Charly Cares is here during the coronacrisis

Founder Charly van der Straten: “Afgelopen maand heb ik ouders, managers, artsen en CEO’s dagelijks gesproken over thema’s als thuiswerken, kinderopvang en (online) thuisonderwijs. Iedereen is voorzichtig, en terecht. Maar voor sommige is hulp op dit vlak noodzakelijk. Daarom breiden wij onze dienst uit voor organisaties, met zorgvuldige maatregelen en richtlijnen.”

An example of an organisation we currently work with is the OLVG hospital in Amsterdam. Employees can book a babysitter at home through our platform, so that they can continue their crucial activities. Mother Paula: "I'm a plastic surgeon. These last couple of weeks, it was (and still is) unclear what my work would look like. I now work in the intensive care at varying times. I usually know only a day in advance how late I have to report in. My husband works from home all day and can't spend the whole day with the children and their schoolwork. A babysitter at home is indispensable to us."

Babysitter Laureanne babysits for Paula’s family: “I take care of the children and help them with their schoolwork when the mother of the family is working at the hospital and the father works from home. During the babysitting service, I'm even more careful than usual and I take extra care with hygiene."

Wundermart too has arranged childcare for their employees through Charly Cares. Rody, Heart of Operations at Wundermart: “"It's quite intensive to work from home when the kids are also around 24/7. As an employer, we therefore wanted to think about childcare, so that our employees can also focus on other things. That doesn't necessarily have to be work. Being good to your people is simply always good for the company. Everyone is really appreciative and one colleague has already booked a babysitter for the next 4 Mondays."

Besides solutions for companies, Charly Cares also remains available to all parents who need a babysitter, especially now. For example, for parents such as Judy: "My husband is self-employed and owns a PR & Communication company. A lot of contracts are currently on hold, meaning he is away from home quite a bit. I am under employment and my work continues as usual. We just need a babysitter every now and then." Amy's family too uses the help of a Charly Cares Babysitting Angel. She uses the platform for online help with homeschooling: "My husband and I don't speak Dutch. When we started homeschooling, I was worried that my two children would lag behind with the Dutch language. That's why we've arranged a weekly video call with babysitter Naomi."

We realise that the babysitting service we offer is under pressure, but some parents need us now more than ever. We are careful with the situation and have adapted our current policy to the RIVM guidelines. We keep a daily eye on official reporting. An example of one of our guidelines is a maximum of one babysitter per family. We ask all our users to follow our guidelines, so that we can continue to do our part.