http://www.digitaljournal.com/business/startup-that-helps-people-open-home-preschools-raises-20-million/article/529246

Startup that helps people open home preschools raises $20 million

Posted Aug 10, 2018 by Lisa Cumming
A startup that helps educators and childcare providers open up their own childcares or preschools out of their homes has raised a $20 million funding round.
A new generation school.
A new generation school.
TANG CHHIN Sothy, AFP
The Series A funding round for Wonderschool, announced today, was led by Andreessen Horowitz. The money received from this round puts the startups' total funding at $24.1 million.
In a country where teachers and schools are critically underfunded, Wonderschool offers a way for licensed educators and childcare workers to get accredited and set up their programs, in exchange for a 10 per cent cut of tuition.
Wonderschool was founded by CEO Chris Bennett and Arrel Gray, both parents and both worried about finding adequate child care for their children. Looking to the models of other companies that have also taken advantage of the gig economy, like Airbnb and Uber, Bennett and Gray set up a business that turns homes into businesses.
The startup currently has had a hand in helping over 140 providers start their own programs by helping those people figure out things like scheduling, programming and designing a website.
According to an Andreessen Horowitz blog post, Wonderschool directors earn an average of $78 000 per year.
“We wanted to deliver a solution for parents that also had the potential to create jobs and empower the caregiver — that’s Wonderschool,” Bennett told TechCrunch.
With the money, Bennett told TechCrunch that Wonderschool plans on expanding its software, scaling it up to meet demand. As part of the deal, Jeff Jordan from Andreessen Horowitz joined the Wonderschool board.