How a Prague agency revolutionized attitudes to childcare in Czechia

Coming to a foreign country where you don’t speak the language is hard enough, and coming with a young child makes things even more complicated. For expat families, finding trustworthy and high-quality childcare is just as much of a priority as finding work, accommodation, and other fundamental needs.

One Prague agency has been supporting foreigners in this regard for over two and a half decades. Youngberry, founded as the Klára Agency by Klára Grunsberg back in 1997, was an early pioneer of childcare sourcing services in Czechia. Today, the agency continues to support families as well as schools and other institutions in sourcing great quality workers including nannies, housekeepers, teachers and more.

Youngberry’s story reflects the evolution of Prague – and of Czechia as a whole – since the 1990s.

“I founded the agency when the first expats were coming to Prague, which at that time was still very much a ‘post-Communist’ country,” Klára explains. “None of the services which expats required, such as babysitters, nannies and housekeepers, were available.”

“Trust” is, for Klára, the magic word when it comes to finding the right person to take care of your child. “Many westerners didn’t have trust in such services in those days,” she says. 

“The business started when a German family asked the US Embassy who they could trust to babysit their child. They were put in touch with me, and took me on. Later, their friends asked me if I could help them find nannies and housekeepers. Eventually, it became a business, as at that time there was no competition.”

“Looking back, those times were very difficult for families, who couldn’t find support, and for workers, who lacked any legal assurance that they would be paid,” Klára adds.

Klára’s personal experience of work as a babysitter continues to inform her leadership of Youngberry. “Clients saw my attitude, they saw how I work and think, and they wanted people of the same quality,” she says.

Youngberry’s activities quickly expanded beyond sourcing nannies, housekeepers and other domestic workers. In 2001, the company opened its first daycare center for English-speaking children in Prague’s Františkánská zahrada, later opening pre-schools, including the popular Florentinum pre-school, which prepares children to succeed in both international schools and the Czech school system.

Youngberry’s range of activities also includes work with hotels to train butlers and source nannies, while helping schools locate teachers speaking various languages.

One of the many benefits of sourcing a nanny, housekeeper or teacher through Youngberry is trust. Every worker provided by the agency goes through a vetting process to make sure they are working legally and that they share the same high standards as Klára herself.

Klára warns that while expats have become fond of using social media sites such as Facebook when sourcing domestic workers, “if you want someone reliable, you shouldn’t only be looking on Facebook.”

“These days, a lot of people work in this sector illegally. It brings some additional costs to ensure that the person working in your house and caring for your child is paying taxes legally, but that added security is worth it,” Klára points out.

Youngberry’s professional approach involves training nannies at the Florentinum nursery, while Klára provides clients with tips on how to get to know their nanny and build a relationship of trust. 

Youngberry clients can, meanwhile, rest easy knowing that 100 percent of the fee which they pay goes directly to the worker. “We only charge fees for finding workers, and preparing all the necessary contracts and documentation,” Klára explains.

Evolving demand for Youngberry’s services reflects changes shaping Czechia. While the company started out exclusively serving expat clients, today, its client base is split evenly between Czechs and expats. This, Klára says, is a result of the increasing number of Czechs employed in high positions in multinational companies.

The changing nature of the expat population is also reflected in Youngberry’s network of workers, speaking a plethora of languages. Youngberry connects families with workers speaking their own language, including workers from the Philippines, responding to surging demand from that portion of the expat population.

Whatever their nationality, the requirements for workers remain the same: they all work legally in Czechia and bring the same dedication to quality which Klára has instilled as Youngberry’s philosophy for 27 years.

“We have the experience and expertise to provide people whom clients can trust,” she says. “After all, we understand the huge responsibility and role which people working in this industry play in the lives of families.”