Between the anxieties that come with finding the perfect place for childcare and the struggles that come with affording it, Wonderschool saw a problem that needed solving.
Wonderschool is a resource for people trying to start preschools or offer childcare from their homes. The startup helps educators with marketing, website launches, and even the more complicated things like licensing. There are also bootcamp and mentorship services that customers can sign up for.
The network of boutique in-home early childhood programs just recently closed a $20M Series A round led by Andreessen Horowitz which, according to Tech Crunch, puts the company at $24.1 million in total funding just two years after launching.
It’s no secret that preschool and daycare workers make low wages. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, pre-school teachers made $28,990 in May 2017, while kindergarten teachers made $54,230 and elementary school teachers made $57,160. Cofounders Chris Bennett and Arrel Gray see an opportunity to have a platform where educators can earn more and disrupt the $25B annual daycare industry.
With the funding they just raised, the company hopes to continue to expand and build software that will allow educators across the country to become entrepreneurs.
With a program like this, safety is an obvious concern. Wonderschool says each state’s licensing office gives approval before educators receive a license to operate.
If Wonderschool is successful, it could be a game changer for families in regions across the country where finding child care is a challenge.
