Procare bought Playground: what childcare programs should know

What happened

• September 14, 2026: Procare Solutions, a business unit of Roper Technologies, announced that it had acquired Playground, the childcare software at tryplayground.com. Terms weren't disclosed.
• In the announcement, Procare says it serves more than 40,000 centers and Playground more than 5,000 programs.

What customers have been told

• Procare's CEO said "nothing changes today": customers keep using the same products, and they don't need to do anything.
• As of October 21, 2026, we found no announced plan to combine the two products, change prices or change payment processing.

What to do now

If you use Playground, nothing requires you to move. But a change of owner is a good time to check your setup before your next renewal.

• Find your renewal date and notice period, and put both on your calendar.
• Export your data and keep a copy you control: families, children, enrollment, billing history and attendance records, including what you need for childcare subsidy billing, the Child and Adult Care Food Program (CACFP) and licensing.
• Review what you pay, including processing fees. See BackPR next to Playground and Procare.
• Ask in writing about anything that matters to you: product plans, payment processing, data access and contract terms.

Moving to BackPR

BackPR runs registration, tuition, enrollment forms and check-in in one place. Families register and pay online in English or Spanish. You can bill recurring tuition with autopay, or use deposits and payment plans. Staff check children in and out from their phones against each family's authorized pickup list. BackPR also covers childcare daily sheets (meals, naps, diapers and photos), live staff-to-child ratios, parent messaging and billing for subsidy agencies. We set up your account and import your families, children and programs from a spreadsheet or another system's export at no cost, and there's no long-term contract. You can export your data at any time. BackPR is free for registered nonprofits: no subscription and no BackPR fees, and BackPR never adds its own fee to what families pay. Card payments run on Stripe at Stripe's standard rates. Pricing for other organizations is by quote. See how switching works. More on BackPR for childcare.