Procare vs TUIO
Procare Solutions sells child care management software and processes the payments itself. TUIO is billing, enrollment and student records for schools and childcare centres in Canada and the United States.
Both run payment plans, take payments automatically and invoice families. They differ on who holds the money, what they cost, and what is included.
The short answer
Procare has been in child care software for over 30 years and is built, in its own words, “specifically for supporting child care centers, before and after school organizations and youth programs”. Billing is one part of it: the same product runs attendance and check-in, classroom management, staff scheduling, payroll, financial reporting and family engagement.
TUIO is one platform. Tuition management, enrollment, student records, communication and fundraising come together on both plans, and the same team answers the school and the parents.
Neither one sits on the money waiting for a remittance date. Procare says payments transfer “from each payer’s bank account or credit card (if applicable) directly to your account”, and describes itself as a first-party payment processor; its own footer states that “Procare Software is a registered ISO of PNC Bank, N.A., Pittsburgh, PA”. With TUIO the school is its own merchant of record, with its own banking relationship and its own settlement, so a family’s payment moves to the school’s own account. TUIO never holds the funds.
Procare advertises next-business-day funding with a footnote of its own attached: “Subject to bank funding and processing approvals”. TUIO payouts start at 5 business days for pre-authorized debit and 3 for cards, and a school can apply to move to next business day after three months of processing.
TUIO publishes its plan price and its bank-debit rate. TUIO Starter has no annual fee, and bank debit is 0.25% per transaction with a minimum of $2.50. TUIO Professional is $500 a year per location, in Canadian dollars for Canadian schools and US dollars for US schools, and bank debit is $0.75 per transaction.
What each one is
- Procare
Procare Solutions, of Denver, Colorado. Over 30 years in child care software.
Built, in its own words, “specifically for supporting child care centers, before and after school organizations and youth programs” — procaresoftware.com.
Billing sits inside a centre-management product that also covers attendance and check-in, classroom management, staff scheduling, payroll, financial reporting and family engagement.
Procare processes payments itself. It calls itself “a first-party payment processor”, and its site footer states “Procare Software is a registered ISO of PNC Bank, N.A., Pittsburgh, PA.”
Families pay by electronic funds transfer, online, through the child care mobile app, or in person on a card reader.
Its Capterra listing stands at 4.6 out of 5 from 2,809 reviews, with customer service scoring 4.6 and reviews running through 2026.
- TUIO
TUIO, of Toronto. Sold to independent and private schools, faith-based schools, Montessori schools, preschools and childcare centres, and public schools across Canada and the United States, in roughly equal numbers.
One platform: tuition management, enrollment and waitlists, communication and fundraising on both plans. Professional adds student information forms, attendance, roles and permissions, GL exports and tax receipts.
Each school is its own merchant of record with its own settlement. TUIO never holds the funds.
Support runs 09:00 to 21:00 Monday to Friday and is unlimited, for school staff and for parents alike.
CRA and IRS tax receipts are produced by a school administrator from the records already in the system, so they can be edited and signed off before they go out.
Onboarding is one live hour with a TUIO specialist. Prices are published.
TUIO and Procare, side by side
| What | TUIO | Procare |
|---|---|---|
| Who holds the money between the family and the school | The school does. Each school is its own merchant of record, with its own banking relationship and its own settlement, so the money moves from the family to the school. TUIO never holds the funds. | Procare says payments transfer “from each payer’s bank account or credit card (if applicable) directly to your account”. It describes itself as a first-party payment processor, and its footer states “Procare Software is a registered ISO of PNC Bank, N.A., Pittsburgh, PA.” Procare payment processing |
| How soon the school is paid | Payouts start at 5 business days for pre-authorized debit and 3 for cards. After three months of processing with TUIO, you can apply to move to next business day. | “Funds typically made available to you by the next business day.” The asterisk Procare puts on that sentence reads “Subject to bank funding and processing approvals”. Cards and bank debit are given the same figure. Procare payment processing |
| What the school pays | TUIO Starter has no annual fee, and bank debit is 0.25% per transaction with a minimum of $2.50. TUIO Professional is $500 a year per location, billed in Canadian dollars for Canadian schools and US dollars for US schools, and bank debit is $0.75 per transaction. Schools choose whether to absorb transaction fees or pass them on, in full or in part, on both bank and card payments. | Not published. Procare’s payment page advertises “Zero contracts, set-up fees, per-child charges and more!” and asks centres to get in touch. Procare payment processing |
| How it is priced | Both plans and their per-transaction rates are published on tuiopay.com, so a school can work out what it will pay before speaking to anyone. Choosing the plan is the only decision: there is no module list and nothing is quoted separately. | One bundled price, quoted rather than published. Procare says it “offers everything you need to manage your child care business for one low monthly price”, on a page that is itself a request-pricing form. Procare pricing |
| What a family pays | No annual per-family fee. Anything a family pays is a transaction fee the school has chosen to pass on, in full or in part. | Not published. Procare payment processing |
| What comes with it | Tuition management, enrollment and waitlists, communication and fundraising, on both plans. TUIO Professional adds student information forms, attendance and class management, roles and permissions, GL accounts and custom exports, and tax receipts. Nothing is sold as a separate module. | Billing sits inside a centre-management product that also covers attendance and check-in, classroom management, staff scheduling, payroll, financial reporting and family engagement. Procare payment processing |
| How families can pay | Pre-authorized debit in Canada, ACH in the United States, and credit or debit card. Families choose per payment plan. | Electronic funds transfer, credit and debit cards, payments through the child care mobile app, and card readers for taking payment in person at the centre. Procare payment processing |
| Support | 09:00 to 21:00 Monday to Friday, by phone, email, live chat or WhatsApp, and unlimited, for school staff and for parents. | Customer service is rated 4.6 out of 5 on Procare’s Capterra listing, across 2,809 reviews running through 2026. Capterra |
| Tax receipts | An administrator produces CRA and IRS tax receipts from the records already in the system, so they can be checked and signed off before families get them. | Procare’s guidance on year-end invoices for families covers the IRS Form W-10 and the provider’s EIN. A Tax ID Number can be entered so that it prints on statements and receipts. Procare blog |
| Who it is sold to | Independent and private schools, faith-based schools, Montessori schools, preschools and childcare centres, and public schools, across Canada and the United States. About half of TUIO’s customers are in the United States. | Child care centers, before-and-after-school organizations and youth programs, in Procare’s own words. Over 30 years. Procare payment processing |
Procare details checked August 2026.
Where each one fits
- Procare is the better fit if
You run a childcare centre and want attendance, classroom management, staff scheduling and payroll from the same vendor as your billing.
You take payments at the front desk and want a card reader on the counter.
You want a large, current review base to read before you buy. Procare’s Capterra listing carries 2,809 reviews, with reviews still arriving in 2026.
- TUIO is the better fit if
You want the school to be its own merchant of record, with its own banking relationship and its own settlement.
You want to know the price before the call.
Your school is in Canada, or you run locations on both sides of the border and want one system issuing CRA and IRS receipts.
You want families to be able to pay by pre-authorized debit in Canada or ACH in the United States, chosen per payment plan.
You are a private or independent school, a Montessori school or a preschool as well as, or instead of, a childcare centre.
You want your families to be able to phone support themselves instead of routing every question through the office.
What schools rate them
Capterra, Procare Child Care Management listing, August 2026.
Moving to TUIO from Procare
A TUIO specialist sets the school up and tailors it during a single live hour: fee schedules, payment plans, families, and the forms the school already uses. Schools move mid-year as well as at the year boundary.
Centres running Procare for attendance, ratios and staff scheduling sometimes keep it for the classroom and move only the billing. The two do not have to move together.
Families are invited by email and set up their own payment method. TUIO’s support line is open to them directly, so the school office is not the help desk for the transition.
Before you give notice, check what your agreement requires and how your current provider handles the final remittance after your last family payment goes through.
TUIO vs Procare FAQ
What does Procare cost a centre?
Procare does not publish a rate, checked 21 August 2026. Its payment processing page advertises “Zero contracts, set-up fees, per-child charges and more!” and asks centres to get in touch. TUIO Starter has no annual fee and TUIO Professional is $500 a year per location, and the bank-debit rate for each plan is on the pricing page.
How quickly does each one pay?
Procare advertises that funds are “typically made available to you by the next business day”, with its own footnote attached: “Subject to bank funding and processing approvals” (Procare payment processing, read 21 August 2026). TUIO payouts start at 5 business days for pre-authorized debit and 3 for cards; after three months of processing with TUIO, a school can apply to move to next business day.
Does TUIO hold our money?
No. Each school is its own merchant of record with its own banking relationship and its own settlement, so a family’s payment moves to the school’s account. TUIO never holds the funds, pools them, or forwards them on later.
Can Procare print our tax number on a receipt?
Yes. Procare has a Tax ID Number field that prints on statements and receipts (Procare support, read 21 August 2026). Its year-end guidance for providers is written around the IRS Form W-10 and the provider’s EIN. On TUIO an administrator produces CRA and IRS tax receipts from the records already in the system, so they can be checked and signed off before families get them.
What do reviewers say about Procare?
The Capterra listing for Procare Child Care Management stands at 4.6 out of 5 from 2,809 reviews, read 21 August 2026. Ease of use scores 4.4 and customer service 4.6, and reviews still arrive in 2026.
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