Synapse Sitters Expanding in Indiana
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As a subscriber you can listen to articles at work, in the car, or while you work out. Subscribe NowAn Indianapolis-based startup that provides qualified babysitters for children with special needs has announced plans for expansion. Synapse Sitters was founded one year ago by Marie Maher, whose son was diagnosed with autism, after having difficulty finding a sitter who could properly handle his behaviors. In an interview on Inside INdiana Business with Gerry Dick, Maher said she came up with the idea for an online platform to connect parents with sitters who have experience in human services.
"We need to verify that they have some type of education or employment experience within human services," said Maher. "So we have a lot of teachers on our site, ABA therapists, speech pathologists, nurses and nursing students."
Synapse Sitters currently serves the greater Indianapolis area. Maher says boarding sitters in the Lafayette and West Lafayette area and will soon begin registering parents for the service. The startup also has plans to further expand to Fort Wayne and the South Bend-Mishawaka area in 2019.
Maher credits a lot of the startups success to its affiliation with Indianapolis-based The Startup Ladies. Earlier this week, Maher was awarded $1,000 from the pitch competition as part of the organization’s fourth anniversary celebration.