Navigating parenthood — and all the joys and challenges it brings — is no walk in the park. Whether you’re trying to figure out the best ways to set your kids up for success or simply need to find a reliable, trustworthy sitter, many parents are hungry for tools and information that make day-to-day family life a little easier. Fortunately, Colorado companies are using technology to do just that — and then some.
Take a look at the tech these local startups use to help parents and children thrive.
Goally is a smart clock that helps children with developmental disabilities like ADHD, autism and Down syndrome develop the critical executive functioning skills they need to grow into thriving adolescents and adults. More than just a piece of hardware, though, Goally helps bridge the gap between proven behavioral science techniques and the parents who are tasked with implementing them. The device rewards children for completing everyday tasks like brushing teeth, making the bed and completing homework, encouraging independence and accountability.
Take a look at our job board and you’ll quickly see that tech jobs aren’t just the future; they’re the present, too. Bitsbox aims to open children’s minds to the world of coding and technology by delivering monthly subscription boxes with projects that teach kids how to build simple apps. Each box comes with a mix of coding projects for everyone from beginners to more advanced users. Projects then tie into the Bitsbox website, where kids can build fun and functional applications.
Finding the right babysitter for your kids can be a source of some anxiety for parents, and the Sitter team knows this. That’s why the company’s app helps to ease parents’ minds by simplifying the process of finding a great caretaker. Parents can find, book and pay sitters instantly through the platform, share and view favorite sitters with friends, and disseminate important information like emergency contacts, allergies and instructions. The 2017 Techstars Boulder grad works with both agencies and individual sitters to deliver families a variety of vetted childcare options.
When it comes to communication between schools and parents, the onus is often on students to relay information, which means a lot can get lost in translation — both literally and figuratively. The Flyer Connect school app bridges that gap and gives parents a line of communication with their children’s teachers and administrators. The app enables parents to select how they’d like to receive information — such as schedule updates, events, student reports and family resources — and then translates that information into the user’s native language. The Denver-based startup hopes to empower families to be the best possible advocates for their students and schools.
WeeSchool leverages technology to help parents make the most of those early years with their babies. The app serves as an all-in-one guide to creating a happy, healthy and enriching life for parents and babies. It offers tools that help parents track and understand important milestones, discover fun and stimulating activities to do with their children, and find music, videos and books that help their babies learn. Think of it as pre-pre-school that starts at home.
