Bright Horizons Expands Portfolio of Digital Care Solutions with Acquisition of Sittercity Business
August 6, 2020 – 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.”