In a critical step toward the commitment to quality care and quality jobs for families and caregivers, the Fair Care Pledge was unveiled at 2015 CGI America meeting by Care.com Founder, Chairwoman and CEO Sheila Lirio Marcelo and National Domestic Workers Alliance Director and Macarthur “Genius” Ai-jen Poo. An initiative between the growing domestic worker social movement and the world’s largest online family care marketplace, the Pledge is one of CGI America’s featured Commitments to Action.

Families often struggle with their role as domestic employers and lack clear guidelines for fair wages and other workplace issues. In response, the Pledge offers a new way for families to affirm that they will do their best to be fair and respectful employers when they hire someone to work in their home as a childcare provider, housecleaner, or home attendant.

“We believe that care jobs will be the jobs of the future. It’s in all of our interest to ensure that the quality of these jobs reflects the value and importance of the work. Fairness and quality care go hand-in-hand and we’re thrilled to be able to work with Care.com to promote these values,” said Ai-jen Poo, Director of National Domestic Workers Alliance.

Over the coming months, Care.com anticipates that hundreds of thousands of Care.com members and visitors to the site will be invited to take the Pledge, recognizing that their home is someone’s workplace. The Pledge asks families to commit to three practices of fair employment: Fair Pay, Clear Expectations and Paid Time Off, providing a simple and practical framework for figuring out the basics, from calculating wages and paid overtime, to tips for clear communication in the home, and standards for paid sick days and holidays.

“Just as care impacts families, enterprise, policy and government in various ways, so must all those groups be involved in the solution,” said Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Founder, Chairwoman and CEO of Care.com. “One key to driving real change is the professionalization of the caregiver industry. We believe it’s critical to attract and retain skilled caregivers. Families who employ full-time domestic workers should pay fair and legal wages, and provide vacation, overtime, and other critical protections that every professional deserves.”

The care workforce has often been left in the shadows, making it hard to create consistent workplace standards for this essential industry. Since launching in 2007, Care.com has fundamentally changed the way family care services can be accessed, building the largest comprehensive marketplace for people looking for support and services in the home, while helping create employment and career opportunities for caregivers.

“As a member of the ‘sandwich generation,’ I’ve relied on a slew of caregivers to help me juggle caretaking of my mother and two daughters, while also pursuing my legal career,”said Julie Kay, a Hand in Hand leader. “I’m so appreciative of the work these women do, and The Fair Care Pledge provides me with the guidance I’ve been looking for to ensure I’m doing right by them.”

The Pledge comes at a time when debates about the role of workplace standards are increasingly prevalent. By providing a clear set of guidelines to help families manage their relationships with their household employees, the Pledge aims to increase the quality and sustainability of jobs in the family care sector, along with the quality of care. Pledge signers will receive periodic surveys throughout the year to see how they are implementing the pledge and what kind of additional services they need. Future plans include an online badge or seal for pledge takers to add to their profile, allowing care providers to identify future “fair care” employers.

To take the Fair Care Pledge or to find out more, visit www.care.com/faircarepledge.

About Care.com

Since launching in 2007, Care.com (NYSE: CRCM) has been committed to solving the complex care challenges that impact families, caregivers, employers, and care service companies. Today, Care.com is the world’s largest online destination for finding and managing family care, with 15.2 million member consumers* across 16 countries, including the US, UK, Canada and parts of Western Europe, and approximately half a million employees of corporate clients having access to our services. Spanning child care to senior care, pet care, housekeeping and more, Care.com provides a sweeping array of services for families and caregivers to find, manage and pay for care or find employment. These include: a comprehensive suite of safety tools and resources members may use to help make more informed hiring decisions – such as third-party background check services, monitored messaging, and tips on hiring best practices; easy ways for caregivers to be paid online or via mobile app; and household payroll and tax services provided by Care.com HomePay. Care.com builds employers customized benefits packages covering child care, back up care and senior care consulting services through its Global Workplace Solutions, and serves care businesses with marketing and recruiting support. To further connect families, Care.com has expanded its consumer service with its 2014 acquisition of Citrus Lane, the leading social commerce site for moms, and its 2013 acquisition of Big Tent. Headquartered in Waltham, Massachusetts, Care.com has offices in Berlin, Austin, New York City and Silicon Valley.

*As of March 2015

About Hand in Hand

Hand in Hand is a national network of employers of nannies, housecleaners and home attendants working for dignified and respectful working conditions that benefit the employer and worker alike. The Fair Care Pledge was piloted in New York City in 2014 by Hand in Hand, with public endorsements from leading New York City Officials including Public Advocate Letitia “Tish” James, Brooklyn Borough President Eric Adams, and City Councilor Brad Lander.

About NDWA

Founded in 2007, the National Domestic Worker Alliance (NDWA) organizes women whose workplace is someone else’s home for dignity and respect, passing domestic worker bill of rights in New York, California, Hawaii and Massachusetts. In 2014, NDWA launched the Fair Care Labs directed by Palak Shah, to partner with business and create market-based interventions to raise standards for domestic workers and in the home care industry.

CGI America
The Clinton Global Initiative (CGI), an initiative of the Clinton Foundation, convenes global leaders to create and implement solutions to the world’s most pressing challenges. Established in June 2011 by President Bill Clinton, the Clinton Global Initiative America (CGI America) addresses economic recovery in the United States. CGI America brings together leaders in business, government, and civil society to generate and implement commitments to create jobs, stimulate economic growth, foster innovation, and support workforce development in the United States. Since its first meeting, CGI America participants have made more than 400 commitments, which have improved the lives of nearly 1.4 million people.

CGI also convenes an Annual Meeting, which brings together global leaders to take action and create positive social change, CGI University (CGI U), which brings together undergraduate and graduate students to address pressing challenges in their community or around the world, and, this year, CGI will also convene CGI Middle East & Africa, which will bring together leaders across sectors to take action on pressing social, economic, and environmental challenges. For more information, visit clintonglobalinitiative.org and follow us on Twitter @ClintonGlobal and Facebook at facebook.com/clintonglobalinitiative.