Childcare Down the Street

My name is Helen Mayer and I founded Otter, a childcare marketplace now in Santa Clarita. We match families who need childcare with stay-at-home parents who get paid to take care of kids in their community. Our company has already put over $20 million into the hands of stay-at-home parents.
At the beginning of the pandemic, I became a stay-at-home parent overnight, just like 3 million other women. Even when I was offered a job I was excited about, I had to turn it down because I couldn’t find safe, reliable, and affordable childcare.
If my story sounds familiar, that’s because 50% of all Americans live in communities dubbed “childcare deserts,” where there is only one daycare spot for every three children in need of care. After learning this problem went far beyond my own situation, I started matching families in need of childcare with stay-at-home parents who would get paid to care for their neighbors’ kids, alongside their own. I quickly learned that parents felt like the most trustworthy childcare provider was a parent down the street, and I became convinced that Otter’s model of matching stay-at-home parents with parents who need childcare could be transformative.
We’ve always said that it takes a village to raise a child and this is how we can meet busy families where they are to make that a reality.
For more information, visit www.withotter.com.