Challenges

Access, Scalability, Worker Issues

Location

California, Colorado, Kansas, Missouri, Nevada, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina

Stakeholders

Businesses, State Government

Beneficiaries

Job Seekers

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Overview

Tech start-up, Wonderschool, partnered with state governments to rapidly expand home-based childcare supply by recruiting, training, and supporting new family childcare providers.

Key Impact Metrics

  • 1,700
    childcare programs supported
  • $54M
    raised
  • 8
    states served

Problem

Across many communities in the US, especially rural areas and low-income neighborhoods, there is a severe shortage of licensed childcare slots. Starting a home daycare can be daunting—would-be providers face complex licensing, startup costs, and isolation without support. Meanwhile, parents struggle to find open, affordable spots for their children. State governments may have funding to expand childcare, but lack mechanisms to efficiently recruit and train new providers at scale. Chris Bennet, founder of Wonderschool, inspired by business models of Airbnb and Uber, realized he could leverage the empty spaces in current and future care providers' homes to introduce more childcare options in local communities.

Solution

In 2016, Wonderschool was founded to provide a platform for childcare providers to supplement their income by opening their own in-home daycares or preschools. In partnership with state agencies, such as Nevada’s Division of Welfare and Supportive Services, Wonderschool’s team uses data to target areas with high unmet childcare demand. They then recruit individuals interested in opening childcare homes. The program guides these recruits through licensing steps, provides online training in childcare and business practices, and assigns them an advisor for one-on-one support.

Results

  • Beneficiary Impact86 new childcare providers enrolled in just three months in some regions (e.g., in Kansas)
  • Employee Impact$78,000 – average income of Wonderschool provider director
  • Financial Results$54M secured in funding by Wonderschool

Replication Tips

  • Mentorship and peer support: Create cohorts or networks among new providers so they can share experiences. Consider pairing novices with experienced providers for moral support and practical advice.
  • Emphasize business training: Emphasize business training: Emphasize the business aspect in training curricula. Many care providers struggle with the administrative side—budgeting, marketing, and scheduling. Providing user-friendly tools (for billing, attendance, etc.) and mentorship on running a small business is key to helping programs thrive financially.
  • Adapt to licensing: Work with regulatory agencies to simplify the licensing journey. If possible, coordinate background checks, necessary trainings, and paperwork submission through the program to fast-track approval.

Suggested Implementation Timeline

~12-18 months

Sources