Childcare & youth programs
Books and taxes for preschools.
Semester tuition, a summer that runs thin, School Specialty curriculum orders, and a teaching staff that has to hit a licensed ratio. Gus sorts all of it, an accountant checks every transaction, and you get one number a month.
- From $197 a month
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever
September made $9,500. The School Specialty order for both classrooms came out of curriculum, not supplies, since it covers the whole semester.
- Brightwheel tuition batchSemester tuition
- Fall enrollment depositsRegistration deposits
- School Specialty orderCurriculum and materials
- Gusto payroll runTeacher wages
- Classroom rentFacility rent
Why your books are different
A preschool's books go wrong around the school calendar, not the bank statement.
A generalist bookkeeper sees monthly deposits and assumes a steady business. Your revenue runs on semesters, closes for summer, and hinges on staff meeting a ratio the state sets, not you. Gus builds the books around the calendar you actually run on.
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1
Semester tuition gets spread wrong
A family who pays for the fall semester in August did not just hand you August's income. Booked all at once, it makes August look flush and October, November, and December look thinner than the program actually is.
What we doRecognizes semester tuition across the months it covers, so each month reflects the weeks of school it actually paid for. -
2
The summer gap looks like a loss
A school-year-only preschool has real income for nine or ten months and close to none in the summer, but a bookkeeper who does not know your calendar reads July and August as a business in trouble.
What we doTracks your program calendar so a quiet summer is read as the normal shape of your year, not a warning sign. -
3
A semester curriculum order flattens a month
One School Specialty order covering an entire semester's worth of workbooks and classroom materials can make a single month look like it barely broke even, even though enrollment held steady.
What we doKeeps curriculum spending in one steady line and flags when a semester order, not a drop in tuition, is why a month looks thin. -
4
Ratio-driven staffing hides which classroom pays
A three-year-old room needs more staff per child than a four-year-old room, but a single payroll number treats both classrooms the same, so you cannot tell which one actually supports its own cost.
What we doFlags classroom detail from your staffing schedule when it is available, so wages can be read against the room they staff. -
5
Registration deposits get counted before the school year starts
A spring deposit to hold a fall spot is not fall tuition yet, but booked as income the day it lands, it overstates spring and understates the semester it was meant to secure.
What we doHolds registration deposits as money collected in advance and counts them as tuition once the semester actually begins.
Your categories
The categories Gus keeps for a preschool.
Set up once for your semester calendar, not a generic monthly grid. You never pick a category. He does, and an accountant checks it.
Money in
- Semester tuitionFall and spring semester payments billed through Brightwheel or a similar app.
- Registration depositsHeld until the semester starts, then counted as tuition.
- Extended day feesAdd-on charges for families who need care past the half-day schedule.
- Summer program feesFor preschools that run a short summer session or camp.
Money out
- Teacher wagesLead and assistant teacher pay across both classrooms.
- Payroll taxes and workers compThe cost of a ratio-driven teaching staff kept on payroll.
- Curriculum and materialsSchool Specialty orders and semester workbooks.
- Facility rent and utilitiesThe building your classrooms operate in.
- Licensing and inspection feesState licensing renewal and fire or health inspections.
- Background checks and certificationsFingerprinting and CPR and First Aid renewal for teaching staff.
- Liability insuranceCoverage required to keep the state license active.
What we watch for you
- Labor share
Teacher wages against tuition. It tells you if next semester's rate needs to move.
- Semester fill rate
How full each classroom actually is against capacity, read from enrollment deposits.
- Summer runway
Whether the summer gap is covered by what the school year already earned.
- The set-aside
What you will owe in taxes, tracked every month, so April is a number you already knew.
Ask Gus
Things preschool owners ask Gus.
Text him like you would text anybody. He answers in plain English, and when a question is above his pay grade, an accountant looks and gets back to you.
On paper, but I spread that tuition across the months of school it actually pays for, so September through December show what the semester is really worth.
Not on its own. I keep your program calendar in view, so a quiet July reads as your normal year, not a sign something changed.
When your schedule shows which teachers work which room, I flag it, so wages get read against the classroom they actually staff.
The tax side
The tax side of running a preschool.
Most preschool tax issues come down to timing tuition to the right semester and keeping teaching staff on the right side of employee versus contractor.
What your return has to get right
Your accountant signs it, so it gets done right the first time.
- Teaching staff are employeesLead and assistant teachers working set hours under your supervision to meet a licensed ratio are employees, not contractors, regardless of how they are paid.
- Equipment and classroom buildoutsPlayground equipment and classroom furniture can usually be written off the year you buy them, up to $2,560,000 under Section 179, with 100 percent bonus depreciation for property acquired after January 19, 2025.
- Contractor 1099sA specialist, such as a music or movement instructor not on payroll, paid $2,000 or more in 2026 gets a 1099-NEC by January 31.
- The pass-through deductionMost owner-operators can deduct up to 20 percent of business profit before it is taxed, which comes out right when semester tuition is booked to the right months all year.
Deductions preschools miss
Your bookkeeper knows what to look for in your statements. You never have to.
- Curriculum and workbooks
- Classroom furniture and rugs
- Art supplies
- Background check fees
- CPR and First Aid renewal
- Liability insurance
- State licensing and inspection fees
- Enrollment software subscriptions
- Staff continuing education hours
- Playground equipment
- Marketing and open house costs
- Storage for seasonal classroom materials
General information about 2026 federal rules, not advice for your business. Your accountant looks at your actual numbers before anything gets filed.
All year, not just April
A preschool year, kept every month.
Your calendar runs on semesters. Your taxes run on their own schedule. Your team keeps you ahead of both. Every month in between, your bookkeeper closes the books and speaks up the moment something looks off.
- January
Plan the year
Last year's return gets started, the specialist 1099 list is ready, and you get a monthly set-aside so April is already handled.
- April
Filed. Done.
Your return is filed and signed while spring semester is still in session. No surprise bill, because the set-aside has been running since January.
- July
Halfway check
Where you stand for the year so far, and how fall re-enrollment is shaping up before deposits start arriving.
- October
Before spring enrollment
A look at equipment worth buying and moves worth making before spring semester deposits start coming in.
What you get
What you pay depends on what your business needs, and it does not move after that, busy season or slow. No hourly bills, no surprise invoices, no setup fee.
Book a call- Monthly bookkeeping
Every transaction sorted into categories set up for preschools. You never categorize a thing.
- An accountant checks every transaction
Real review, every month, before your books close. Not a spot check.
- Your business tax return, filed
Prepared, reviewed, and signed by that same accountant every year.
- The monthly number
What you made, what you spent, what to set aside for taxes.
- Your own bookkeeper
A real person assigned to your business, in the app whenever you need them. No hold music.
- On your books all year
Every month, not just in April. Your team speaks up whenever something is worth your attention.
- Cancel any time
No contract. No cancellation call. Your books are yours.
Straight answers
Questions preschool owners ask first.
We close for the summer. Does Gus still track the books then?
Yes, the subscription runs year round. Summer months usually just have less to sort, and Gus keeps your program calendar so a quiet summer reads correctly against the school year.
Do you handle tuition collected as one semester payment?
Yes. Gus spreads semester tuition across the months of school it covers, instead of counting it all as income the week it lands.
We use Brightwheel for enrollment. Do we need to change how we bill families?
No. Keep billing the way you do. Gus works from your bank statement, and when a deposit is unclear he asks you once and remembers the answer.
Can Gus tell us which classroom is actually profitable?
When your staffing schedule shows which teachers work which room, Gus flags that detail so wages can be read against the classroom they staff, instead of one flat payroll line.
We're a nonprofit preschool. Does that change anything?
It can change how your return is filed, and that is a conversation for the accountant who reviews your books. Send what you have and he will look at your setup directly.
Our enrollment deposits go out as refunds sometimes. Can you track that?
Yes. Gus tracks deposits collected, deposits earned once the semester starts, and any refunds as separate numbers, so a cancellation does not muddy the month.
Is a real accountant checking my books?
Yes. You get your own bookkeeper, Gus does the first pass on every transaction, and an accountant checks every one before your month closes. That same accountant prepares, signs, and files your business return. Goatkeeper is not a CPA firm, and we never pretend a person looked when they did not.
What does it cost, and can I cancel?
It starts at $197 a month, depending on what your business needs. No setup fee, no hourly bills, no contract. Cancel any time from the app, and your books go with you.
More in childcare & youth programs
We keep books for the business next door too.
- Baby & toddler classes (music, sensory)
- Babysitting agencies
- Before & after school programs
- Drop-in & hourly childcare
- In-home family daycares
- Overnight summer camps
- Parents' night out programs
- Specialty camps (STEM, arts, sports)
- Summer day camps
- Tutoring-plus-childcare hybrids
- Kids birthday party venues
- Kids gyms & play programs
- Nanny agencies
- Childcare & daycare centers
What makes a bookkeeper worth paying for Every business we keep books for
Book a call
Pick a time. That's the whole signup.
Fifteen minutes with a real person on our team. They look at where your books are, tell you straight what it takes to get caught up, and get you set up on the spot if it fits.
- $197 a month to start
- An accountant on every transaction
- Cancel whenever