no follow-up sales call.