Mercury logo

Exclusive for Mercury customers — care benefits starting at $12.95/seat/mo

UpwardsMercury logo

Your employeesare missing workbecause they can'tfind child care.We fix that.

A dedicated care team for child care, elder care, and everything in between — available to Mercury customers at no setup cost.

C
E
D
P

Trusted by companies like Chobani, Emory Healthcare, Dollywood, Bally’s, Panasonic, and more

Upwards app — find care screen
Upwards app — tour request screen
Upwards app — care navigator chat

The Invisible Cost

Care Problems Are
Costing You

You're already paying for child care breakdowns through callouts, turnover, and overtime.

$4K–$7K

Average cost to replace a single hourly employee

SHRM

4 in 10

women have quit their job because of caregiving challenges

Catalyst, 2026

$38B

lost by employers annually due to child care challenges in their workforce

ReadyNation, 2026

Calculate Your Hidden Cost

50
5250500
40%
10%40%80%
$5,000.00
$2K$8K$15K

Estimated annual hidden cost of care-related turnover

$23,000.00

Based on 50 employees, 40% parents, 23% quit rate

How It Works for Your Employees

Care support your employees
will actually use.

Employees don't have time to search directories. They tell us what they need, and our care team takes it from there — finding, vetting, and coordinating care.

When employees are on their own

  1. Spend hours searching with no clear answers
  2. Filter endlessly by schedule, cost, and location
  3. Call providers who don't respond
  4. Get waitlisted with no timeline
  5. Piece together backup from friends or family
  6. Miss work anyway

When we handle it

  1. Submit a request in minutes — text, call, or app
  2. We find and reach out to providers for you
  3. Get 3–4 real options with confirmed availability
  4. Choose your best fit, tour and enroll
  5. Ongoing support when schedules change or care falls through
  6. Show up to work

15 min

avg. response time

40 sec

avg. phone pickup

85%

placement rate

Upwards care platform on laptop and phone

Our Care Network

260,000+ Providers.
Every Care Type.

Nannies, daycares, preschools, after school, tutors, camps, elder care — in all 50 states.

Licensed home daycares
Preschools & centers
Background-checked nannies & babysitters
After school programs
Tutors
Summer camps
Elder care

Nights, Weekends & Overnights

9,200+ licensed home daycares

When centers close at 6pm, our home daycare network stays open — 12+ hour days, some 24/7. Perfect for nurses, warehouse workers, and shift employees.

Every Care Type, One Navigator

Centers to camps to elder care

Preschools, nannies, after school programs, tutors, summer camps — plus elder care and backup care. Your employees get one person who handles it all.

Rural & Underserved Areas

All 50 states covered

Licensed home daycares and local providers operate where big chains won't. If your employees are spread out, we still reach them.

Daycare provider with children — part of the Upwards care network

Pricing

Pick a Plan. Cancel Anytime.

No setup fees. No hidden costs. Cancel anytime.

🛡 Pay-as-you-go · No minimums, cancel anytime🧾 Section 45F Tax Credit · Up to $600K/yr back💰 Subsidy Connect · $200–500/mo gov assistance per family
Trusted by
Chobani logo
Emory Healthcare logo
Dollywood logo
Bally's logo
Panasonic logo
Chobani logo
Emory Healthcare logo
Dollywood logo
Bally's logo
Panasonic logo
1100250500
Best Value

Annual

Billed annually

$16.19
$12.95/membership/mo
Save 63%

Est. monthly cost for 25 memberships

$323.75/mo

Best Price + Account Manager
  • Care Navigator — dedicated support specialist
  • 260K+ vetted daycares & providers
  • Elder care support
  • Subsidy Connect (gov't funds)
  • Employer dashboard
  • Utilization reporting
  • Dedicated account manager(Included)

Available Add-Ons

Family Funds

Employer-funded care stipend, administered by Upwards.

Add during signup

Backup Care

Emergency day-of-care credits. 1 credit = 1 day (~$300 avg).

Add during signup

The math is simple.

Cost of 25 memberships: ~$3,885/yr. Cost of losing 1 employee: ~$5,000–$7,000.

Social Proof

Companies Like Yours Already Use Upwards

Chobani logo
Emory Healthcare logo
Dollywood logo
Bally's logo
Panasonic logo
Children learning in a licensed daycare — part of the Upwards care network

Employees who use Upwards are
3–5x less likely to leave.

Getting Started

Live in 5 Business Days.
Not 5 Months.

No complex implementations. No IT resources. No headaches.

1

Pick Your Plan

Choose the plan that fits your team. No paperwork, no long contracts.

2

Share Your Employee Roster

Upload a simple CSV. We handle the rest — fast, simple setup.

3

Easy Onboarding for Your Employees

Text message or email links sent directly to your employees, with simple education on how it works.

4

See the Impact

Track utilization, satisfaction scores, and ROI in your employer dashboard — in real time.

Upwards app — care request chat

FAQ

Questions? Answered.

Everything you need to know about getting started.

There's no minimum. If you have 1 employee who's a parent, they can use Upwards. Pay-as-you-go pricing means you only pay for the seats you need — and you can cancel anytime.

Companies that pair Upwards with a care stipend (even $50/mo) see 35% opt-in rates in the first 90 days. We provide turnkey launch communications to drive awareness from day one.

EAPs average 3–5% utilization. Upwards sees 85% placement rates because we don't hand employees a phone number — we hand them a confirmed provider. It's the difference between a referral line and a concierge.

No. The same navigator handles child care, elder care, and backup care. If your employee needs to find a memory care facility for a parent or emergency overnight care for a toddler, one person handles it all.

Three ways: (1) The Section 45F tax credit can return up to $150K/yr. (2) Retaining just one employee who would have quit pays for 5+ years of Upwards. (3) Subsidy Connect finds $200–500/mo in government assistance per family — money your employees are leaving on the table.

Bright Horizons is center-based, 9-to-5, and charges $350–$425 per backup care credit. Care.com is a self-serve directory with no vetting, no support, and no concierge. Upwards covers nights, weekends, overnights, and rural areas through our proprietary home daycare network — starting at $12.95/seat/mo — with a dedicated care team that does the work for your employees. Different model entirely.

The Bottom Line

Care benefits aren't a nice-to-have anymore.

They keep your team staffed, your schedule covered, and your business running.

Better Recruitment

Stand out with benefits candidates actually want

Lower Turnover

Employees who feel supported stay 3–5x longer

Less Absenteeism

Resolved care crises mean fewer missed shifts