Rebecca turns childminding challenge into game-changing app.

When mother of two Rebecca Dredge began using Facebook and traditional agencies to find babysitters for her kids, she knew there had to be a better way.

Turning to technology, Rebecca founded Kiddo – a one of a kind inclusive care platform that connects parents to verified babysitters, nannies and NDIS support workers.

Fast-forward four years and the award-winning Kiddo app is used by more than 41,000 parents across the country, with more than 16,000 carers registered. Kiddo and founder Rebecca have already won a swag of awards including the Women in Digital Innovator of the Year for 2023.

With school holidays upon us and the 2024 new school year just around the corner, Kiddo is the ideal place to find available carers and support workers who can meet the specific needs of your children.

All-in-one care platform for children under 18.

 Kiddo makes it easy to connect instantly to verified, trusted, reliable childminders and NDIS support workers. And it covers just about any type of care you could need for children until 18.

• NDIS carers and support workers
• Regular care and nanny services
• Last-minute care and support workers
• Recurring bookings
• Babysitting at home
• Babysitting while on holidays or staying in hotels
• School pick-up and drop-off.

The app covers Brisbane, Toowoomba, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth as well as popular holiday locations including the Sunshine Coast, Gold Coast and Byron Bay.

Choice and control for parents.

Traditionally, finding babysitters and support workers comes with a host of challenges like background checks, availability, reliability, cost negotiations and communication.

Kiddo takes care of all of this in one place. Rebecca says the easy to use app resolves the challenges associated with traditional care arrangements and gives parents complete choice and control over who cares for their children.

“All Kiddo babysitters and nannies are ID verified and Working with Children checked. Parents can see the carer’s profile image, pricing and reviews. Unlike working with an agency where they may send someone you don’t know anything about, you have complete control over who comes to your house.”

“Our two-way review and rating system means you can easily identify who the babysitting superstars are as rated by other families and how many jobs each person has completed.”

Carers can also add extra details to their profile such as if they have special needs experience, an ABN or formal qualifications.

Finding NDIS carers and support workers with Kiddo.

For ongoing care arrangements including NDIS support workers, parents can create a job ad that goes onto a job board for their area.

Kiddo is suitable for a range of NDIS-related care options:

• Ongoing care and support workers
• NDIS child care
• Last-minute support workers
• Overnight and respite care.

Parents can input details such as days and times, specific types of experience and whether a driver’s licence is required. Interested and available carers can make contact through the app’s messaging feature to exchange further details.

“NDIS families love that the NDIS invoicing is all completely automated. For kids who are plan managed, they can complete a booking and we send the invoice directly to their plan manager. If they’re self managed, payment can be made directly from their NDIS funds,” Rebecca said.

“Many parents save money by using Kiddo as carers set their own rates which can be less than those set in the NDIS price guide.”

Convenience of searching by availability.

Kiddo is free to download and there are no joining fees. Simply download the app, set up your profile and input the time and date to see a list of carers who are available.

“Time is the key matchmaker which saves parents having to scroll through hundreds of people who aren’t available,” Rebecca explained. “Once you have a list of who’s available on your chosen date, you can shortlist potential carers and contact them through the app with any questions.”

Bookings for babysitters and nannies can be made and paid for directly through the app. Over time, parents can build a list of favourite carers so they can easily be booked again.

Kiddo makes it easy to get help.

Kiddo’s research shows that up to 47% of parents don’t have a go-to babysitter when they need care for their children. And a further 67% have indicated they rely on friends and extended family to manage the struggles of parenthood and juggling everything.

“As parents we can’t physically do it all and it is ok to ask for help. Jump onto Kiddo and find that extra safe pair of hands to help rather than trying to juggle it all,” Rebecca said.

Download Kiddo from Google Play or the Apple Store or find out more at https://kiddoapp.com.au/.

Did you know Kiddo is a Friend of Leap in!? 

Our members can unlock a $50 Kiddo Gift Card through our Member Benefits Club! 

Access the L! Member Benefits Club here using your Leap in! app email and password.

Not a Member? Sign up for plan management with Leap in! and enjoy all the great benefits.