June marks two anniversaries for me that are intrinsically linked. Three years ago, I became CEO of Care.com. One year ago, we launched the most comprehensive transformation in our 18-year history. Reflecting on these milestones, I feel a genuine pride that I don’t express lightly.
When I joined Care.com in 2023, I found a powerful mission and deep sense of purpose, but an experience that didn’t live up to our potential. We were fragmented across our core infrastructure, product, and brand. We were known primarily as a transactional marketplace with nanny and sitter listings. Our experience felt dated. We had the foundation for something extraordinary, but it would require real transformation.
The care crisis in America: Why incremental change was not an option
The “why” for this massive undertaking was rooted in an undeniable truth: America is in a care crisis. Our Cost of Care Report reveals the stark truth: parents spend nearly three times what the federal government deems affordable on childcare alone (roughly 20% of household income). Ninety percent of parents are losing sleep, and 34% have considered suicide or self-harm due to care-related stress. And it isn’t just about childcare. Families are struggling to find reliable care for aging parents, for beloved pets, for their homes — it is about the entire ecosystem of care that makes a working household function. This level of crisis demanded a transformation that was foundational, not cosmetic.
What we built: The pillars of our transformation
Last June we introduced a new Care.com to the world. We reasserted who we are, and who we intended to become. We established new values, listened more to our customers, and expanded into new care categories across seniors, adults, pets, and more. We launched a new brand identity that symbolizes what it’s like to surround someone with care. Our new campaign, “When it’s not you, it’s Care.com” addressed the guilt and anxiety of trusting someone else with your most precious responsibilities. Most importantly, we meaningfully improved our product and customer experience — including launching new safety features, a hiring hub, and a Senior Care Advisor program that connects families directly with masters-level social workers.
Our first growth in over three years
The results speak for themselves. After years of decline, we achieved our first quarter of growth in new paid memberships in over three years. Families now choose Care.com first, coming directly to our platform. Member renewal rates increased year-over-year for the first time in three years. Senior care is now our fastest-growing vertical. We rang the NASDAQ bell, and our team earned an Effie Award — one of advertising’s most prestigious honors — for how effective our new campaign connected with our customers. And through CareBenefits by Care.com, we now support more than 700 employer clients and 31 million working families.
Why it worked: The principle behind the strategy
This all only worked because we never lost sight of who we were truly serving: the families and caregivers who needed us to get this right. People like Laura, a nanny who has shown up for Ben — a little boy living with an ultra-rare genetic disorder — for six years. Or Pavel, who found caregivers on Care.com after a life-changing accident left his wife Kat paralyzed. Or Summer, who leaned on us so she can be fully present as a mom and a business owner. These are the people we do it for.
There are millions more families and caregivers like Laura, Pavel, and Summer counting on us. We’re not done, and we never will be.
