KidKare is a food program management tool used by CACFP sponsors, home providers, and childcare centers to track meal counts and attendance. The integration with Playground allows providers to sync attendance and meal data automatically between both systems, eliminating duplicate data entry and ensuring accurate CACFP claims.
What the Integration Does
The KidKare integration connects the two systems you already use for food program management. It syncs your daily attendance and meal data from Playground with your KidKare account so your CACFP records stay consistent across both platforms.
By keeping both systems in sync, you eliminate duplicate data entry, reduce human error, and save time during month-end reporting.
KidKare charges a separate subscription fee to access their API. You will need to subscribe directly through KidKare before connecting to Playground. Costs are:
Home Providers: $5 / month
Centers: $15 / month
You can view your plan and pricing details in your KidKare portal.
Subscribe & Get Your KidKare API Key
Before connecting KidKare to Playground, you need to subscribe to KidKare's API and retrieve your API key. This is done entirely in KidKare.
Each site that requires API access must subscribe individually. If you manage multiple sites, each one will need its own subscription unless you are a center chain that self-sponsors through KidKare.
Subscribe to the KidKare API
The subscription steps are the same for all site types. The only difference is where you start:
Site Type | Starting Page |
Home Providers | My Site |
Center Sites (Independent or Sponsored) | My Account |
Log in to KidKare with your site administrator credentials.
From the main menu, navigate to your account page (My Site or My Account).
Scroll down to the API Key section.
Click Subscribe.
The API Management subscription page will display your plan and pricing. Review the details and click Get Started.
A secure payment form will load. Enter your payment information and submit.
After successful payment, you will see "Sign Up Successful! Your account is ready to start." You will be redirected back to your account page.
View Your API Key
Once your subscription is active, your API key will be available on your account page.
Navigate to your account page (My Site or My Account).
Scroll to the API Key section. The key is hidden by default.
Click the eye icon to reveal your API key.
Click the copy icon to copy it to your clipboard.
Access API Documentation
After subscribing, an APIM Docs link will appear below your API key.
Navigate to your account page (My Site or My Account).
Scroll to the API Key section.
Click Click to Open to view the full API documentation in a new browser window. The API documentation link is only accessible after an active subscription is in place.
💡 If you ever need to reset your API key, or if you suspect your key has been compromised, click Click to Reset in the API Key section. This will immediately invalidate your existing key, so make sure to update it in Playground right away.
Connect KidKare to Playground
Once you have your KidKare API key, you can connect it to Playground.
Open Settings on the Playground dashboard
Stay on the General tab.
Scroll to the General Settings section.
Turn on the toggle to enable the integration.
Go back to the Integrations tab to confirm it now appears.
If it still doesn’t show up, reach out to Playground Support for help.
Manage Your KidKare Subscription
You can manage your KidKare API subscription directly in your KidKare account. Center sites have the following options available on the My Account page:
Option | What It Does |
Update Payment Method | Click Update Payment Method to change the card on file |
Cancel Subscription | Click Modify Subscription to cancel. Access continues through the end of your current billing period. |
Reactivate Subscription | If your subscription was previously canceled, click Reactivate Subscription to resume |
🚨 Subscription charges are non-refundable. If you cancel, your API access will continue through the end of your current billing period. After that, the connection between KidKare and Playground will stop syncing.
Troubleshooting & Support
If you experience issues connecting your accounts or syncing data:
Confirm your KidKare API key is entered correctly in Playground.
Make sure your KidKare subscription is active. You can verify this on your My Site or My Account page in KidKare.
Ensure your KidKare account is active and linked to your location.
If problems continue, contact Playground Support.