Little Bloom ( Project 3 )

website
ask bloom results

Inspiration

We were inspired by the difficulty new parents experienced when looking for childcare.

What it does

It allows visitors to use the "ask Bloom" feature to use a custom database we built by merging information from state government education data and the ParentAware website. Visitors can see relevant results, a map, and are able to further filter their choices.

How we built it

We use SQL for a custom database. Flask API to query the state government and ParentAware and to provide an endpoint that the search bar uses An UI with HTML and Javascript that handles the search bar results and the map display.

Challenges we ran into

The ask Bloom option was not finding the location even if it was given explicitly by city name or zip code, so we hardcoded a location box. Originally we only used the state government ArcGIS API and it was not giving us availability for the providers, so we had to find another one (ParentAware) and implement a matching system to merge the information.

Accomplishments that we're proud of

We were able to get childcare availability, age openings, waitlist information, and provider details into a nice searchable experience with a nice and reactive UI.

What we learned

We learnt the complexity of how the search and filter functionality behind ask Bloom worked as it is not using AI, rather a system of matching, labeling, and filtering.

What's next for Little Bloom

We could make it into a full blown platform where each provider is able to modify their availability. Parents would be able to customize results based on their children and make a match against providers Parents would be able to enroll children to the providers' childcare center and receive updates, or day plans for their children.