Famly re-launches as proactive ECE assistant, with Frankie AI helper

Frankie works from each center's own data to automate admin and proactively flag issues, marking the next wave of childcare management software.

ARLINGTON, Texas, Oct. 8, 2026 /PRNewswire/ -- Famly, the childcare management software used by 10,000+ early childhood centers, today re-launched as the proactive ECE assistant and unveiled its new AI helper, Frankie. Frankie works from each center's enrollment, billing, staffing, and child data to answer questions, automate tasks, and flag what needs attention. Famly is unveiling this at Child Care Success Summit.

Childcare providers can view the new capabilities of Famly and Frankie at famly.co.

The launch comes as educators' workloads continue to grow. In Famly's 2026 ECE Field Survey of the childcare field, 89% said they work late at least once a week. And 62% now stay late three or more days a week, up from 53% in 2025. Half (51%) feel consistently burned out. Yet 77% still feel joy at work every week. That joy is what Famly is committed to protecting.

Traditional childcare software primarily functions as a database for enrollment and billing records. Famly's new platform uses existing center data to execute routine tasks autonomously. This shift allows educators to minimize screen time and prioritize direct child interaction. There's no joy in endless administrative load, and that's what this shift plans to solve.

Meet Frankie: The AI helper that knows your center

At the heart of this update is Frankie, an in-app helper that operates using a center's specific data. Staff can chat directly with Frankie to retrieve information, draft messages, set up and schedule recurring tasks, answer questions on center policies, set up morning briefings, and more. Frankie learns individual user preferences, and follows the logic of historic requests - reducing the need for repetitive instructions. It can even make suggestions based on past behavior.

One platform to run a childcare business

Frankie is built into Famly – the all-in-one childcare management assistant – which brings together the tools owners and directors use to run and grow their centers, including:

• Finance. Automated reminders and payments, offer flexible payment solutions (like multiple bill payers or subsidies), and track revenue in custom dashboards. Frankie extends this further by flagging overdue balances, failed payments, and missing payment details before billing runs.
• Parent communication. Log activities, naps, diapers, and meals, so parents can follow their child's day in real time. And live-translate messages into 130+ languages, so every family stays close to their child's learning journey.

Secure by design

Famly takes child data seriously. The company is certified to ISO 27001:2022 for information security management, with ISO 27701:2019 as an extension for privacy information management, covering its operations and the Famly Platform. Data is encrypted at rest with AES-256 and in transit with TLS 1.2 or later.

Plus, centers stay in control of data access with highly customizable role-based permissions - so leaders can choose who sees what. And, when it comes to Frankie, the assistant never takes action without first getting confirmation from the user.

"We use Frankie daily as our digital assistant," said Carrie Jiridly, Director at Open Arms Christian Academy. "It allows me to spend more time in the classrooms building relationships with teachers and children rather than focusing on paperwork."

Anders Laustsen, CEO of Famly, noted that childcare software has historically required educators to perform excessive manual entry. "Famly turns that around by using data to do the work," Laustsen said. "Operations should not steal the joy of early education. We built this to give time back to educators."

About Famly

Famly is the early education assistant that saves time. Its all-in-one childcare management platform covers enrollment, lead management, billing, subsidies, staffing, parent communication, and child development. Founded in Denmark in 2013, Famly is now used by more than 1 million parents and educators worldwide. Learn more at famly.co.

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SOURCE Famly