When we asked parents how childcare has changed for them in the past 12 months, there was a wide range of answers including:

“I need to have a go-to option for my child to be independently engaged and occupied while I am on my weekly Zoom call with my manager. I don’t need him minded full time, I just need a short window where I know he will be happy and not interrupt me. I can fit my work in before he is up and after he goes to bed.”

“I will not go back to the office full-time, so my childminding needs have changed. I will, however, need someone to come in and take care of my baby for 3 to 4 hours a day.”

“I need my children collected from school, fed and set up to do their homework. I will continue to work at home, so I only need someone for approx 2 hours daily.”

“I work shifts and my partner and I try to fit our schedule so he can be around when I am not. There are some weeks this is not possible and it would be good to have a solution for those times so we are not always reliant on grandparents.”

“I would love a reliable babysitter so that I could get out in the evening for a walk or, as things open up, with my friends. I am a single parent so it would be great to get some much needed time to myself.”

“I need somebody for school holidays who can take the kids to camps, or on day trips when I am working. I don’t need to put them into full-time childcare anymore, but they are also too young to entertain themselves full-time when not in school.”

“I have my 3rd child on the way and really need a full-time minder to come to my home and look after the younger two during the day and collect and take care of my eldest after school. I am off on Fridays and I do work from home now and will continue to do some hours at home as things open back up. I’d love the children minded in my home so I can see them during the day if I have some time.”

We have all become familiar with kids (and now cats!) photobombing Zoom calls and our kids are Zooming away themselves with admirable gusto. But how do we cater for our children when they are not online learning or in school and need to be cared for?

As the way we work changes, childcare needs are changing too. Parents are often left scrambling for evolving and alternative solutions without knowing where to look. öogo solves this problem.

öogo offers everything from exciting online activities to occupy children while parents work alongside them, to overnight babysitters to accommodate away meetings or a few hours so a parent can attend an appointment, class or have some ‘me time’.

öogo connects people who need childcare with services and activities in a thoughtful and meaningful way. Their secure booking and interactive platform has the necessary flexibility to adapt to the ebb and flow of restrictions with a range of services from full-time, in-house childcare to live, inspirational online courses and activities for all ages.

A team of expert Minder Finders carefully source childcare options and curate inspirational content for live sessions to keep children engaged while parents get on with their day-to-day activities.

For some parents getting back to the office can’t come soon enough. For others, they have discovered a new way of working which can offer a work life balance they have not previously enjoyed. For all employers and employees it is about having conversations to find the right fit as we slowly emerge from the pandemic.