Customer Q&A: Wonderschool

Wonderschool helps families gain access to much-needed early childhood care. Chosen as one of the 100 most influential companies of 2022 by Time Magazine and funded by Andreessen Horowitz (a16z), the platform empowers childcare providers by giving them the tools they need to run an in-home business.

When they started, checks were still the standard for payments, which created additional overhead for parents and providers. To solve this, Wonderschool partnered with Plaid to help providers automate payments and payment processing. Now, users can connect bank accounts on the Wonderschool app, enabling seamless ACH payments that are easy for providers to send and receive. 

In this interview from Plaid Effects, we speak with Chris Bennett, Founder and CEO of Wonderschool, about his journey with Wonderschool and how Plaid makes it easier for childcare providers to run their businesses. 

This interview has been edited for clarity and length.

Plaid: Tell us about Wonderschool and how the idea came about. 

Bennett: Wonderschool is a childcare solutions platform that helps people start, operate, and grow their childcare programs. A provider comes to us with an idea, and we help them get their program up and running by helping them set up their home and figure out their marketing. Once they’re ready, we make it easy for parents to find that program through our marketplace.

Parents can schedule tours, go to events, and enroll their kids through the Wonderschool platform. Once they’re enrolled, they’re able to pay and communicate with their provider through the platform.

Our mission is to ensure that all children have access to childcare within five minutes of their home. 

Plaid: What was that ‘aha moment’ where you realized this is what was needed, and that you were the person to do it? 

Bennett: I started Wonderschool because I kept hearing from friends that they couldn’t find childcare in San Francisco. I did research and found that it’s a problem all over the country and the world. So, I started a couple of childcare programs myself to learn everything about running a program. Then, I realized that there was an opportunity to build a tech platform that enabled people to start and grow programs. 

The ‘aha moment’ happened when I pulled a list of all the childcare programs in San Francisco from the phonebook. I started calling them and asking if they were open to having me support their business. One provider said ‘sure,’ and I drove over to Noe Valley from the Lower Haight to visit. 

Based on the website, I thought this program wasn’t going to be great, but I was shocked. I met these incredible former elementary school teachers who started their own childcare business. They needed help that I could provide with my business background. 

Plaid: That's amazing. What did you do before you did this?

Bennett: I've been an entrepreneur most of my life. I started an EdTech company during undergrad and started some companies in high school. Before Wonderschool, I started a company that helped individuals sell products on social media. 

Plaid: Why did you choose Plaid to help you start your business?

Bennett: Plaid was an obvious choice. We read about Plaid on TechCrunch and thought it was an incredible product. We realized we needed something to enable ACH payments for parents and make it easy for providers to receive payments. So, we decided to partner with Plaid, and I've been a happy customer for a long time.

Plaid: Tell us about one of your favorite customer stories and why it inspires you.

Bennett: I have a lot, but I'd say my favorite is a provider named Gloria who was working in a child care program when we first met her. She was inspired to start her own program after seeing other people starting Wonderschools. We helped her start a program out of her home, which quickly filled up. She ended up moving from a small townhouse to a larger one and then to the home she now lives in and operates her program from. 

It was incredible to see her grow into a successful entrepreneur with a large staff serving close to a hundred children in San Francisco—it was very inspiring.