It’s all about the best and brightest in software automation for schools this week, as Kris welcomes Daniel Andrews and Sasha Reiss, co-founders of Playground, an innovative childcare management software company. They first share Playground’s unique story of being friends since high school and creating a solution for their own families’ childcare centers. Daniel and Sasha highlight Playground’s differentiating features, such as drop-in care management and integrated payroll modules, and they share insights into hiring practices and their vision for AI in childcare. At the end of the episode, Daniel and Sasha share lessons they’ve learned on scaling their own company and fun yet powerful ways to maintain a happy company culture.

Register for our ECE tech webinar with Playground here: https://www.childcaresuccess.com/how-to-navigate-the-evolving-tech-landscape-for-enhanced-operational-efficiency-in-your-ece-business-may-2-2024-webinar/

Key Takeaways:

[3:15 ] Kris announces the two-day virtual challenge, The Road to Freedom.

[6:31 ] Playground’s founding story.

[8:38 ] How does Playground’s mission and technology stand out in a crowded space?

[11:37 ] Perspective on ECE’s past of being a slower adopter of technology, and how that’s changing.

[12:53 ] The “grandma test.”

[15:38 ] The lessons Sasha and Daniel have learned about scaling and growing a business.

[17:09 ] Some of the tools and technology Playground uses.

[20:09 ] The grounding and stabilizing force of working with family.

[22:44 ] Personal and professional inspiration.

[25:29 ] What they look for in new hires.

[26:36 ] Playground’s short but effective interview process.

[31:29 ] What’s next for the Playground team?

[33:13 ] Using AI to improve family interactions, especially with communication, engagement, and lesson plans.

Quotes:

• “I think our differentiated approach is the new technology that we’re bringing. A lot of that comes down to really solving the problems that we are building software for.” — Daniel [8:39 ]

• “If we want to be able to compete and if we want to be able to operate at the same level, we need to adopt the same tools that they’re using.” — Sasha [14:10 ]

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