Queensland-based business Kiddo – Australia’s first on-demand babysitting app – is set to expand nationally after announcing a strategic collaboration with G8 Education Limited, one of the nation’s largest private providers of early childhood education and care.
Kiddo Founder and Director Rebecca Dredge launched the award-winning online platform in 2019, providing southeast Queensland families with more than 3,000 qualified carers at their fingertips.
The business now has 12,000 users and has continued to grow strongly throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. It launched a new ‘Find a Nanny’ service last month for parents scrambling to find extra child-minding help.
The collaboration between Kiddo and G8 Education will further support the evolving care needs of Australian families, offering flexible and diverse childcare options in more locations.
Ms Dredge said the new partnership would make Kiddo App available to more families across the country, creating an online childcare resource that was adaptive to the current market.
“The dynamics of Australian workplaces have changed since the COVID-19 crisis with millions of parents doing more work from home,” Ms Dredge said.
“Kiddo is thrilled to be working with G8 Education, a highly respected provider of early education and care, that shares our vision to evolve childcare options for parents, offering flexible, convenient and quality care that aligns with current market demands,” she said.
G8 Education CEO and Managing Director Gary Carroll said the strategic investment in Kiddo would enable the business to help facilitate access to care outside centre-based services, providing flexibility for families and educators.
“Our purpose is to create the foundations for learning for life and this means being adaptive to the evolving needs and preferences of our families and educators,” Mr Carroll said.
“Providing high-quality early learning outcomes through great centre teams remains our key priority, however changes to the workforce and childcare patterns since COVID-19 are influencing the delivery of early learning services,” he said.
“Becoming a strategic investor in Kiddo, through a 20 per cent shareholding, will help us explore ways to provide more diverse learning and care options for children and families, as well as exploring flexible work options for our educators.”
Kiddo App gives parents more time and freedom by connecting them with local, verified, affordable babysitters and nannies, instantly. It allows parents to book a babysitter on the move with as little as two hours’ notice and get some extra support, whether they need help home-schooling, a day to work from home or to go on a date night.
Download Kiddo App on Google Play or from the App Store
