Should I switch to Famly?

Moving your Early Years setting to new software can be daunting. You have to consider the time, the cost, the team learning a new system, the potential stress of moving all that data and, unfortunately, that fear of switching can leave you stuck with software you don’t really want or use for far too long. So what should you do?

That’s exactly what this article is all about…

“I would say this: every time I ask somebody, you know, how is the system going, you know, are you embedded within the sort of routines and the processes, the thing that always comes back to me is staff say, you should have done this a long time ago.”

Neil Leitch, CEO, Early Years Alliance

Should I switch to another nursery software?

As counter-intuitive as it sounds, put the actual process of switching aside for the moment (I promise we’ll get back to that later). First, ask yourself the following questions about your current nursery management software:

1. When was the last time the new features were released? Does the platform keep up-to-date with current legislation and frameworks?
2. Is it easy for new team members to get up to speed and learn how to use it effectively?
3. Do parents and carers understand how your app works without too much support? Do they actively use it, responding to posts and photos, for example?
4. When you need help with your current platform, is it easy to get the problem resolved?
5. Are you regularly dealing with slowness, things not working as they should, or frequent bugs?
6. Overall, is your current system actually making things easier, or are you just putting up with it? 

If any of those questions made you stop and think, it’s probably worth at least exploring other options.

“With nurseries, it's always worth being open-minded to doing something easier, better, quicker. One of the things I do like about Famly is the fact that you can move through it easily. You don't have to go into loads of different screens to do things. It's very simplistic - they've just made it very straightforward”

Amy Johnson, Financial Controller, Grandir UK

Which is the best nursery management software?

This is a question we hear a lot and, as easy as it would be to just shout “FAMLY!!”, the answer isn’t actually that straightforward. 

To make the process of weighing up the pros and cons of all the options easier, we’ve created this guide to choosing Early Years software, and a checklist to help you compare the features that matter most to your setting.

“When we began the process of comparing the platforms, Famly were way, way ahead of everybody else in terms of overall ability to meet such a wide range of requirements. The others were trailing Famly - Famly’s coverage was better than anybody else.”

Neil Pace, Principal Consultant, Dynalogic (for Grandir UK)

How do I move children’s and families’ data over to a new early childhood platform?

Once you’ve had your demo, made that all-important decision, and are ready to roll out Famly, the next step is getting all the information in the right place. Famly has a team of dedicated onboarding specialists, as well as our regular support team, and easy-to-follow guides to make it as smooth as possible. 

The main thing to remember here is that all of the help, support, and guidance you need is included in your package with Famly. We don’t charge for set-up, training, or uploading data for you. It’s all just part of making the process the best it can be for Early Years settings.

“It couldn’t have been a more positive process. There was no rush, no pressure, and Alan couldn’t do enough. I was worried that we were asking too many questions and he’d be thinking ‘Oh no, it’s South Tyneside again!’ but he was always so patient and helpful.”

Karen Pippett, Early Years Team Manager, STANLEY’s of South Tyneside Council

How long will it take to get up and running with Famly?

The onboarding process with Famly is bespoke to your pace. Want Famly rolled out yesterday? We’ll do our best to get you going right away, But, if you’re someone who prefers to make changes slowly, that’s fine too.

If you’re a larger group of nurseries, your set-up will be planned bespoke to how you work, and project managed by your account manager.

If you’re a smaller group or single-site setting, however, things are far more straightforward! Generally, your onboarding will look something like this and take around 4 weeks, on average.

Step 1: The basics and your first launch call

The set-up guide helps you through the basics of Famly’s Early Childhood Platform, including adding children and creating newsfeed posts. You’ll also follow this guide to get your finances set up and take a look at the parent perspective.

Once you’re ready, it’s time for the first launch call, where an onboarding specialist will review your setup and answer any questions. They’ll also support you with what the next steps are, as below.

Step 2: Attendance, payments and the second launch call.

You’ll complete the next steps of getting set up, including getting familiar with children’s plans and how fees will be paid. You’ll also learn about monitoring attendance and children’s daily logs, as well as staffing. 

Again, as soon as you’re ready, you’ll have your second onboarding call with the team to catch up on your progress and answer any further questions.  

Step 3: The final set-up and launch!

Now you’re almost ready to roll out Famly. At this stage you’ll be learning about 

• Observations and recording children’s progress 
• Adding parents to Famly and digital parental permissions
• Logging accident reports and adding meal plans 
• Creating enquiry forms and taking care of future occupancy
  

Again, when you’re ready, you’ll have your final Q&A call where the team can make sure you’re ready to go

“It’s been incredibly easy to roll out, so much easier than we anticipated – probably we wouldn’t have taken so long to make our decision had we known.”

Olivia Foley, Hungry Caterpillars

What is Famly’s support like?

Here at Famly, we really mean it when we say we’re here to help. You can access support with Famly in any of the following ways:

• The Famly help centre, full of guides, explainers, and FAQs about everything you’ll find on our Early Childhood Platform.
• Chat in-app or on the website
• Talk to 1000s of other Famly users in Village, our online community.
• Email the team at support@famly.co
• Give us a call
• Or why not pop in? The kettle’s always on!

All in all, we just want to make getting on board as easy and stress-free as possible.

Continuous improvement

Much like an excited toddler during circle time, the developers at Famly just will not sit still. We’re continually striving to improve the platform with new features, fixes, updates, and ways to make Famly better for everyone who uses it.

In the last 6 months (March to September 2026), Famly engineers:

• Released 18 brand-new features (these might be either requests from customers or to stay in line with updated legislation) 
• Updated 53 features (these can be improvements to how the feature looks or works, based on user feedback) 
• Created 9 replacement features (this might be if a feature is useful to customers but needs an overhaul to make it perform better or work better with another part of the platform)

‍“I like that new things are added, as we never had that with our old platforms. On our old systems, nothing new was added the whole time we used them - it got so stale. Now in Famly, I regularly get the little red dot in the platform, and I think, ‘Ooh! What’s come out now?’ That’s been really good to see.”

Matt Weeks, Manager, Hazelwood Nursery and Early Years

It’s important to note that we never change with the app for the sake of it. We know that Early Years educators need to be able to use Famly quickly and intuitively, which can’t happen if a feature was in one menu one day and somewhere completely different the next. Each change is deliberate and thought-out, and tested on a small group of users before it’s rolled out. 

You can learn more about how we develop new features here.

“We are always so impressed with the attention and delivery for any issues or suggestions we have taken to Famly. The app is constantly evolving, and the team at Famly are very good at involving the end user at every stage of the development.”

Sarah Fromageot, Marketing Manager, Kindred

Is it really that easy to switch to Famly?

We think so, but hopefully the quotes from real Famly customers throughout this article prove it.

But it’s not just the switching itself that matters; our customers remain with us due to ongoing satisfaction, long after they’ve rolled out. In short, people tend to come and stay.

If you want to find out more about Famly’s Early Childhood Platform, you can chat to one of our team here.

“Having Famly open to building a relationship and staying in the relationship was so important. You quite often find with suppliers that everyone's really keen in the first couple of months, but then it starts to peter out. We didn't see that at all with Famly. We saw commitment right the way through.”

Lydia Hopper, CEO, Grandir UK