How to choose nursery management software in Egypt: 10 questions to ask before you pay

1. Is it really in Arabic?

"Arabic support" can mean a translated menu, or it can mean a product designed right-to-left from the start. Ask to see the teacher app and the parent app in Arabic, not just the admin screens. Check that a printed report looks right in Arabic, and that each parent and teacher can choose their own language — many nurseries have both Arabic- and English-speaking families.

2. Is the parent app free for parents?

Some systems charge per parent or add a fee to each family's account. Ask directly: "Does any parent pay anything to use the app?" If the answer is yes, decide whether you're comfortable explaining that fee to every family at enrolment.

3. Who can see the children's data and photos?

This is the question parents will ask you, so ask the vendor first. A good answer covers three things: each nursery's data is kept separate; each parent sees only their own child; and you can export or delete your data on request. Also ask how photos are stored and who at the company can access them.

4. Will they move your existing data?

Your children, parents, classes and fee history probably live in Excel, a Word file or a paper register. Ask who does the import — you or them — in what formats, and whether it costs extra. A system you have to fill in by hand for two weeks is a system your team will resent.

5. Is staff training included?

Your teachers will use the app more than anyone. In the demo, hand the phone to a teacher and ask her to mark attendance and send a photo without help. Then ask whether training is included, and whether it happens in person or online.

6. How does it handle the way parents actually pay?

In Egypt, fees arrive as cash, bank transfer and InstaPay. If a system talks a lot about online payment, ask to see a real payment go through end to end — and what it costs per transaction. Just as important: can you record payments made outside the app, so your list of unpaid invoices is accurate?

7. How is the price calculated?

Per child, per parent, per branch, or flat? Ask for the monthly total for your number of children and branches, and what's included at that price. Then divide by your number of children to compare offers fairly. Ask what happens when you grow past your plan's limit, and whether there are setup fees.

8. Does it handle more than one branch?

Even if you have one branch today, ask: can each branch have its own admin? Can the owner see every branch in one place? Are reports available across branches?

9. What does support look like?

When something goes wrong at 8 am with parents at the door, how do you reach someone — WhatsApp, phone, email? In Arabic? Who answers: a person who knows your account, or a ticket queue?

10. Is there a lock-in contract — and what happens to your data if you leave?

Ask for the minimum commitment and the cancellation terms in writing. Then ask the question vendors least like: "If we leave, do we get all our data back, and in what format?"

A quick checklist

Where LumiNest fits

We built LumiNest in Egypt for Egyptian nurseries, so here are our own answers, plainly. The teacher and parent apps are fully Arabic, right-to-left. The parent app is free for parents. Each parent sees only their own child, and data is separated per nursery. We import your data from Excel, Word or photos of your register and train your team at setup, at no extra cost. Invoices and reminders are generated for you and you mark fees as received — card payment inside the app is coming soon, and we'd rather tell you that now. Pricing is one flat monthly fee per nursery (see pricing), multiple branches are supported, and you can cancel any time and take your data with you.

Whatever you choose, ask all ten questions. And if you'd like to compare us fairly, book a free demo and bring your hardest question.