Procare buys Playground to add AI tools for child care centers

Procare Solutions has acquired Playground, bringing a child care software platform used by more than 5,000 programs under a Procare business that serves more than 40,000 centers nationwide, according to Procare’s Sept. 14, 2026, announcement.

The deal adds Playground’s Camber AI assistant, enrollment, billing and payroll tools to Procare, a business unit of Roper Technologies. It also puts Playground alongside RoomRunner, Procare’s recently launched AI-powered enrollment planning tool.

Procare President and CEO Joe Gomes said Playground’s AI tools are intended to ease administrative work, while its integrated marketing and enrollment tools help centers pursue growth. Its financial management functions cover billing, subsidies and payroll.

Playground co-founder and CEO Daniel Andrews said Procare’s reach would give more centers access to the platform and support further development of its design, products and customer responsiveness.

For customers, Procare is selling continuity rather than an immediate software switch. “Whether customers currently use Procare's or Playground's software, nothing changes today,” Gomes said. Customers would continue using the same products, working with the same teams and operating as before, with no action required, he added.