CoHatchery Readies To Open, A CoWorking Space/Childcare Hybrid
A summer program will soon begin that gives adults their workspace and the kids their playspace. And while the deal sounds much better for the kids, their parents get the peace of mind that the youngins’ are just next door while they hunker down.
Park Slope will soon be introduced to CoHatchery CoOwners Susann Friedrich and Wendy Xiao who want to provide an opportunity for Park Slope parents to get the one-two punch of co-working space while the little ducklings get onsite childcare.
Beginning July 11, parents can fire up their laptops at 823 President Street (at 7th Avenue), right across the street from childcare at Kidville (808 Union Street at 7th Avenue).
Xiao and Friedrich met while studying at Columbia University Business School, where they were both taking a brand building class. The idea behind CoHatchery developed out of their final project, and they’ve tested out the program in both the Upper West Side and Upper East Side.
“Some parents stay home and give up their careers and others never have children or delay it significantly,” says Xiao. “Changing our society’s approach to work/life balance from a trade-off to an integration, empowering ambitious leaders to be active parents while building big careers. That is as close to crystallizing a purpose as I’ve come to date, and that’s CoHatchery’s vision.”
Xiao moved to Park Slope about two weeks ago. “It’s an ideal neighborhood for our program,” says Friedrich. After several pilot programs, the co-owners are putting it to the test in our neck of the urban woods.
Xiao and Friedrich are renting out their co-working space from Bee Tutored, where there will be 10 desks available. Kidville has the space to take on more children, and they will be offering a 10% sibling discount (see below for pricing details). The co-working space offers WiFi, A/C, printing, as well as coffee and snacks.
And in addition to workspace, CoHatchery plans to have guest speakers in to discuss subjects such as entrepreneurship, fundraising, work-life integration, and parenting (Childcare will be provide for these talks).
“It’s all about work-life balance,” says Friedrich. “We’re hoping we can help parents have both.”
The Rundown: CoHatchery
Where: Co-working Space (823 President Street), Daycare across the Street at Kidville (808 Union Street at 7th Avenue)
Sessions: 1st month: July 11-August 5; 2nd month: August 8-September 2
Schedule: Co-working: 12:30-6:00pm, Childcare: 1:00-4:00pm, with optional parent integration activities at 12:45-1:00pm & 4:00-4:15pm.
Pricing: Dependent on how many days you use the space. Early bird pricing per month ranges from 1 day per week: $310 (inclusive or co-working and childcare) – 5 days per week: $1250 (inclusive or co-working and childcare). They are offering a few spots on August 3 and 4 at a below-cost price of $40 for parents who want to test out coworking & childcare without making the full commitment for the month.