Felicity Chapman had a newborn, a design business in its infancy and a problem.
They did not get along.
After the birth of her first daughter, Chapman decided she would only work part-time, but found it all but impossible to juggle both her clients and childcare. Chapman knew she needed to find some flexible childcare that would allow her to accommodate her clients’ needs, without shortchanging her daughter.
“I didn’t want to leave her with just anyone and I couldn’t tell my clients that I can only come from Monday to Wednesday from 9-12, because that’s the only time when I have childcare,” she said, echoing the sentiment of many working mothers. “I thought there has got to be a better solution.”
The seed that began as a line in Chapman’s notepad has grown into Cubes & Crayons, a hybrid business offering moms a place where they can literally take their kids to work.
One part office space provider and one part daycare, Chapman believes her Silicon Valley-based business is the answer for working moms, or dads, who are finding it impossible to get the job done from home and look after their children at the same time.
Chapman has attempted to create a space where kids can play on one side and parents can get down to business on the other. The daycare side accepts children ages 6 weeks to 7 years and has multiple packages to accommodate parents who only need an hour here and there to those who require between 10-60 hours of childcare a month.
Logo from Cubes & Crayons