Peabody Teach's observations tool is our number one for a small room: notes by area and skill, a portfolio and a report card printed from them, no scores and nothing sent, free. Storypark is first among the apps for a published per-child price; HighScope's COR Advantage sells online licenses on its own shop. Teaching Strategies GOLD, Famly, Kaymbu and brightwheel follow, most by quote. This list is for homes and small centers.
Top 8 preschool portfolio and assessment tools, with prices where published (2026): comparison
1. Peabody Teach observations, portfolios and report cards
Peabody Teach
Ours
Best for a small room that wants no scores
Free
Tap a child (first name or initials), one of six areas and a skill from Peabody's own 72-skill checklist for twos, threes and fours, mark it seen, emerging or not yet, and add a line. Each child's portfolio and report card print from your notes, and blank checklists print for each age. Kept on your device; nothing is sent.
Free, no sign-up, no email and no ads
Watch for No photos, no family app and no scores: it is not an assessment system and won't meet a state or funder's assessment rule.
Documentation and family engagement for early childhood programs: a portfolio for each child that educators and families can both post to, learning documentation and daily routines. Multi-site organizations get custom packages.
From $1.59 USD per child a month; free trial (as of 2026-10-31)
Watch for An online service: children's photos and stories go to Storypark's servers, so check what families agree to.
A birth-to-kindergarten child assessment tool for teachers, including children learning English and those with special needs, with reporting for administrators. Online licenses are sold on HighScope's own shop.
Online license $7 to $10 each, depending on the state chosen (as of 2026-10-31)
Watch for An assessment with ratings, built to be learned; orders take 48 to 72 business hours to process.
An online observational assessment system for children from birth through third grade: teachers document observations during the day, rate progress against objectives and progressions, and plan from the results, with interrater reliability certification for teachers.
No price on its page; contact sales
Watch for No published price, and rating children against objectives takes training time.
Child care software with a child development section for digital observations, assessments and lesson plans, plus parent messaging and updates. Pricing is by child count.
Priced per child; the pricing page shows $49 a month beside its child-count slider (as of 2026-10-31)
Watch for The page doesn't say how many children $49 covers or list a free plan; ask before you sign.
Family engagement, daily care, lesson planning and assessment tools for early childhood programs, where tagged observations become a child's portfolio, with ASQ-3 and ASQ:SE-2 screening alongside.
No price on its site; book a demo
Watch for No published price: you book a demo to find out what it costs.
Child care management software whose Learning features include observations and assessments, alongside its curriculum, with pricing customized to the program.
Custom pricing by request; no figures shown
Watch for The pricing page doesn't say which plan includes observations and assessments.
California Department of Social Services and Department of Education, with WestEd
Best for California programs that must use it
Price varies
California's developmental profile for programs serving children from infancy to grade 3; the DRDP 2025 is now fully in use there. The site also has California's guidelines for child care in home settings and for preschool.
No price shown on its site
Watch for California's tool: outside California, use what your own state asks for.
We weighed these, most important first. The order is our judgement against them, not a score or a vote, and a different teacher could reasonably order it differently. Our own tool sits where those criteria put it; we built it after studying the others, so read its entry with that in mind.
A published price. Whether the maker's own page shows a figure a small program would pay.
Observations to portfolio. Whether a note taken during the day becomes part of a child's portfolio or report for families.
Fits a small program. Whether a home or a single classroom can use it, not only a district.
What happens to children's data. Whether children's notes and photos go to the company's servers, or stay with you.
We took no money, free products or affiliate commissions for any place on this list, and no link here carries a tracking code. Every fact was read on the maker’s own page on October 31, 2026; prices carry that date because they change. See how we choose and the ad-free promise.
Questions
Do I need paid software for preschool portfolios?
No. A portfolio can be a folder with dated observations, drawings and a page of next steps. Software helps a center share photos and notes with families and run an assessment its state or funder requires.
Is a portfolio the same as an assessment?
No. A portfolio collects what a child did. An assessment such as GOLD or COR Advantage rates progress against set objectives and takes training. Neither is a developmental screening; for that, families can ask their child's doctor or their state's early intervention program.
Why are so few prices listed?
Most makers ask you to request a quote. Every figure here was read on the maker's own page on 31 October 2026; where no price was shown, we say so.