Otter is an online service that matches parents who need childcare with other parents who can watch their children.

This helps parents be able to find safe childcare and be compensated for something they are already doing.

If parents do need childcare, some caregivers may be available in their own neighborhood. While the children are being watched, parents are able to do whatever they need to get done. Whether a parent has to do grocery shopping, go to work, attend a workout class or just need some time alone, Otter is here for you.

CEO Helen Mayer found herself needing help with childcare at the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. Mayer lost her job and had no way of getting a new one because she could not find childcare for her 16 month old twins at the time.

“At the beginning of the pandemic, they were 16 months old and I became a stay at home parent basically at the end of fall. I lost my job and ended up staying at home with them and got really frustrated with the state of childcare. I was watching other parents who were in online forums kind of panicking about how they were going to be able to work and take care of their kids. There were no solutions.” – Helen Mayer

Related Article: Reliable And Trustworthy Caregiver For Your Children, Consider Signing Up For Otter

Although many jobs are still having people work from home, you cannot attend work at home while watching your children at the same time.

Mayer first began her business successfully “swapping” babysitting times between parents. This means the same families would babysit the other children and switch off. It then turned into a full blown business where parents can babysit other children without the need of a swap.

“I started off trying to swap childcare between families and then realized after a while that stay at home parents were providing really good quality childcare and they weren’t getting paid. There was a way they could get paid for the work they were doing.” – Helen Mayer

Helen Mayer chose to launch Otter in Santa Clarita because she realized it was a very strong community and wanted to help build trust between neighbors.

For more information about Otter, visit their website: https://withotter.com

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