When Maddy Gawler was in high school her main source of income was through babysitting. It wasn’t until she began at the University of Denver that she realized she could build a business from the connections she had made.
Being local to the Denver area, Gawler wanted to continue babysitting after going to college. She was able to stay in touch with several families she had sat for before and with some families her friends had sat for.
In her first few years of college, she began connecting those families with new friends who were also looking to offer childcare opportunities.
“I was super, super active on campus and had various networks of people and sitting is a great gig to be able to do during school because you are able to work around your schedule,” Gawler said.
After a few years, Gawler learned that her kind gesture had value and that families were willing to pay her a finders fee for connecting them with good sitters. She developed a simple system, she calls PioCare, that allows parents to pay what they can for a finders fee while still connecting them with competent sitters.
She asked the families who had been with her for a while to be part of an advisory board that helped her develop her business.
Through an email system, families connect with Gawler who suggests a sitter. She offers a biography and contact information so families can chat with the sitter before hiring them. All the sitters are vetted by Gawler who spends time getting to know each one, learning their experience and assessing their aptitude for working with children, she said.
The service has recently expanded to the Boulder/Longmont area. Parents will be connected with sitters who are attending local schools such as the University of Colorado.
Gawler’s services include sitters for a night out, school breaks, full-time, part-time and summer vacations, she said. The fees are determined by the rates set by the sitters and the parents, she said.
To get connected with PioCare families can email Gawler at [email protected].
