My name is Helen Mayer and I’m the Founder and CEO of Otter. I’m writing to let you know that Otter’s on demand care product will be shutting down on March 12, 2024. Despite our efforts, we struggled to reach new families and we’ve concluded that the market opportunity for on demand childcare is too small to sustain our business.
I’m proud of the care we’ve facilitated, grateful to the families who trusted us with their care needs, and grateful to the sitters who trusted us to match them with families. I’m a mom to twins who are now 5 years old and I started Otter during the pandemic because I wanted to help parents who were struggling to find safe, affordable childcare. Three years in, I still care deeply about building solutions that make parents’ lives easier, help kids receive great care, and help caregivers earn what they deserve.
For the past year and a half, we've been committed to providing on-demand, last-minute care that met the standards we have for our own kids. As we tried to find ways to reach new families, we talked to Otter parents to understand their evolving care needs. Many of them are seeking ongoing relationships with sitters and need recurring care services beyond on-demand options, including nannies, regular part-time sitters, and after-school care.
I’m excited to share that we've decided to work towards solving these needs and I want to give our team time to focus on this. Our current product requires a lot of operational support and we don’t want anyone's experience to suffer as we focus our attention elsewhere. As a result, I’ve decided to shut down Otter’s on demand care product on March 12th.
Finally, I have an ask: as we start building a new care platform, we’d really love to hear about your care needs, especially if Otter's on demand model didn't resonate with you. These conversations will help us make the next version of Otter even better. If you can spare 15 minutes, we’d be very grateful for the opportunity to talk to you. You can book time with us here.
With care,
Helen Mayer
Founder and CEO
Parent FAQ
What about my upcoming bookings on Otter?
Otter will support all bookings that have already been made. If you’ve already requested a booking or confirmed a session, your session is supported by Otter and no action is needed from you!
What about bookings I was planning to make on Otter?
Starting today, you won’t be able to request care past March 12th. That means that if you try to make a request for a care session that would start on or after March 13th, you won’t be able to submit your booking. If you were planning to get care before March 12th, 2024, please request a booking! We’d love to help you find a great sitter and you can request care by logging in to your account like you normally do. If you were planning to get care after March 12th, 2024, you won’t be able to make that request on Otter. We’re working on connecting you with Otter sitters who are up for supporting your family’s care needs outside of Otter and we’ll be in touch with their information by March 13, 2024.
When is the last day I can get care on Otter?
You can get care on Otter through March 12th, 2024. If you’ve already made a request for a care session after March 12th, 2024, we will support your request. If you were planning to make a request for a care session after March 12th, 2024, we won’t be able to support your request but we’re working on connecting you with Otter sitters who are up for supporting your family’s care needs outside of Otter and we’ll be in touch with their information by March 13th, 2024.
Can I contact sitters directly once Otter is no longer available?
By March 13th, 2024 Otter will share contact information for sitters who have opted into having their details shared. In the meantime, please try not to reach out to Otter sitters for bookings frequently; many of them are students and we want to make sure they’re not overloaded with parent requests. At that point, you’re welcome to connect directly with sitters for your ongoing care needs. Please note that we won’t be renewing our yearly background checks for sitters after the sitter’s last care date on Otter.
How long will I have access to my account?
At the end of March, the Otter product will go offline. This means you won’t be able to see your previous bookings. If you need access to any information from your account, you’re welcome to reach out to us and we’ll be happy to share receipts or other care information with you.
Sitter FAQ
What about the upcoming sessions I have confirmed on Otter?
Otter will continue to support all sessions that have been confirmed on our platform. If you’re already scheduled to provide care on a future date, your session is supported by Otter, and no action is needed from you!
When will my last payout be processed?
Payouts will continue to be processed weekly on Mondays. If you complete care sessions between Sunday 3/10 and Tuesday 3/12, your payout will be processed on Wednesday, March 13th. If you complete care sessions after 3/12, we’ll pay those out directly the following business day.
Can I still provide care for Otter families?
Yes! Some families you've worked with before may reach out to you directly. If you want to provide care for them, please do! If you're not interested in providing care for their family, you can let them know. If you want us to share your contact information with families you've worked with before (or with the broader Otter parent community), please use this form.
What if I want to provide care for Otter families I haven't worked with yet?
We want to help you stay connected to the Otter community and we're putting together a directory of sitters who are comfortable connecting with Otter parents they haven't worked with yet. Here’s a sitter information form you can fill out to share your contact information. If you choose to join the directory, people with the link may reach out to you directly to request babysitting. While we’re only going to share the link only with existing Otter families, we can’t guarantee they won’t share it more broadly. Given that, please be aware that people who are not Otter users (and haven’t been background checked by us) may be able to access your information. We'll only add you to the directory if you opt in.
How can I respond if a family reaches out to me directly to make a booking?
If you’re interested in providing care for their family, you can jump right into negotiating the details! If you’re not interested in providing care for their family, you can let them know. For example, you can say “Thank you for reaching out and for thinking of me! I don’t have capacity to take on direct care requests right now but I’ll reach out if I do in the future. I hope you find the care you need.” If you need help responding to parents, please reach out and we can help you figure out how to reply!
How long will I have access to my account?
At the end of March, the Otter product will go offline. This means you won’t be able to see your previous bookings. If you need access to any information from your account, you’re welcome to reach out to us and we’ll be happy to share receipts or other care information with you!
How long will I have access to my profile?
At the end of March, the Otter product will go offline and you will not be able to log in to the Otter web app. You’re welcome to take a screenshot of your profile before this date. Please let us know if you’d like us to provide one for you!
How do I get my 1099 information updated for this year?
Please be sure to update your information in Stripe as soon as possible so they can issue a 1099 for the payments you’ve received in 2024. You can log into your Stripe dashboard here.
General FAQ
What are Otter’s support hours?
We’re reducing Otter’s active support hours from 7am-7pm PT every day of the week to 9am-5pm PT every day of the week. That said, many of you have had the experience of reaching out to us outside of our support hours and getting a response; our team has always kept an eye on our support line and will continue to do so!
I have feedback or questions. How do I get in touch with your team?
If you have questions, concerns, or feedback about this, please reach out to our support number at (415) 918-6739 or send an email to community@withotter.com. As we continue to work on building great childcare solutions for parents and sitters, we’d be grateful for the opportunity to learn more about your experience with Otter on a 15 minute call. If you’d like to connect with us, you can set up time with our team here.