Would you let us TayCare?

We approached expecting parents asking whether they had registered on any daycare waitlists. For those who had or were planning to soon, we asked what their experience had been. We followed up with the following questions: Would you like someone else to do the job for you? Would you pay for it? This are some of the answers we got:

• Jennifer (pregnant, full-time lawyer, her husband a full-time MBA student): "Yes! I enrolled on 4 wait lists and it's been so time consuming. We are looking to enroll in more wait lists and the process is overwhelming. I would pay for some help." After thinking for a few seconds she continued, "...but I would pay you, because I trust you and I know you'll be responsible, polite, and will get back to me with thorough and transparent feedback." Jennifer has been my friend for a few years.
• Laura and Dave (pregnant, full time employees): "How much would I have to pay?" --I hadn't thought about this yet--"a small monthly fee..." They said they thought it would be helpful to have someone making phonecalls and providing updatses for them. They would be interested if it didn't cost more than $40 per month
• Alicia: "I'm currently working part-time, and honestly, I prefer to take the time to do it myself. It's a very important decision and I like to have direct contact with the centers where I might enroll my baby"
• Shannon (pregnant) and her mother Claire: Shannon said she would love some help, and Shannon jumped in "you should have said so! I can help you with that!" Shannon chuckled. Under the hypothetical example that she didn't have her mother's help, she said she would be willing to pay for the services
• Julia (my friend, mother of twins, and one of my first interviewees): Sounds like a great idea, I might not be a full time employee, but taking care of twins is a full-time job for sure. My friend Anna is going through a lot of stress with the process too, maybe she'd be interested"
• Averi (my classmate's friend): "I wish I knew what my arrangement will be [...] I am on 5 lists and they are not very encouraging, estimating 18 to 30 months of wait-time [...] I would pay about $20 to have weekly updates on my status for a month and for gaining additional informed insights about my options."

The relationships of trust that I have with my friends is definitely a plus in offering these services, but this could be a good place to start building experience, relationships and a reputation for the business before we gain the trust of strangers.