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Quickstart guide to using brightwheel

Easy-to-follow set-up guide sharing how you can become a brightwheel daily user in just a few weeks

Sabrina avatar
Written by Sabrina
Updated this week

Welcome to brightwheel! 🎉

Most admins are able to learn how to use brightwheel daily in just a few weeks, and in this guide, we'll show you how in 3 easy steps.

Hear what other customers have to say about their brightwheel experience!

Pathways to getting started

Everyone learns differently, so brightwheel offers multiple guided options:

  • This guide is a great option!

  • Enroll in brightwheel Academy for a guided course with practice.

  • Access the starter guide within your brightwheel account on the web. You can return to this guide to finish setup:

To know before you get started

Before we start, here are some tips to get the most from brightwheel:

  • Set aside 1–2 hours in the first weeks to complete setup stepps, either all at once or spread out. This helps you learn the basics and connect with your trainer.

  • Add your student roster early to unlock features faster! If you’re busy, invite a staff member to help - it only takes 2 minutes.

  • Click step titles below to see setup details. Blue underlined text links to helpful Help Center articles.

  • Have questions? Our expert team is here to help you get set up on brightwheel!

Step 1

Set up the essentials

[Part 1] Log into your account and download the app

  1. Login via your computer at schools.mybrightwheel.com

    1. Your username is your email address

    2. Your password is whatever you set it to be - you can reset it if needed

  2. Download and log in via the brightwheel app on a phone and/or tablet

    1. Apple

    2. Android

[Part 2] Add your Students and Parents

This is one of the most important steps to get started using features that will help you daily! Choose from one of the 3 options below to submit your roster to our team. We'll take it from there!

Go to the Students tab on the left-hand side of your screen to get started.

  1. Have a roster on your computer already or on your mobile device? You can submit via our Roster Upload Tool by taking a photo or uploading a file.

  2. Have a roster in another system? Visit this article on how to export rosters to brightwheel easily or watch this video where we show you how!

  3. Don't have a roster on your computer yet? Don't worry! Easily create one with our brightwheel roster template (use our ready-to-go Excel template or make a copy of our Google Sheets template).

You'll receive an email within 2 business days once your roster has been uploaded. While we are uploading your roster, you can...

💡Important Notes

  • We suggest adding, at a minimum, the student's first and last name, their room assignment, their parent's first and last name, and either the parent's mobile number or their email address (this way, you won’t have to add that manually later).

  • Have a smaller school? If you want to add your roster manually in brightwheel, you can do that too! Just click on the "+ New Students" button in your "Students" tab - we show you how to do the rest here!

[Part 3] Check-In

Brightwheel provides a secure and configurable check-in experience that staff and parents will love! Our Check-In tool is versatile so that can meet your center's needs.
​

If you're using brightwheel premium, you can explore options like:

  1. Let parents sign in with either 4-digit codes or digital signatures

  2. Enabling touchless check-in via our QuickScan QR codes

  3. Viewing reports to track drop-off and attendance

To view more information about the options available to you, visit Student Check-In Overview!

[Part 4] Messaging

Brightwheel has lots of options to keep you connected with your staff and families.

You can easily message one parent individually, an entire room, or even the full school! Easily message staff individually or all together.

Below are videos showing the two most popular forms of messaging, a parent favorite! For more information on messaging, visit Messaging Overview.

[Part 5] Log Activities

Families say that seeing their child's activities is what they love most about centers that use brightwheel! Admins and staff can send photos or videos to parents, log activities like 'Naps' or even track meals with 'Food'.

Here are steps to log an activity:

  1. Select a Room

  2. Click the Add Activity wheel

  3. Select an activity

  4. Tag individuals or all of the children

  5. Log the activity

You can easily edit or delete activities once you've logged them. Learn how to do that (and more) here!

Learn how to get set up on the essentials so you can start to use the features that will save you time and delight parents! In this section, you'll learn how to:

  • Log into your account and download the app (5 mins)

  • Add your students and parents (15-60 mins)

  • Check-in, message, log activities (15-30 mins)

Frequently asked questions (FAQs)

I'm looking to get a new device for my program. Which one should I get?

Here is a list of affordable devices we recommend.

Why do I need 2-factor authentication (2FA)?

brightwheel prides itself on taking the safety and security of your students and families seriously! For more information about our industry-first 2-factor authentication features, visit this article on the help center.

I'd prefer to add my students and families manually rather than via the roster upload. Can I do that?

Yes!

Step 2

Get paid with brightwheel Billing

[Part 1] Set up your Billing Plans

Now is the time to set up your Billing Plans so you can save hours each month with automatic invoices! Short on time? Consider asking someone who also manages your program's billing to help.

  1. Navigate to the Billing tab on the web

  2. Click Select an Action

  3. Next, click Set up a billing plan

  4. Now choose your student(s), select the Billing schedule (e.g., how often you want to send invoices) and add charges (sometimes called rates or tuition).

Once you create billing plans, you can add discounts, split charges between payers, and set up copays!


💡Tip: We recommend spending some time adding your program's recurring charges and rates to your brightwheel Billing Library. Once added, you can easily reuse the charges and save time creating future bills.

[Part 2] Edit your Billing Settings

To customize your billing settings, navigate to the Billing section on the web and click the Settings tab. You can edit your Billing settings to:

  • Customize accepted payment methods

  • Require autopay

  • Pass processing fees to payers

  • Add late fees

Next, make sure you have added your deposit account to begin accepting payments in brightwheel!

[Part 3] Invite and Remind Families to pay with brightwheel

Now that you have your billing plans set up, you can invite families to make it quick, easy, and secure for them to pay online! Parents will get an email or text inviting them to pay with brightwheel.

  1. Go to My School and click the Parents section on the web

  2. Then you'll have the option to invite payers to set up their brightwheel account, invite them to pay with brightwheel and/or set up autopay

  3. Click Invite next to any individuals or Invite All to invite payers in bulk

If payers need a reminder to set up Billing and Autopay, just repeat the invite steps to remind them

💡Tip: Here are some free resources you can share with families to get them excited about using brightwheel Billing:

💡 90% of preschools report more families pay on time with brightwheel! Admins spend about an hour on setup but save hours each month on invoicing, reporting, and during tax season.

In this section, you’ll:

  • Set up your billing plans (30-60 mins)

  • Edit your billing settings (15 mins)

  • Invite and remind families to pay with brightwheel (15 mins)

Prefer a quick guide? Check out the printable checklist to track your progress!

Click here for additional billing resources

  1. Still haven't added a deposit account? You can add one easily and securely and get it verified by following the steps here.

  2. Want a training refresh? You can visit this page to watch our Financial Management webinar and get a list of the most useful Help Center articles!

  3. brightwheel Billing has lots more features and reports that can save you time each day, month, or year (like during tax season!). Check out this collection of Help Center articles to learn more.

Step 3

Onboard Families and Staff to brightwheel

[Part 1] Invite your Families

Once your roster has been uploaded, you can invite your families!

On the web, click My School and select the Parents tab. Under the 'Signed Up column,' hit Invite All to send families an invitation to create a brightwheel account. Invitations will be sent via Email or SMS text messaging, or you can also invite parents via a 10-Digit Code.
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If you haven't sent your welcome message to families yet, this is a great time to do so! You can find an example draft here.

Here's what the families will see during the invite process!

[Part 2] Add, invite, and train your Staff

  1. Take steps to add staff via the web or the app (see how in the video below)

    • If your staff will use personal devices, include their email address in addition to their first and last name

    • If your staff will use a shared program device, don't add their email address. Add them with first and last names only

  2. Send staff a brightwheel welcome message or training video. Free templates can be found here!

  3. If you've added staff with email addresses, have them set up their brightwheel account

💡 Tip: Have teachers practice logging activities with demo students first. This way, they can get familiar with the app without using real student profiles. Jump to Logging Activities below to learn more!

In this final section, you'll learn how to:

  • Invite your families (15 mins)

  • Add, invite, and train your Staff (30 mins)

Hooray, you did it! 🎉 What's next?

  • If you had trouble with one of the above steps and want help, try getting in touch with your brightwheel trainer to see how they can help, or visit the Help Center!

  • Learn about some advance brightwheel features that will save you even more time!

    • 📝 Documents - Share important information like handbooks, menus, or event flyers with parents and/or staff!

    • 👥 Staff Check-in - Let staff easily clock in and out and seamlessly manage room ratios!

    • 📊 Reporting - Check out reports for menu planning, billing and taxes, learning and assessments, and more!

Additional resources

Now that you've got the hang of it, if you still want to learn more with brightwheel, we included tips on a few other features that help admins, staff, and parents across the country every day.

Set Up Tablets

Check-in

Messaging

Billing

Schedules

Admissions

Learning

Need additional help? Reach out to the brightwheel Support Team and we can guide you as needed!

Related Articles
Sign-up for brightwheel as staff
Overview of how to use brightwheel as a Parent, Family, or Approved Pickup
Quickstart guide to set up Billing
Get started paying in brightwheel (for payers)
Invite families to pay with brightwheel
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