Brightwheel CRM (Customer Relationship Management) gives child care directors and administrators a simple way to track every prospective family from first inquiry through enrollment, in a central place in brightwheel.
Capture leads, track follow-ups, and manage your program enrollment pipeline easily. No more lost leads in spreadsheets, email threads, or disconnected systems.
What you can do with CRM
📊 Forecasting
Forecast open spots: See when you'll have openings in each room so you know which families you can say yes to.
🏫 Pipeline management
Capture leads: Families who complete your interest form become leads automatically. You can also add leads yourself for walk-ins, phone calls, and referrals, or import a list from a file.
Track your pipeline: See every lead by stage on a board or table view: New inquiry, Contacted, Tour scheduled, Toured, Application, and Enrolled, Waitlisted, or Lost. Drag a lead to a new stage, or update several at once.
Manage your waitlist: View your waitlist by program and drag families into the order you prefer.
Enroll a lead: When you are ready to enroll the child, you can easily add them to a room and program.
📋 Data, scheduling, and paperwork
Keep notes and history: Each lead profile shows their emails, tours, and notes in one place. You can also add notes and log phone calls.
Schedule tours: Set the days and times you offer tours, and families can book a time themselves. Confirmations and reminders send automatically.
Send emails, paperwork, and fees: Use email templates for stage changes, and send forms, packets, and fees to a lead at any point.
Get started
To get started, you’ll first set up your CRM message templates that send automatically when students move along your admissions pipeline (E.g., Interested → Waitlisted), then your interest forms, and tour availability.
🚀 Get started here: Getting started with brightwheel CRM.
FAQs
Who can use brightwheel CRM?
Administrators only. Teachers and other staff can't access it.
I don't see brightwheel CRM in my account. Why?
New schools see it automatically, while existing schools with prospects already in brightwheel need to opt in for now. Learn how to opt in.
Can I use CRM on the mobile app?
Not yet. CRM is available on web only. Families can complete the interest form and book tours from a phone or computer browser.
What happens to my Admissions tab?
Your Admissions tab will continue to appear for now. We'll let you know well in advance if anything changes and guide you through it. If you have questions, feel free to contact brightwheel Support.
How does CRM work with existing forms and packets?
The two tools work together: when you enroll a family using brightwheel CRM, you can send any existing forms or enrollment packets in the same step.