My name is Helen Mayer and we are launching Otter in Santa Clarita, the Greater Los Angeles area, and San Francisco to 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
And it has been
I found solace in helping to match up families who needed care with trustworthy community members, and I was struck by how life-changing this economic opportunity could be for stay-at-home parents. In November 2020, I was reaching out to caregivers to say “Happy Thanksgiving.” This prompted one of them to share a story with me that to this day I cannot recall without tears.
She told me that before she had signed on to become an Otter caregiver, she didn’t know how she was going to put dinner on the table at the end of the month. But that day, she was baking pies for her neighborhood for the holiday. Not only was she able to make a great meal for her own home for Thanksgiving, but she was also able to feed her neighbors. She took care of herself and was able to take care of the community, which, in a nutshell, is the ultimate goal of Otter itself.
With childcare needs pushing families to their breaking point, the fastest and safest way to get children care is to match them with a vetted parent down the street. 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. I hope that as Otter grows larger and we’re able to expand the service nationally, we usher in a world of care and opportunity.
