For many parents, the daily juggle of work and childcare feels like a tightrope walk: one wrong step and the day unravels.
The traditional model of 9-to-5 jobs paired with separate daycare arrangements is often expensive, inflexible, and emotionally taxing. But a new kind of space is emerging across the U.S. and abroad that aims to challenge the old model altogether.
What began as a local concept evolved into a fully integrated daycare, fitness, and coworking space known as Haven. Since launching in Newport in 2019, it has expanded to additional locations in Rhode Island and New Jersey. As of January, Haven began franchising across the U.S.
For working parents, this type of space offers a structured, reliable solution that supports both career and caregiving, without the need to constantly shift between separate worlds.
From Drop-Off to Integration: The New Model of Care
The classic “quick drop-off” daycare model — where parents hurriedly hand over their kids and rush off to work — is being reimagined. In its place, a more integrated, holistic approach is taking shape. These hybrid spaces bring together coworking, childcare, fitness, and community in one membership-driven environment.
Instead of operating in isolated silos (work here, childcare there) these spaces recognize the overlap and interaction between professional and family life. In doing so, they aim to create a more sustainable way for parents to thrive both at work and at home.
Why It Works: Remote Work Meets Real-World Parenting
For all its benefits, remote work has also intensified the isolation that many parents feel — especially those without nearby family or support networks.
These hybrid clubs/coworking spaces answer that call. They offer the village modern parents have been missing. With coworking desks, licensed childcare facilities, fitness classes, and even community events, they help fill the gaps left by fragmented support systems.
The Economics Behind the Idea
Childcare in the U.S. is notoriously expensive — costing more than public college tuition in over two-thirds of states. Meanwhile, most companies still don’t offer on-site childcare. In 2023, only 15.8% of large businesses and 7.6% of mid-sized businesses did.
That leaves parents on their own to stitch together expensive, disjointed solutions. And for those running their own businesses, freelancing, or working gig jobs, options are even more limited.
This new “whole family care” model of coworking spaces provides a different value proposition: high-quality childcare paired with flexible work accommodations, often at a price point comparable to standalone daycare. The difference is in the added value; access to workspaces, fitness, events, and most importantly, community.
Growing Demand for Childcare and Coworking
With the success of several pioneering models in the U.S. and abroad, franchising has entered the picture for Haven. Locations are beginning to pop up in new cities, spreading the model from New England to the Midwest — and even gaining interest internationally.
Interestingly, even in countries with strong government-supported childcare programs, parents are showing interest in these hybrid models. Some founders describe their model as “close-proximity care,” allowing parents to remain nearby, engage with their children during the day, and encourage connection instead of separation.
The Bigger Picture: Whole Family Care
Whole family care reflects a deeper philosophy: support for parents is support for children, and vice versa. When parents have access to flexible workspaces, mental health resources, physical activity, and community, they’re more likely to be present, productive, and fulfilled.
Gone are the days when caring for children meant putting one’s career on hold or constantly compromising. These new spaces are showing that it’s possible to do both, and do them well. As these models expand and evolve, one thing becomes clear: coworking that includes whole family care is a response to a real, unmet need.
With workplaces metamorphosing, childcare systems strained, and more parents searching for better balance, these hybrid spaces may be the future of working parenthood.
