I wonder how frequently problems with children, particularly older children like teenagers, are a direct reflection of the parents’ behavior. I have trouble imagining the monumental challenge of trying to fix a child problem when the problem is the parent and the parent blaming the child for that problem.
Launch HN: Trustle (YC W20) – On-demand child development experts for parents
101–110 of 145 posts
Re: Launch HN: Trustle (YC W20) – On-demand child development experts for parents
#102Earlier quoted context omitted.
It seems like you’re being thoughtful about your approach. Another question that comes to mind - how will you curate your providers? I think that’s been a challenge for similar models in other areas - they end up with a ton of providers ... too many initially to serve the customers they have...
This is a harder Q! I don't 100% know but two things give me hope. First, there are so many incredible experts in early childhood right now that - IMO - are undervalued. We have so many that want to have a home to use their skills in support of parents alongside whatever they currently do. Second, we're investing heavily in the selection and then ongoing support and / professional development of our coaches. Over tim…
That makes a lot of sense to be very supportive of your coaches. Maybe also keep it to a small cohort initially... As I’ve meet various gig workers one common complaint is that many feel like there are too many of them competing for too small deals or that they find it difficult to match deals with their specialty and end up passing or getting passed over because there wasn’t a perfect match in skills / career history. Back on the hippa topic... to me just even saying we talk to a psychologist about our kids development has stigma. Like what’s wrong your kids or you... so just even having an account May be a problem for some parents... also I bet quite a few will ask about using fsa dollars (which I assume you won’t be able to take) but maybe something to look into. Stigma aside I bet a lot of employers would pay for part or all of the fees as a perk.
Re: Launch HN: Trustle (YC W20) – On-demand child development experts for parents
#103As a privacy-conscious parent with five children, all of whom are gifted in numerous ways, we do often speak with a psychologist about how to keep them challenged, how to steer negative behavior into good behavior, etc. I couldn’t imagine not having such a guide at our side in addition to all the books and content we consume as inspiration in our quest to nurture our family. However, I would also caution you - and pa…
> in addition to all the books and content we consume as inspiration in our quest to nurture our family A bit off-topic, but would love pointers to your top books / content on how to keep them challenged, how to steer negative behavior into something more positive, etc.
I keep thinking about your question and you know one book that was really helpful to me was written by a friend — https://www.amazon.com/Family-Board-Meeting-Jim-Sheils/dp/13...
It’s less of a book than maybe an introduction to a framework he uses with his coaching clients. It’s not Hemingway but the key insight he exposed for me was that entrepreneurial parents raise kids with higher rates of depression. I don’t think he did a study to arrive at this conclusion but it was more an observation of people he knew. So he created a way for parents to engage their children using a format called the family board meeting. It’s basically a four hour one on one session doing an activity of the kids choosing without a cell phone involved. Kind of obvious but very hard to commit to when your business needs constant attention.
Re: Launch HN: Trustle (YC W20) – On-demand child development experts for parents
#104Earlier quoted context omitted.
A wrong advice may be furnished on insufficient detail of the presented issue, or a biased assessment as could be the case with parent only observation. Yet the effect of such advice will be directed at the child. > ...we have a very rigorous selection process for the coaches and strong QA... What is your QA approach? How do you tell a right expert advice from an insufficiently right?
We do lots of things, but one of the most important steps is an in-depth role-play where we go through numerous scenarios. We're not just looking for the knowledge (which given their qualifications and experience they should have) but also for their ability to use that knowledge in the context of a parent's own goals and philosophy. If someone brought their own philosophy or values, and not just their experience and…
I'm not sure how to interpret your response.
If a parent is a practitioner of "strong-hand" approach. Your experts would suggest which side of the hand to use or not on which child's body part?
It's absurd, of course, the experts do develop their values and indeed philosophy based on their experience. Even AI based advisor would be acting according to programmed balances and checks.
Thus the importance of how you tell a wrong advice from a right one.
Re: Launch HN: Trustle (YC W20) – On-demand child development experts for parents
#105Earlier quoted context omitted.
clicked on the link you posted and Chrome gave me a warning. NET::ERR_CERT_AUTHORITY_INVALID
So sorry you're experiencing this error. We use Webflow so everything is taken care of by them, and it's only happening with a very small subset of users; we're trying to figure out why! Our certificates are testing correctly from a 3rd party tester. If you're willing, can you email tom@trustle.com with your browser, location and URL that you're going to?
Weird! Didn't see any issues on our side.
BTW just booked a 45m call to see if an expert can help us get our 6 week old to sleep through the night!
Re: Launch HN: Trustle (YC W20) – On-demand child development experts for parents
#106Earlier quoted context omitted.
We do lots of things, but one of the most important steps is an in-depth role-play where we go through numerous scenarios. We're not just looking for the knowledge (which given their qualifications and experience they should have) but also for their ability to use that knowledge in the context of a parent's own goals and philosophy. If someone brought their own philosophy or values, and not just their experience and…
I'm not sure how to interpret your response. If a parent is a practitioner of "strong-hand" approach. Your experts would suggest which side of the hand to use or not on which child's body part? It's absurd, of course, the experts do develop their values and indeed philosophy based on their experience. Even AI based advisor would be acting according to programmed balances and checks. Thus the importance of how you tel…
Maybe I can try :). I think there is a distinction between philosophy and evidence-based advice and information. For example, there is evidence from research that spanking has negative consequences on development - so we would lead with that evidence.
As a different example, let's take sleep - lots of different philosophies, and the research isn't clear on impact on development regarding which sleep approach is used. So, our professionals can help parents develop a plan based on the science of sleep, and how children learn to support the parent in forming a plan based on their philosophy.
This isn't different than what any evidence-based behavioral professional or a psychologist that a parent would seek out would do. And, it's an iterative process. We work with families over time to track change, iterate on plans, discuss snags, etc.
The balance and check is that its' evidence-based advice, not opinion. Does this help?
Re: Launch HN: Trustle (YC W20) – On-demand child development experts for parents
#107Earlier quoted context omitted.
This is a harder Q! I don't 100% know but two things give me hope. First, there are so many incredible experts in early childhood right now that - IMO - are undervalued. We have so many that want to have a home to use their skills in support of parents alongside whatever they currently do. Second, we're investing heavily in the selection and then ongoing support and / professional development of our coaches. Over tim…
That makes a lot of sense to be very supportive of your coaches. Maybe also keep it to a small cohort initially... As I’ve meet various gig workers one common complaint is that many feel like there are too many of them competing for too small deals or that they find it difficult to match deals with their specialty and end up passing or getting passed over because there wasn’t a perfect match in skills / career histor…
The stigma is hard. As a mental health professional I am biased, but I think the parents that come to us for support are some of the best parents I know! Curious, thoughtful, and interested in working with someone to develop a thoughtful plan. We find there is a range of feelings. Some parents on our service shout out their happiness with working with us from the rooftops. Others have said it feels uncomfortable to share. Regardless, parenting is extremely personal. And we recognize that parents inviting us into the process is vulnerable and sacred. We don't take it lightly.
Re: Launch HN: Trustle (YC W20) – On-demand child development experts for parents
#108I wonder how frequently problems with children, particularly older children like teenagers, are a direct reflection of the parents’ behavior. I have trouble imagining the monumental challenge of trying to fix a child problem when the problem is the parent and the parent blaming the child for that problem.
Lots of interesting points here! A few things as it relates to Trustle. We focus on children 0-5. The process with a teenager would require that the child be MUCH more involved (family therapy would be appropriate). With very young children, it is an awful lot about the parent - not in a blaming way, just that little kids don't have control of their emotions, they are unpredictable, and it's our job to regulate them and teach them how to self-regulate over time. This is actually exactly why we work with parents directly (and truthfully, evidence-based behavioral interventions for young children almost always work with parents too). It's a system, and when kids are really young, parents are leading that system.
I will say lots of our parents are self-aware. They might be frustrated or mystified by their child's behavior (and that's completely fair!), but the fact that they are willing to talk with us means they are open to the idea that they as the parent can change things environmentally and behaviorally to help the child. I think the parents on our service are pretty amazing.
Re: Launch HN: Trustle (YC W20) – On-demand child development experts for parents
#109Earlier quoted context omitted.
So sorry you're experiencing this error. We use Webflow so everything is taken care of by them, and it's only happening with a very small subset of users; we're trying to figure out why! Our certificates are testing correctly from a 3rd party tester. If you're willing, can you email tom@trustle.com with your browser, location and URL that you're going to?
Weird! Didn't see any issues on our side. BTW just booked a 45m call to see if an expert can help us get our 6 week old to sleep through the night!
Amazing news! Let us know what you think - our infant sleep experts are pretty amazing! 6 weeks is really tiny, but I am confident our expert will talk you through a developmentally appropriate plan that takes into account your infants feeding needs and sets up on the path for sleep organization! :)
Re: Launch HN: Trustle (YC W20) – On-demand child development experts for parents
#110I would love to help with this. This was one of my team's published ideas when taking a Mastering Design Thinking class at MIT / Emeritus
Please feel free to link up on LinkedIn. linkedin.com/in/ladorabl
I'm based in the San Francisco Bay Area, if you are free to chat over coffee or have a phone/skype conversation.
I've also worked with a couple of friends to help design an ML platform to accelerate learning in the emergent literacy years; starting with Cardinality (learning how to count).