The Mom Project helps women re-enter the workforce after taking time off to raise children.

Happy Thursday!

Working parents are getting more attention – and credit – amid the coronavirus pandemic. Many are suddenly struggling to balance working from home with parenting and distance learning demands.

But even before our current health crisis, easing the challenges of working parents was part of the mission for some businesses. The Mom Project is one of them.

The Chicago-based company launched in 2016 to help women overcome the challenges of re-entering the workforce after taking time off to have and/or raise children. Its online recruiting and coaching platform helps moms find all kinds of jobs, including in tech.

“Our mission here at The Mom Project is building a better workplace for women,” said Hiba Abdillahi, the business’ social media manager. “We’re rewriting the narrative.”

The platform connects women with businesses that provide the flexibility a working parent needs, whether that involves working from home or on-site. This not only helps the mom, but it also diversifies the workforce, which enriches participating businesses.

Abdillahi explained that it can be intimidating for women who have “taken a pause” to spend time with family to try to find a job outside the home because “things change over time, and however you did your resume before might not be how you need it done now… If you have been out of the workforce for a while, we have the tools to help you get back on track.”

When founder Allison Robinson was on maternity leave with her first child, she pondered a striking piece of data: 43% of women leave their careers after having a child. “That statistic shook her to the core and led her to found The Mom Project… so that you don’t have to choose between your career and starting a family,” Abdillahi said.

A lot of the business’ services are handled through the integrated platform, including job matching and a resume builder. The Mom Project partners with an online childcare app to help moms who need to attend a job interview find a reliable babysitter. The Mom Project also hosts in-person career fairs, events, and office hours in Chicago.

Tennis superstar Serena Williams, a working mom herself, recently joined the team as a strategic advisor and will work with companies to hire more working mothers. “We champion moms all day, every day, and Serena Williams is helping us with that mission. She is calling on business leaders to hire more moms,” Abdillahi said.

The Mom Project recently ended a funding round and new additions to the platform are underway. “The future looks very bright, and we definitely want to partner with more companies and more industries,” Abdillahi said.

Are there success stories in your city involving businesses that are increasing diversity and equity by opening doors for working parents or other groups? Email me at katie@centered.tech or connect on Twitter @centereddotcom.

Best,

Katie

Other stories we’re watching:

• Cleveland’s tech industry posted more job openings than all other local sectors this past week, according to ZipRecruiter data. (Hoodline)
• Small Illinois farmers that had sold to restaurants before the pandemic are turning to technology to set up online and app-based stores. (Eater Chicago)
• Updox, a Dublin, Ohio-based telehealth platform provider, has received a surge of business during the pandemic, onboarding more than 10,000 new customers in just two weeks. (DOTmed)
• Minneapolis nonprofit United States of Care partnered with U.S. Digital Response Team to launch a platform to connect healthcare providers with manufacturers of personal protective equipment. (Fierce Healthcare)