Care.com, the Largest Online Marketplace for Finding Care in the US, Announces UK Expansion

- UK Families and Carers to Receive Free Access to Care.com until 1st June

LONDON, April 19, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Care.com, the largest and fastest growing online service helping American families find and connect with carers, launched its service in the UK today. Care.com UK (https://uk.care.com/) is the first venture outside of the United States for the six-year-old Boston-based company.

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In celebration of its UK launch, Care.com, which charges families a subscription fee for full site access in the US, will offer its UK service free to all members until 1st June.

Founded in 2006, Care.com has had over one million care providers register on its US site, which receives an average of 6 million visits every month. The company, which has raised more than $60 million in funding from investors, including LinkedIn founder Reid Hoffman, is now expanding internationally. Already, thousands of carers have signed up on Care.com's UK site. Today's launch allows families access to this growing network.

Care.com UK has a trained and dedicated team based in the UK reviewing carer profiles for suspicious and inappropriate content. Care.com also provides secure messaging, reference checking services, and a growing collection of articles and resources on the interviewing and hiring process. Care.com is working with UK care experts to help develop its UK service and additional educational content. In particular, Care.com has teamed up with Bestbear.co.uk to offer a premium reference checking service.

"I'm delighted to be expanding Care.com's service for families and care providers into the UK," said Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Founder and CEO of Care.com. "Technology now enables us to be more connected and leveraging community relationships, whether truly local or through social networks, is critical. Care.com embraces digital technology to enable families to connect with the best carers for their loved ones through our unique tools and resources. Hundreds of thousands of families across America have used Care.com to connect with and meet care providers for their loved ones. As we expand our global footprint, I'm looking forward to helping UK families make informed hiring decisions whether they need childcare, elderly care or even pet care or housekeeping."

Marcelo's inspiration for Care.com came from her personal experience as a working mum coordinating childcare for her two sons, respite care for her ageing father, and pet care for her family dog. Since founding Care.com, Marcelo has become an active representative and proponent of female entrepreneurship worldwide. In the past year Marcelo has been awarded a Marshall Memorial Fellowship, named a Young Global Leader by the World Economic Forum, and awarded a Henry Crown Fellowship by the Aspen Institute. She has always had international aspirations for Care.com, and it was her participation in the Silicon Valley Comes to the UK (SVC2UK) conference in Cambridge that cemented her decision to begin international expansion in the UK.

"The UK is the natural gateway to the world for Care.com," said Sigrid Daniel, Head of International Business Development for Care.com. "It is the largest English speaking market outside of the US, our families face many of the same care challenges that American families do, and we have a long history and high quality of carers. Care.com is thrilled to provide a great resource for the large pool of qualified carers here in the UK. The site will enable carers to access a growing global network of job opportunities."

With the current economic climate playing a significant role in families' care budgets, Care.com will help carers looking for work find families who are hiring. Sarah Dyer, a Cambridgeshire-based Norland nanny with 9 years of experience, said, "My experience caring for both children in my professional life and my elderly grandparents in my personal life means I've got a huge amount of expertise to offer others. Now I have an online forum where I can promote my services. The Care.com website will make it easy for families who need care to find me."

About Care.com

Founded in 2006, Care.com is the largest and fastest growing service of its kind in the United States and has been used by hundreds of thousands of American families to find and connect with carers. In 2012, Care.com began to expand its service internationally and, through its subsidiary, Care.com Europe LTD, now provides an online forum for UK families and carers to connect with each other, arrange care, and share advice. The company helps families address their unique lifecycle of care needs: childcare, special needs care, care for older people, pet care, and housekeeping. Care.com does not employ, recommend, or endorse any carers or care seekers nor is it a recruitment or other agency. Care.com provides information and tools to help members make informed decisions.  However, members are solely responsible for selecting an appropriate employer or carer for themselves or their family, and employers are solely responsible for obtaining and reviewing any necessary CRB or other identity, verification, background, or reference checks before hiring a carer and for verifying the age of the carer they select, as well as that carer's eligibility to work in the UK.

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