WATERTOWN, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Bright Horizons® (NYSE: BFAM) today announced the acquisition of the Sittercity business, a leading online marketplace for families and caregivers. The acquisition enhances Bright Horizons’ current portfolio of family-focused solutions and extends our capabilities to serve families and clients with flexible care options, including babysitters and in-person or virtual tutors.
The acquisition comes at an important time for Bright Horizons and the families it serves, as parents who have been juggling the demands of their jobs with children at home throughout the coronavirus pandemic are now facing the likelihood of remote learning for their school-age children this fall. Unsure of how to manage their children’s school day with their own careers, working parents across the country are looking for help. Through Sittercity, Bright Horizons expands access to in-home care providers, tutors and educators who can provide in-person or virtual tutoring and learning experiences for children.
“Bright Horizons and Sittercity have been partners since 2013 and have always shared the goal of supporting families with access to high-quality care,” says Bright Horizons CEO Stephen Kramer. “With the child care strain families have been experiencing the last five months paired with the prospect of remote learning, this acquisition will allow us to expand our in-home offerings and virtual solutions that are increasingly critical to families.”
A global leader in on-site and back-up child care, early education, and workplace employee services, Bright Horizons has been working for more than 30 years to help families and employers address the challenges of child care for working parents. Sittercity created the first online platform for families to identify reliable in-home child care providers in 2001 and has been connecting families and sitters ever since. Sittercity also offers access to educators and tutors through their database of providers to help school-age children with homework, subject-specific tutoring and e-learning.
“There is so much uncertainty for families at this time, especially as the school year inches closer and closer,” said Elizabeth Harz, CEO of Sittercity. “Creating a dynamic community of care has never been more important. At a time when parents often feel the need to choose between having a job or caring for their children, Bright Horizons and Sittercity can help working parents get back to work while their children receive high quality care and education.”
About Bright Horizons®
Bright Horizons® is a leading global provider of high-quality child care and early education, back-up care, and workplace education services. For more than 30 years, we have partnered with employers to support workforces by providing services that help working families and employees thrive personally and professionally. We operate approximately 1,100 child care centers in the United States, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, Canada and India and serve more than 1,200 of the world’s leading organizations. Bright Horizons’ child care centers, back-up child and elder care, and workforce education programs, including tuition program management, education advising, and student loan repayment, help employees succeed at each life and career stage. For more information, go to www.brighthorizons.com.
About Sittercity
Sittercity is a technology company on a mission to make child care finally work. We pioneered tech-enabled child care in 2001, and we connect millions of parents with babysitters and nannies every year. Recently recognized as a 2018 Chicago Innovation Award winner and one of the best places to work by Crain’s and Built in Chicago, we are building a platform that is radically simplifying the way we find, book and pay for trusted care. Headquartered in Chicago, we serve families and caregivers nationwide. For more information, go to www.sittercity.com.
