On paper, the newly launched app is a premium nannying and babysitting service created to be the safest way for parents and caregivers to find trusted nannies and babysitters in their communities. But Kym Hibberd, the General Manager of Child’s Play ELC, warmly refers to it as “a community of trusted, verified babysitters and nannies that families everywhere can reach out to whenever they need.”
The Nurture app was created by all of us at Child’s Play Early Learning Centres. Known for receiving the highest available rating from the Department of Education, we approached the app in exactly the same way – with children and their safety as the focus.
Why does the Nurture app differ from other services?
When Nurture’s co-creators, Sam and Ian, moved to Australia, they didn’t have family to support them. Finding and getting a nanny or babysitter is time-consuming, and even then, you’re never 100% confident. They very quickly learned that so many families in and around their community had the same issues.
Kym says, “As parents ourselves, we understand how precious children are, and how important it is to have engaging and educative carers in your home. We really have a passion to support local families and we’re delighted to bring that passion to life through the Nurture App. Nurture carers are dedicated to empowering your child to learn new and exciting things, while creating safe and supportive relationships, and providing a high level of care and compassion for your family’s needs.”
The heart behind Nurture
Child’s Play’s philosophy is that every child matters. That means supporting, educating, and facilitating high-quality care for each child individually is their priority. The app was approached with the same care and consideration for children. “It means we’re able to connect parents with nannies and babysitters who understand how to support the individual needs of children”, says Kym.
Every one of our babysitters and nannies has experience working with children, so they’ll be well-versed in dealing with things like –
- Separation anxiety – which is really handy when it’s time for you to leave and hand over to the nanny.
- And specific games to play with children to keep them engaged, like sensory activities. The Nurture app doesn’t send people to sit there, they play, engage and educate your children while you’re out.
More than an app
We’re really proud that Child’s Play ELC has the best rating a centre can receive. The same goes for the Nurture app – we wanted to challenge the industry to rise to a standard on par with our in-service childcare expectations. The assurance you get from our early learning centres is exactly the same as what you’ll get with the Nurture app.
“We wanted to operate at the highest level of the nannying and babysitting industry, so we prioritised child safety. We did this voluntarily. It’s not a legal requirement, but we made it mandatory to raise the bar for ourselves. Our approach informs everything from the questions we ask potential carers to the additional documents they need to upload to apply. But it’s worth it because child safety is the top priority for us.”
“It’s really part of a holistic delivery of what parents need. Another component is our podcast – The Nurtured Parent – featuring all types of parenting experts. It’s great for parents looking for expert support they otherwise wouldn’t have had access to,” says Kym.
More than nannies and babysitters
Most of the Nurture carers have a childcare qualification – so they really know how to engage with children. This means that the quality of care that a child will receive will be on another level. Our carers have a wealth of knowledge and experience and they bring that with them into your home. Their expertise means they’ve seen first-hand how every child is different. This means that they’re agile and experienced enough to engage with a child in a way that will be most engaging for them.
The interview and approval process that Nurture caregivers undergo is rigorous and ultimately rewarding. Kym continues, saying, “We approach every decision as parents. We all have children at different stages of life, so we look at the service through those eyes. It means we cover the full gamut of parental needs. In fact, Nurture nannies can even support families with light housekeeping tasks or errands. We do everything the way we’d like it to be done for our own children.”
What do people think so far?
“So far, over 100 carers have signed up in the first month, which tells us that the service is resonating with them. We’ve also had some incredibly heartfelt feedback from parents. In fact, one family sent two videos to us, praising the carer we sent and the service they provided –
“We spent ages trying to find someone who would be the right fit for our family and nothing worked. Since we got in touch with the Nurture app, we’ve been super impressed. Kym shortlisted four or five nannies with a summary one each one of them. We had a meet and greet with two of them and found the right person. It’s really great that after weeks and weeks of searching and false starts, we’ve found someone who’s the perfect fit for us.” – The Ball family
Powered by passion
“The passion that we have for this service is so real. As much as it’s a business, this truly is a passion project. We really want to solve this problem for people,” says Kym.
We’re so excited to go on this journey together with you. Whether you’re an educator or nanny looking for work, a family looking for care, or a potential partner wanting to collaborate with us, get in touch – we’d love to hear from you. All the information you need is on our website, but we’re always available to chat with you about anything you’d like to know. After all, we’re parents too.
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