What happens to your child's photos when they leave daycare?

Your child's photos usually aren't deleted the day they leave daycare, but what you can still reach depends on the app, and in every case the center controls the account. Once your child leaves, the account is usually downgraded and the photos get much harder to get out, so the simplest plan is to save everything, at full quality, in one go, before the last day.

Here's what each of the main US daycare apps says about it, in its own words, and the quickest way to get your photos out of each.

Procare

NurseryDownloader works with Procare. Start from your dashboard and one run saves every photo and video for every child on the account, older ones included. See how to download all your Procare photos, or the longer answer to does Procare delete your photos?

KinderCare and Lillio (HiMama)

The KinderCare app runs on Lillio, so the same rules apply to both. NurseryDownloader saves every photo and video from either, for every child on the account. See the KinderCare guide or the Lillio guide, and the longer answers for KinderCare and Lillio.

Famly

NurseryDownloader works with Famly. From the newsfeed it saves every feed photo and video, with a photo-captions.csv listing each post's date and caption. From your child's profile it saves their tagged photos, including learning-journey photos. See how to download all your Famly photos.

Brightwheel (not supported)

NurseryDownloader does not work with Brightwheel, so use the app's own Gallery bulk save on your phone. Our Brightwheel article walks through the options.

My Bright Day by Bright Horizons (not supported)

NurseryDownloader does not work with My Bright Day, so use the Photo Archive, one year at a time, while your child is still enrolled. Our My Bright Day guide shows each screen.

Why save everything now

Leaving rarely deletes anything on the spot. What it does is downgrade the account: no new photos, fewer features, the center deciding whether you stay connected, and years of photos that are slow to get out one at a time. A goodbye photo book or a handful of emailed favorites is lovely, but it isn't the full-size originals.

So the plan that never lets you down is to save every photo and video while your child is still enrolled, then back the folder up somewhere else.

How the one-click download works

For Procare, KinderCare, Lillio and Famly:

1. Install it. On a laptop or desktop, open Chrome or Microsoft Edge and add NurseryDownloader from the Chrome Web Store. It doesn't run on phones or tablets.
2. Sign in to your daycare app on the web, as you normally would.
3. Click download in the NurseryDownloader panel at the top right of the page.

Everything saves at full quality into dated month folders (by child, where the app identifies them), with the date at the start of every filename. Your first 20 downloads are free. Your photos go straight from the app to your computer and never pass through our servers, and it never asks for your app password, because it works in your own browser, where you're already signed in.

Questions parents ask

Do daycare apps delete photos when a child leaves?

Not usually on the day. Procare, Lillio and Famly all describe a former child's profile as inactive, graduated or limited rather than deleted. But the center controls the account in every case, and none of them promise how long a former family keeps access.

Should I remove the old daycare from my app when we move?

Not until you've saved everything. On Brightwheel, for example, removing yourself as a contact means losing the profile and its whole history.

Can I do this on my phone?

No. Chrome extensions only run on a computer, so use Chrome or Edge on a Windows PC, Mac or Chromebook. It's the same account you use on your phone.

Does it save the written notes and daily reports?

Not on these apps. It saves the photos and videos, plus the feed captions on Famly. Daily reports and notes stay in the app.