‘Her Yes Club,’ created by Bowmanville mother, connects dad and mom with child-care suppliers | USAEMALL.com

When Bowmanville, Ont. mother Carmen Doucette had her first daughter in 2019, she didn’t notice how arduous it could be to search out baby care.

“I was very naive and unaware of how hard it is to find child care,” mentioned Doucette.

Now a mom of two daughters, aged three and 5, with each herself and her husband working full time, Doucette mentioned it sparked a mission to attach working mothers and dads with native child-care suppliers of their communities which might be house primarily based.

“My life is chaotic and I work full-time, so I know how hard it is sometimes to find that flexible care that you need,” mentioned Doucette.

The child-care impediment was one thing Doucette mentioned she didn’t notice could be a problem, particularly being a brand new mother. It concerned the challenges of discovering secure, dependable and respected baby care, particularly with a licensed centre.

“So ‘Her Yes Club’ is a platform that I’m creating and it provides home-based care, whether it be daycare, babysitters, nannies or even other local moms who have the capacity to help with care, such as school drop-offs or pickups,” mentioned Doucette.

The app excludes licensed daycare centres, and has a give attention to at-home care. However, anybody enthusiastic about offering a service goes by way of a screening course of.

“There’s certain safety verifications and screening processes that you have to go through in order to be eligible to finish finalizing your profile on the app,” mentioned Doucette.

Doucette is amongst many dad and mom throughout the province going through prolonged waitlists for baby care. Global News reported simply final month that even within the nation’s capital, Ottawa, waitlists have elevated by 41 per cent with virtually half previous the date they wanted baby care to start out.

The demand additionally comes after the province signed on to the nationwide $10-a-day program, resulting in many licensed daycare areas filling up quicker.

Another problem with at-home care, mentioned Doucette, is understanding the place to search out it.

According to Statistics Canada, house daycares make up practically 70 per cent of the child-care market in Canada, however dad and mom don’t know the place to search out them.

“So we know right now that mothers who use home-based child care are are finding them through Facebook groups,” mentioned Doucette. “So you’re stuck in this loop of just endlessly scrolling and searching for child care. And it’s extremely stressful.”

But this app, she says, has the flexibility to bridge that hole.

“It instantly matches you as a mother looking for care with a local provider who has the credentials that you need,” mentioned Doucette. “It’s a connection based on distance, so you can set how far you’re willing to travel for care, and then you will instantly be matched with child-care providers who meet your specific needs. You don’t need to go on a waitlist.”

And whereas the app hopes to assist households in Bowmanville, it additionally offers suppliers publicity.

“They’re also struggling when they have a spot become available at their in their daycare, or if they’re a babysitter and they’re looking for extra income on weekends or evenings when parents want to go on date night or have plans, they’re really struggling to find people to watch and to have under their care, and also to manage payments and contracts and upcoming bookings,” mentioned Doucette.

The web site and app will likely be launching in July 2024 to assist native households. However, Doucette mentioned her hope is that it may well ultimately broaden all through Durham Region.

“It’s my dream that this would eventually help all Canadians, especially families living in rural communities where they may not have the access or the means to access a licensed daycare centre.”

For extra data, you’ll be able to head to heryesclub.ca and be a part of the e-mail record for additional updates on the launch.