Sittercity, a Chicago tech company that pioneered online child care solutions with its marketplace that connects families and caregivers, has been acquired by publicly traded child care provider Bright Horizons.
Bright Horizons announced Thursday that it bought Sittercity for an undisclosed amount. Sittercity will be a wholly owned subsidiary of Bright Horizons, will maintain its branding and remain based in Chicago.
Founded in 2001 by Genevieve Thiers, Sittercity created the first online platform for finding in-home child care. Thiers stepped down as CEO in 2009, and the company is now led by CEO Elizabeth Harz, who previously held leadership roles at Yahoo and Electronic Arts. Harz will remain the company's CEO.
Harz said that while Sittercity saw a slowdown in business during March and early April as the coronavirus began to spread across the U.S., the company has seen an "unprecedented" influx of parents looking to its platform for child care help, as well as professionals looking for work. The company has avoided layoffs throughout the pandemic, Harz said.
Harz said Bright Horizons will allow Sittercity to "achieve our roadmap faster and build things more quickly," while adding to its product and engineering teams. The acquisition also positions Sittercity to serve more parents as they navigate the increasingly uncertain waters of online school and other child care challenges, Harz said.
Bright Horizons, founded more than 30 years ago, works with companies to give child care options to their employees. It operates 1,100 child care centers around the world, and works with more than 1,200 companies.
Sittercity and Bright Horizons have partnered together since 2013.
