1. Bundle
Bundle is an employee-benefit service that aims to occupy kids with educational lessons while giving parents a chance to step away and work.
While the service has already proved useful during the pandemic — one of Bundle's instructors told The Wall Street Journal about teaching a 9-year-old to make a catapult out of Popsicle sticks, which kept him busy for at least 20 minutes — it's been expanding for this school season.
Bundle is planning to offer remote learning in a small group setting as an employee benefit so families can simulate microschools that are typically characterized as high-cost and inequitable.
Bundle is partnered with major brands such as the University of Pennsylvania and Airtable.
3. Home Grown Unit
Home Grown Unit is an online platform that connects families with similar needs to certified teachers that lead virtual classes. It was started by a former Dallas Independent School District teacher.
The service offers Monday through Friday, either in the morning or afternoon, for less than $4 an hour. There are different payment plans, including $275 on a monthly basis or $1,299 for one semester.
5. CareVillage
CareVillage's tagline is "it takes a CareVillage to raise a child."
Its original goal was to match families at the start of the pandemic to create some sort of pandemic bubble. The idea was to let parents share childcare responsibilities by coordinating safe play dates — something the founders were interested in for their own daughter.
Now, the platform has grown to consider other possibilities — linking families up who can share the cost of a nanny, or share the cost of bulk buying diapers, and yes, now sharing the cost of starting a microschool.
It's an option for families who want to join a school pod but don't necessarily want to coordinate in Facebook groups.