Carline
Series ARaised Since FeaturedSmarter school pickup management
School dismissal and car line management platform that digitizes pickup workflows for preschools and K-12 schools.
About
Carline (now Playground) is a school dismissal management platform that digitizes the daily car line pickup process for preschools and K-12 schools. The app replaces chaotic paper-based dismissal systems with a streamlined digital workflow — parents check in via the app, staff are notified in real time, and children are matched to the correct vehicle safely and efficiently. Founded by brothers Daniel Andrews (CEO) and Josh Andrews (CTO) along with childhood friend Sasha Reiss and Max Miranda, the team built Carline after their own family struggled to find a modern tool for managing school pickup. The company has since rebranded to Playground and expanded into a full childcare management platform covering registration, billing, attendance, payroll, and parent communication — becoming the one-stop operational hub for early childhood education centers. Playground raised a $3M seed round led by Human Capital and Bedrock in 2021.
DailyDropout Take
Carline tackled a surprisingly underserved niche — the chaotic school car line — and used that wedge to expand into full childcare management as Playground. The founding team's personal connection to the problem drove authentic product development.
Discovery signal: Family-driven founding story, clear niche wedge into broader childcare market, early traction with preschools
What Makes Them Unique
Started as a focused car line management tool and expanded into a comprehensive childcare operations platform, combining dismissal management with billing, attendance, and payroll in a single modern interface built by founders who experienced the problem firsthand.
$3M
Seed Raised
Series A
Stage
Target Markets
Founders
Daniel Andrews
Co-Founder & CEO
Co-founder and CEO of Playground (formerly Carline). Forbes 30 Under 30 honoree. Built Carline after his family struggled to find modern childcare management tools.
Josh Andrews
Co-Founder & CTO
Co-founder and CTO of Playground. Brother of Daniel Andrews, built the technical foundation of the Carline app.
Sasha Reiss
Co-Founder
Childhood friend of the Andrews brothers, joined as co-founder to help build Carline into a full childcare management platform.
Max Miranda
Co-Founder
Funding History
Lead: Human Capital