Childcare.co.uk
Childcare.co.uk is the UK's largest online marketplace connecting parents with childcare providers and private tutors, operating on a freemium model with paid Silver and Gold memberships and serving over 3 million members and 940,000+ listed providers.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2009
- HeadquartersLondon, United Kingdom
- Headcount51–100
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingDigital Commerce or Content
What Childcare.co.uk does
Childcare.co.uk is a UK-based online marketplace founded in 2009 that connects parents with childcare providers and private tutors. The platform operates on a freemium model, offering free basic membership alongside paid Silver and Gold subscription tiers, and serves approximately 3 million members and 940,000+ listed childcare providers and tutors. Its core product is a postcode-based search and discovery platform paired with a secure private messaging system that allows parents and providers to communicate without disclosing personal contact details, supported by a 5-star review system with 70,000+ parent reviews and native iOS and Android mobile applications.
The Gold membership tier bundles over £6,000 worth of benefits including £10m of free insurance cover (underwritten by Markel International), 500+ online training courses through Educare, Laser Learning and Virtual College, restaurant and cinema discounts via tastecard and Kids Pass, and priority support. The company generates additional revenue through a B2B Employee Benefits scheme sold to UK employers with 10 to 50,000+ staff on a per-employee annual subscription basis, affiliate commissions from Nannytax, and facilitated Enhanced DBS checks via uCheck.
Operationally, Childcare.co.uk is owned and operated by Childcare Limited, a private UK company with 51-100 employees and no disclosed external funding. The company is based in London and serves exclusively the UK market. It holds 2015 recognition as the sole winner of a Department for Education SBRI Competition for innovative childcare solutions, and its marketplace model relies heavily on SEO-driven content marketing, an extensive resource library of 1,000+ guides, social media presence across major platforms, and a 4.8/5 Trustpilot rating based on 6,107 reviews.
Childcare.co.uk firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Childcare.co.uk
- Legal name
- Childcare Limited
- Website
- https://childcare.co.uk
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2009
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 51–100 employees
- Short description
- Childcare.co.uk is the UK's largest online marketplace connecting parents with childcare providers and private tutors, operating on a freemium model with paid Silver and Gold memberships and serving over 3 million members and 940,000+ listed providers.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Childcare.co.uk industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Online Childcare Marketplace
- NAICS
- Child Care Services (62441), Child Care Services (6244), Child Care Services (624410), Child and Youth Services (62411)
- SIC
- Services-Child Day Care Services (8351), Services-Employment Agencies (7361), Services-Educational Services (8200)
- akta.pro primary industry
- General Babysitter/Nanny Placement Agencies (HSAAALAA)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Nanny Share Setup, Matching & Contracting Services (facilitation/coordination) (HSAAAFAL), Full-Time Nanny Placement Agencies (HSAAALAB)
Keywords
Where Childcare.co.uk is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- London
- HQ country
- United Kingdom
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Childcare.co.uk business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Digital Commerce or Content
- Cost components
- Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Gold Membership Subscriptions: Premium subscription service offering enhanced features including unlimited messaging, direct contact details access, profile highlighting, free insurance, training courses, discounts on restaurants/cinema/family days out, and priority support
- Silver Membership Subscriptions: Mid-tier subscription with core premium features above basic free membership
- Employee Benefits Corporate Scheme: Annual subscription for organizations providing childcare support as employee benefit, priced per employee with tiered pricing for 10 to 50,000+ staff
- DBS Check Facilitation: Facilitates Enhanced DBS checks via uCheck for childcare providers and parents, with fees paid directly to uCheck
- NannyTax Commission: 40% commission from Nannytax payroll service for gold members who sign up
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Gold Membership - Full premium tier with all benefits |
| Subscription | Annual | Gold Membership - Annual billing |
| Subscription | Annual | Employee Benefits Scheme - Per employee annual pricing |
| Freemium | Monthly | Free Membership - Basic tier |
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels8 records
Childcare.co.uk product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Childcare.co.uk is the UK's largest online social networking and marketplace platform connecting parents with local childcare providers and tutors, including babysitters, childminders, nannies, nurseries, maternity nurses and private tutors. The platform operates a freemium model with free basic, Silver, and Gold memberships, offering postcode-based search, parent reviews, secure messaging, and a Gold-tier bundle of insurance, 500+ training courses, and discount memberships. A separate corporate Employee Benefits scheme provides organizations with platform access as a workplace benefit.
Product overview
Childcare.co.uk is a UK-based online social networking and marketplace platform that operates as a freemium model with a free basic membership, Silver tier (core premium features), and Gold membership (full premium package). The core platform connects parents with childcare providers through postcode-based search, reviews, ratings, and secure messaging. The Gold membership tier includes over £6000 worth of benefits including free childcare provider insurance (Public Liability, Professional Indemnity, Employers' Liability, Legal Expenses), access to 500+ online training courses through partner providers, restaurant and cinema discounts (tastecard), Kids Pass, and priority support. Additional products include a cost comparison calculator, employee benefits scheme for companies, downloadable resource libraries with 1000+ guides, first aid training partnerships, and DBS check facilitation services.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Childcare.co.uk Platform Online marketplace and social networking platform enabling UK parents to find and connect with local childcare providers including babysitters, childminders, nannies, nurseries, maternity nurses, and private tutors through postcode-based search, reviews, ratings, and secure messaging.
- Gold Membership Premium monthly or annual subscription for parents, providers, and tutors offering enhanced messaging, direct contact details access, profile highlighting (3x more views), free Markel-underwritten insurance (£10m Public Liability, £10m Employers' Liability, £100k Professional Indemnity, Legal Expenses Cover, Loss of Revenue & Suspension Cover), 500+ free online training courses worth over £5,000, tastecard, Kids Pass, Coffee Club, Creative Steps Magazine, Nannytax discount, cashback scheme worth up to £1,000/year, and 365-day priority support.
- Silver Membership Mid-tier subscription offering core premium features above the free tier, including enhanced messaging and profile features for parents and providers.
- Childcare for Companies (Employee Benefits Scheme) Annual corporate subscription scheme providing organisations with 10 to 50,000+ employees access to the Childcare.co.uk platform as a workplace benefit. Priced per employee via tiered structure with a minimum 1-year term. VAT excluded.
- Enhanced DBS Check Facilitation Service Facilitated Enhanced DBS check service via partnership with uCheck, the UK's largest DBS umbrella body. Available for gold members and parents; payment is made directly to uCheck with no additional fees charged by Childcare.co.uk.
Quantifiable outcome
- Gold member profiles are more than three times as likely to be viewed compared to free members
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Childcare.co.uk
Customer profileNamed customers6 records
Segments5 records
Ideal customer profiles3 records
Childcare.co.uk technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration6 records
Feature4 records
Childcare.co.uk partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.
- Tigerlily First Aid TrainingminorPartnership offering 15% discount on paediatric first aid courses for members. Tigerlily provides weekly courses at 90 UK training centres. 12-hour blended course meets Ofsted requirements for childminders at £80.75 + VAT.
- uCheckcoreUK's largest DBS umbrella body facilitating Enhanced DBS checks for childcare providers and parents. Payment made directly to uCheck with no additional fees charged by Childcare.co.uk.
- Markel International Insurance Company LimitedcoreUnderwriter for free Public Liability, Employers' Liability, and Professional Indemnity insurance for gold members. Insurance underwritten by Markel meets Ofsted EYFS requirements.
- NannytaxminorUK's leading nanny payroll service with 40% discount (worth up to £110) offered exclusively to gold members. Childcare.co.uk receives commission for referrals.
- EducareminorOnline training provider offering 500+ courses and webinars to gold members worth over £5000. Courses include Food Hygiene, First Aid, Child Protection, Online Safety, Early Years Nutrition.
- Laser LearningminorOnline training provider offering courses to gold members as part of the free training benefit package.
- Virtual CollegeminorOnline training provider offering safeguarding and other courses to gold members as part of the free training benefit package.
- tastecardminorRestaurant discount membership (worth £79.99/year) offering 50% off or 2-for-1 at 6000+ UK restaurants including PizzaExpress, TGI's, Las Iguanas, Zizzi, Burger King. Also includes cinema discounts and Coffee Club membership.
- Kids PassminorFree digital membership worth £39.99/year offering discounts on UK attractions, Kids Eat Free deals at restaurants, cinema discounts, bowling, and play centres.
- Creative Steps MagazineminorQuarterly magazine partnership providing creative activity ideas for children up to age 11. Gold members receive free digital access worth up to £16/year plus back issues from 2013.
Scale indicators6 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Childcare.co.uk competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Yoopies: European childcare and household services marketplace operating across France, UK, Germany, Italy, Spain, and other markets. Direct peer offering similar parent-to-childcare-provider matching with paid memberships and household help categories.
- Sittercity: US-based online platform for finding babysitters, nannies, tutors, and pet sitters. Direct peer in the same childcare/tutor matching category with subscription-based provider verification and reviews.
- Care.com: The largest global online marketplace for finding and managing family care, connecting families with caregivers for childcare, senior care, pet care, and housekeeping. Direct peer as both operate two-sided marketplaces connecting parents with childcare providers via subscription model.
- Superprof: Global online platform connecting students with private tutors across academic subjects, music, languages, and sports. Direct peer in the private tutor marketplace category that overlaps with Childcare.co.uk's tutor offerings.
- TaskRabbit: Online and mobile marketplace connecting customers with local freelance labor for tasks including cleaning, handyman work, and household help. Adjacent peer operating in the household services marketplace category overlapping with Childcare.co.uk's expanded services.
- UrbanSitter: US-based childcare marketplace connecting parents with babysitters and nannies, leveraging social network connections for trust. Direct peer with similar two-sided marketplace model focused on childcare placement.
- Babysits: Dutch-founded online marketplace connecting families with babysitters, childminders, nannies, and tutors across Europe and beyond. Direct peer with overlapping product offering, freemium model, and trusted reviews system.
- Helpling: European online marketplace for household services including cleaning, with adjacent household help categories. Direct peer in the household services marketplace category that overlaps with Childcare.co.uk's household help offerings.
Broad incumbents
- Indeed: Global employment marketplace and broad incumbent covering all job categories including childcare roles. Indirect competitor for nanny/childminder job postings and recruitment, but lacks Childcare.co.uk's vertical specialization and family-side features.
Regional players
- MyTutor: UK-focused online tutor marketplace connecting students with vetted tutors for academic subjects. Regional peer operating in the UK tutor matching segment overlapping with Childcare.co.uk's private tutor category.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat6 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Childcare.co.uk social profiles
Digital presenceChildcare.co.uk compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance6 records
Childcare.co.uk financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Childcare.co.uk leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Childcare.co.uk funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Childcare.co.uk M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Childcare.co.uk
What does Childcare.co.uk do?
Childcare.co.uk is the UK's largest online social networking and marketplace platform connecting parents with local childcare providers and tutors, including babysitters, childminders, nannies, nurseries, maternity nurses and private tutors. The platform operates a freemium model with free basic, Silver, and Gold memberships, offering postcode-based search, parent reviews, secure messaging, and a Gold-tier bundle of insurance, 500+ training courses, and discount memberships. A separate corporate Employee Benefits scheme provides organizations with platform access as a workplace benefit.
Is Childcare.co.uk a public or private company?
Childcare.co.uk is a private company. It is classified as founder individual operated bootstrapped and is currently operating.
When was Childcare.co.uk founded?
Childcare.co.uk was founded in 2009. It employs 51 to 100 people.
Where is Childcare.co.uk based?
Childcare.co.uk is headquartered in London, United Kingdom, in the Europe region.
How does Childcare.co.uk make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Gold Membership Subscriptions are the primary driver. The others are silver Membership Subscriptions, employee Benefits Corporate Scheme, DBS Check Facilitation and nannyTax Commission.
Who are Childcare.co.uk's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Yoopies, Sittercity, Care.com, Superprof, TaskRabbit, UrbanSitter, Babysits and Helpling. Indeed is listed as a broad incumbent. MyTutor is listed as a regional player.
Does Childcare.co.uk have an API?
No public API is recorded for Childcare.co.uk.
What industry is Childcare.co.uk in?
Childcare.co.uk's product category is Online Childcare Marketplace. Its primary akta.pro industry code is HSAAALAA, General Babysitter/Nanny Placement Agencies, with a secondary code of HSAAAFAL, Nanny Share Setup, Matching & Contracting Services (facilitation/coordination). Its NAICS code is 62441 and its SIC code is 8351.