As parents, Chika and Funmi Uzor, were not left out in the challenge that many Nigerian families face when it comes to hiring the services of childcare providers. So, in March 2016, they launched Childminder.ng to bridge the gap between parents looking for childcare and individuals who can provide these services, at affordable prices. According to Chika, “Childminder.ng aims to support the transformational journey required to bring Childcare in Nigeria into the 21st Century by delivering a platform that provides the easiest, smartest, and most trusted way of hiring a childcare professional, anytime, anywhere.” The platform enables parents/guardians to promote available vacancies, search for, and engage directly with the qualified pool of experienced childcare providers such as, Au pairs, Nannies, Private Tutors, Nurseries, Personal Assistants and Midwives amongst others. In addition to its service, Childminder publishes rich content and advice on family, parenting, child legislation, child safety, home security, children charities and reviews on children’s products. Through Childminder, Chika and Funmi hope to revolutionise the childcare industry, by addressing the challenges plaguing the industry, including – distinct lack of qualified and properly trained professionals, lack of certified regulatory body to properly manage childcare providers, lack of available platforms to enable parents / guardians to engage with qualified childcare providers directly, review their track record, criminal history, referrals from other parents, and a host of others. As part of its value proposition, Chika further revealed that the service delivers verification of qualified childcare professionals, relevant details such as photos, full profiles, qualifications held, years of experience, declared criminal history and any professional references or referrals collected from current and past parents or guardians.
