The Strokes, Band of Horses Employ Traveling Nannies

Rock ‘n’ roll is still stereotypically viewed as a young person’s game, but for those who are truly dedicated to a career in music, the unique demands of the job — especially all the travel it requires — can put a unique strain on an artist’s family responsibilities. For instance: What do you do when you need to go on tour, but you have a young child to take care of?

Enter ChARTer Nannies, a budding startup founded by Kristin Perry, a visual artist who hatched the idea for “a cool childcare agency for artists and people who live an alternative lifestyle” when she was a single mom in her 20s, struggling to balance her career with caring for her young son, Sammy.

“I was worried — if I’m going to leave my son with somebody, who would I want him around? I would want him around somebody like me,” explains Perry in a recent Philadelphia Weekly profile. As it turns out, she wasn’t alone; her firm now supports a growing roster of famous clients, including Sheryl Crow and members of the Flaming Lips, the Strokes and Band of Horses, and ChARTer Nannies has continued to expand thanks to a partnership Perry struck with a trio of like-minded women that includes Mates of State singer/keyboard player Kori Gardner.

“Once we joined forces it went from me being totally overwhelmed to this amazing, supportive group of empowered, awesome women,” remarks Perry. “This all started because I got so much support for Sammy and myself from my own community, so I want our company to feel like a community.”