Brightwheel Photos

Python script for downloading a student's photos and videos from Brightwheel.

My kid went to a daycare that used Brightwheel to communicate with parents and guardians. The teachers sent plenty of photos using Brightwheel. This script downloads them all so I can keep them.

Each photo's EXIF data includes the original creation date and any message attached to the photo as a comment.

Installation

Install with uv:

uv tool install brightwheel-photos

Or with pipx:

pipx install brightwheel-photos

Use

Using Environment Variables (Recommended)

For better security and convenience, you can store your credentials in a .env file:

1. Copy the example environment file:

   cp .env.example .env
   

2. Edit .env and add your credentials:

   BRIGHTWHEEL_EMAIL=your.email@example.com
   BRIGHTWHEEL_PASSWORD=your_password_here
   BRIGHTWHEEL_DIRECTORY=~/Photos/brightwheel
   # Optional: specify student ID if you have multiple students
   # BRIGHTWHEEL_STUDENT_ID=student_id_here
   

3. Run the tool (it will automatically load credentials from .env):

   brightwheel-photos
   

Using Command Line Arguments

Alternatively, you can provide credentials via command line:

brightwheel-photos --email <brightwheel-account-email> --password <brightwheel-account-password> --directory ~/Photos/brightwheel

Note: Command line arguments will override any values set in the .env file.

The program will exit when all the photos have been saved.