Kowalah, one of the UK’s first technology-enabled childcare platforms, today announced it has launched in Bath with the recruitment of Flo Deasy as the Kowalah Ambassador for the city.
Kowalah helps busy families to find flexible childcare to fit around parents’ work, school runs and other commitments. It has been in operation across the Cotswolds since 2016 and is now expanding into new regions following the successful launch in Oxford earlier in the year.
Candy Cowan, mother of four and founder of Kowalah, explained, “Traditional childcare options like nannies or childminders are no longer a good fit for the ‘flexible working’ and ‘working from home’ culture that many families are experiencing today. Parents are looking for truly flexible childcare options to help with school pick-ups and afterschool care that may vary day to day.”
Many of the Kowalahs (the company’s name for their sitters) are university students who are looking for flexible ways of topping up their Maintenance Loan during their studies. Kowalahs make on average £40 per booking and are paid the following morning.
Candy added, “Students have typically gravitated to shift work in pubs and restaurants but it is hard work, late nights and doesn’t help them with their studies. We’re finding students love the fact they can work three or four hours in the afternoon, and for those doing evening sitting they can even polish up that essay once the children are asleep!”
Being a technology platform, Kowalah is able to witness trends across all of its bookings, with the average booking being 4.5 hours.
Flo Deasy, Kowalah Ambassador for Bath, said, “I worked as a Kowalah for two years during my university studies and now that I’ve returned home, I’m excited to bring Kowalah to Bath. With two universities we have tens of thousands of students that we can connect with flexible income to top up their Maintenance Loan, and for the many families across the city I look forward to them experiencing their first “Wow!” as an amazing Kowalah helps make their parenting a little easier.”