Carlsbad mom Olivia Rutman knows all about the agonizing journey of finding adequate child care. The mom of three, who worked in financial services for 15 years, said her life changed when she went on maternity leave with her third child.
“I spent half my leave calling, texting, emailing, touring, and researching dozens of places,” Rutman said. “It was exhausting, frustrating, and a few months in I felt completely defeated. In a moment of frustration, I yelled out loud that there needed to be one place where parents could go, no matter how old their child was or what their needs were, where they could search and filter down the results just to find the ones that would work for their needs.”
Unable to find that one-stop-shop, Rutman applied for a business license to launch Kids Care Finder. The business, which was launched just this month, allows families to sign up for a free account and freely scour the platform for providers.
The platform currently allows families to search for preschools, daycares, in-home days and private schools. It will soon add other options such as special needs programs, birthday party venues, music teachers, drivers and more.
Families have the option to pay for services on Kids Care Finder, including background checks, online applications and online enrollment. Providers also pay a small subscription fee to use the platform.
“Parents spend thousands of hours throughout their child’s lifetime searching for all these various providers,” Rutman said. “Childcare is the largest crisis and a key area of focus, but as I continue to speak to more and more families, the extracurriculars and other service providers are equally as painful.”
Rutman said Kids Care Finder will soon have more than 30 categories that cover the needs of every child, no matter their age.
Rutman also added other features to ensure the safety of the children and their families. She said state-licensed providers will be vetted annual to ensure the provider is up-to-date on their license and is in good standing. While non-licensed caregivers will be required to go through a background check to ensure they have not committed any crimes. Four additional background checks are available to families.
“I think everyone can agree that if anyone has committed any violent or sex crimes, that they should be automatically disqualified from working with kids, so we put those automatic disqualifiers in place,” Rutman said. “I want families to feel like they can count on us to grow with their family, and be there every time their child has a new need or interest.”
Most importantly, Rutman says, she wants to reduce the stress parents often feel when they need help.
“I truly hope this will reduce the anxiety, pain, and defeat that comes with finding childcare and other programs for your kids, and parents will just know – Kids Care finder has got me covered.”
For more information about Kids Care Finder, go to www.kidscarefinder.com.
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San Diego Moms is published on Saturdays. Have a story idea? Email hoaq@timesofsandiego.com and follow her on Instagram at @hoawritessd.
