Bay Area mom creates app to help parents find childcare on demand

The COVID-19 pandemic pressured lots of of daycare suppliers throughout the Bay Space to close down, making a “childcare desert.” That scarcity impressed entrepreneur Gretchen Salyer to launch June Care, a platform that connects households with native mothers and sitters.

What began in Silicon Valley and the Bay Space has now expanded nationwide. Salyer, a Los Altos resident, discusses how she hopes to leverage expertise to assist households navigate the challenges of discovering dependable childcare.

Q: What impressed you to create June Care?

A: June Care was born out of the pandemic. Earlier than COVID-19, I had lately determined to step away from the tech trade and grow to be a full-time mother. Then, two months later, every little thing modified—daycares shut down, nannies have been hesitant to enter houses, and fogeys have been left juggling full-time childcare with full-time work.

As a stay-at-home mother already caring for my children, I began providing to assist pals and neighbors. On the identical time, information protection concerning the childcare disaster made it clear this was a large, ongoing situation—greater than half of American households wrestle to seek out dependable childcare.

I began questioning: What number of different stay-at-home mother and father already caring for their very own children might need the capability to welcome one other little one into their house? This led to what’s now June Care—basically, an “Uber for childcare” that connects households who want childcare with stay-at-home mother and father prepared to assist.

Q: How does pricing work on the platform?

A: Our suppliers set their very own charges, although we provide steering primarily based on common charges of their space. For a lot of suppliers, June Care is a significant supply of earnings, in order that they set costs nearer to market charges. Others do it merely to assist, charging versatile charges primarily based on what a household can afford.

Sometimes, June Care prices about half as a lot as a standard nanny however is dearer than daycare, which operates with the next child-to-provider ratio. Since our suppliers are already house with their kids, it is a means for them to earn supplemental earnings—whether or not that is masking family bills, paying for extracurriculars, or simply having further flexibility.

Q: How has June Care grown since launching?

A: Our first yr was tough, as we have been nonetheless navigating COVID-19 restrictions. Within the Bay Space, the place we began, lockdowns have been ongoing, and fogeys had various consolation ranges relating to security. That problem pushed us to broaden past the Bay Space sooner than anticipated, launching in San Diego and Orange County, the place there was extra flexibility for outside interactions.

Then, in August 2022, we have been featured on “Good Morning America,” which catapulted us into nationwide enlargement. We now have 30,000 suppliers throughout the nation, rising day by day, and function in each main metropolitan space. It is all the time thrilling to see the place matches are taking place!

Q: How massive is your crew?

A: There are simply seven of us. We’re a small however devoted crew, and many people are mothers, which retains us carefully linked to our mission. This attitude has additionally helped us construct best-in-class screening processes for our suppliers.

Q: Talking of security, how does June Care guarantee a excessive normal of care?

A: Security is a high precedence. Each supplier undergoes a background test, choice screening, and profile verification, together with pictures of their household and play house.

We even have mechanisms in place for households and suppliers to report considerations. Whereas severe points are uncommon, we’ve a Head of Belief and Security who manages any situations requiring intervention. Our aim is to keep up a supportive, trusted neighborhood of mothers serving to mothers.

Q: What’s been the most important problem in launching and operating June Care?

A: There are lots of challenges in constructing a startup—particularly a client market in childcare. One of many trickiest elements has been refining our expertise to accommodate real-life flexibility.

In contrast to reserving an Airbnb, the place dates and necessities are set, childcare is extra nuanced. A dad or mum could plan to ebook for one little one however then want take care of a second on the final minute. A pickup is likely to be delayed. Fee charges may have adjustment. We have labored arduous to construct a scalable product that may flex with real-life parenting wants.

Q: What’s your background, and the way did it affect your resolution to begin June Care?

A: I began the corporate to resolve a necessity. My aim was to spend a yr or two specializing in my kids full-time earlier than determining my subsequent step. However I used to be struck by my very own expertise of getting no assist—and by what number of others in my neighborhood confronted the identical problem. Once you depend on skilled childcare with out involving different households, it might probably really feel isolating. And when that possibility disappears, the isolation solely deepens.

So I puzzled: May we convey folks collectively to boost our kids and really stay life as a neighborhood? The pandemic made that disconnect much more obvious. On the identical time, we would have liked actual options—each for childcare entry and for fogeys doing the rewarding however tough work of caring for youths.

Q: How has June Care impacted suppliers and customers?

A: The tales from our suppliers are extremely rewarding. Many have been dealing with powerful selections—returning to hourly jobs that hardly lined the price of childcare, or extending their maternity depart with no earnings. June Care has allowed lots of them to remain house with their very own children whereas incomes cash.

Within the early days, lots of our suppliers had tried different platforms however discovered they have been usually dismissed as soon as households realized that they had their very own kids with them. June Care flips that dynamic—everybody is aware of from the beginning that suppliers are caring for their very own children alongside others.

Q: What are you most pleased with in your journey with June Care?

A: My crew. There’s plenty of ups and downs. There’s plenty of hours put in in any respect hours of the day and on the weekend. However the dedication to our mission—to supporting households and suppliers—retains us going. I am extremely grateful to them.

Q: What recommendation would you give to aspiring entrepreneurs?

A: Simply begin. Too many individuals delay launching their thought, ready for the proper timing, the fitting crew, or the fitting product. However there’ll all the time be extra to be and do. The earlier you begin, the earlier you study.

Once we began, every little thing was guide—we linked folks by means of WhatsApp teams and processed funds by way of Zelle. It was removed from polished, however it allowed us to study shortly, get actual buyer suggestions, and refine our method. One of the simplest ways to construct an ideal product is to get it into folks’s arms as quickly as attainable and iterate from there.

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