Turn empty seats into drop-in bookings.
Absences, part-time schedules, and slow seasons leave seats empty. Open them on PickNBook and families nearby book by the hour, day, or weekend — on your terms.
- Hourly, daily & weekend
- You approve every request
- Free to list
Ways families book your open spots.
By the hour
A few hours for a doctor's appointment, a job interview, or errands.
Half or full day
A day of care when school is closed, a nanny is sick, or work runs long.
Weekends
Saturday and Sunday care — if your license and hours allow it.
Short notice
Same-day and next-day requests from parents whose plans just changed.
Every program has seats that go unused.
Even a full roster has gaps. Drop-in bookings turn them into revenue instead of lost income.
Absences and vacations
When an enrolled child is out, that spot can go to a drop-in family for the day.
Part-time schedules
A three-day family leaves two days open every week.
Seasonal dips
Summer, holidays, and the months before September enrollment.
Your program, your rules.
Open the spots you have
Pick the days, hours, and ages to offer. Change or pause them any time.
Approve every request
Nothing is booked until you accept it, and you can decline anything that doesn't fit.
Get paid automatically
Families pay when they book; the money is released to your bank account after care.
Protected from no-shows
Late cancellations and no-shows trigger a fee that goes to you.
Estimate your drop-in revenue.
Drag the sliders to see what a few drop-in spots a day could add each month.
Estimate only. Net of PickNBook's 10% per-booking fee. Actual earnings depend on your acceptance rate, hours, and pricing.
Your potential
After PickNBook's booking fee
Per week
$1,584
Per year
$82,368
Before you open drop-in spots.
- Check capacity and ratios. Every child present counts toward your licensed capacity and staff ratios — drop-ins included.
- Ask your insurer. Confirm your policy covers short-term and drop-in children.
- Decide your intake paperwork. Health records, emergency contacts, allergies, and pickup authorizations — the same as for any child.
- Write down your policies. Minimum booking length, cancellation window, late pickup, and when a sick child should stay home.
Drop-in questions.
What licensed daycares ask before opening their first drop-in spots.
Still wondering something? Contact usCan a licensed New York daycare offer drop-in care?
Drop-in children are cared for under your existing license or permit, so the same capacity, staff ratio, age group, and paperwork rules apply to them as to any other child. Check the conditions of your own license — and ask your licensor if you're unsure.How should I price drop-in and hourly care?
Many providers charge more per hour or per day than their full-time rate works out to, because drop-in spots are flexible for families and harder for you to plan around. A minimum booking length keeps short visits worthwhile.What do I know about a child before a drop-in booking?
Every parent creates an account with verified contact information and a payment method, and adds each child's basic information up front. PickNBook shares it with you once you confirm the booking.Will drop-in bookings affect my full-time families?
No. You only open the spots you actually have, on the days and hours you choose, and you accept or decline every request. Your full-time enrollment always comes first.What happens if a family cancels or doesn't show up?
Late cancellations and no-shows trigger a fee that's paid out to you, so the time you reserved is still compensated. The exact terms are shown at booking.Can home daycares offer drop-in spots too?
Yes — licensed and registered family and group family day care homes can list open spots the same way centers do. PickNBook for home daycares →
Open your first
drop-in spots.
Type your daycare's name. We verify your DOHMH or OCFS license and prefill your listing in seconds — no paperwork, no typing your address.
- DOHMH & OCFS license check
- Address & capacity auto-filled
- Free forever — no monthly cost
- First-line support from our team
We check the NYC DOHMH and NYS OCFS public records · Free to list, ever