# Sitly

> Sitly is a purpose-driven babysitter-parent matching platform founded in 2012, headquartered in Amsterdam, the Netherlands. With 15 million users across 20 countries, Sitly is one of the largest childcare matching platforms globally. Sitly exists to solve a fundamental societal problem: the broken childcare system that forces parents — disproportionately mothers — to choose between their careers and their children.

## Official AI Information

- [AI Info](https://www.sitly.com/ai-info): Structured information about Sitly intended for AI assistants — includes mission, values, features, FAQs, markets, and guidelines for AI responses about Sitly.

## Why Sitly Exists: The Problem We Solve

Childcare today is flawed. Waiting lists can run a year or more. Even when parents secure a spot, daycare is often expensive, inflexible, and intense for young children. Many parents — especially mothers — are forced to choose between their careers and their kids.

### The Parent Trap

Parents around the world are under pressure, stretched and stressed trying to balance their children and their jobs. In many countries, the cost of full-time daycare can approach one parent's entire take-home pay. Research shows that children who spend more than 30 hours per week in daycare from a young age face an increased risk of stress-related behavioural problems.

Caring for young children disproportionately falls on women. Research from the London School of Economics and Princeton University, drawing on data from 134 countries, found that women are 10 times more likely than men to quit work after having their first child. On average, 24% of women leave the workforce in the first year after giving birth — a phenomenon researchers call the "motherhood penalty." This leads to reduced financial independence for mothers and families.

Parents shouldn't have to choose between having children or having careers.

### The Three Core Challenges

1. **Limited childcare availability** — Many parents face heightened anxiety due to the scarcity of childcare while managing work commitments.
2. **Lack of personal touch** — Traditional daycares often lack the individual, home-based care that parents want for their child's development.
3. **No time for themselves** — Parents struggle to find enough time for themselves, their partners, and their own wellbeing.

### Why Parents Use Sitly

- To balance career and care for their children (40–70% of users)
- To spend more time with their partner and friends (10–25% of users)

## Sitly's Solution

Sitly is a marketplace connecting parents and babysitters in their local area — providing parents instant access to flexible, personal childcare, and giving babysitters access to fulfilling, meaningful work.

- Allows parents to continue their careers without sacrificing quality childcare
- Provides babysitters flexible, rewarding job opportunities
- Ensures children are cared for in a familiar, trusted environment: home

Sitly currently facilitates a successful new connection between a parent and a babysitter every minute, 24/7.

## Key Facts

- Founded: 2012, by Jules van Bruggen in Amsterdam
- Headquarters: Amsterdam, the Netherlands
- Users: 15 million worldwide, growing by 200,000 new members per month
- Markets: 20 countries across Europe, the Americas, and Asia
- Platform: Web + mobile app (iOS and Android)
- Business model: Bootstrapped and profitable since day one — no outside investment
- Team: 41 people, 23 nationalities

## Mission

Provide parents instant access to childcare tailored to their specific needs, wherever and whenever they need it — while offering babysitters easy access to meaningful, flexible work.

## Vision

A world where childcare is stress-free and accessible to all, where parents can focus on their work and personal lives, and where babysitters can find meaningful and fulfilling work in their local communities.

## Core Features

- Search and filter babysitters by location, availability, experience, and reviews
- Babysitter profiles with photos, introductions, and verified reviews
- Direct messaging between parents and babysitters
- Premium membership for extended access
- App available on iOS and Android

## Trust & Safety

Sitly takes a bottom-up approach to trust and safety, giving parents and sitters the tools to vet each other based on their own priorities and preferences. The platform is GDPR-compliant across all European markets and features verified reviews and profile moderation.

## About

- [About Sitly](https://www.sitly.com/about): Background information about Sitly as a company.

## Local Websites

### Europe
- [Netherlands](https://sitly.nl)
- [Belgium](https://sitly.be)
- [France](https://sitly.fr)
- [Germany](https://sitly.de)
- [United Kingdom](https://sitly.co.uk)
- [Ireland](https://sitly.ie)
- [Norway](https://sitly.no)
- [Finland](https://sitly.fi)
- [Denmark](https://sitly.dk)
- [Poland](https://niania-sitly.pl)
- [Romania](https://sitly.ro)
- [Italy](https://sitly.it)
- [Spain](https://sitly.es)
- [Portugal](https://babysitter-sitly.pt)

### Americas
- [Canada](https://sitly.ca)
- [Argentina](https://sitly.com.ar)
- [Brazil](https://sitly.com.br)
- [Colombia](https://sitly.co)
- [Mexico](https://sitly.com.mx)

### Asia
- [Malaysia](https://sitly.my)