Tips On Finding Reliable Childcare
You and your spouse are finally on for a Friday night date night! You need to be at a basketball tournament on one end of town with one of your kids and your 6 year-old twins have zero interest in sitting in a musty gym for 8 hours on a Saturday. They'd rather stay home. But wait, who will watch the kids? Finding reliable childcare can be a tricky and stressful process. Especially when it comes to finding babysitters, parents are often left wondering: Are they trustworthy? Do they have the right experience? Will my child be safe with them? With all these questions swirling around in your head, it is no wonder that finding a babysitter you can rely on can be so overwhelming.
Thankfully, there are some tips to help you navigate the sitter search process a bit easier.
First, ask around friends and family for recommendations. If they have had a successful experience with a babysitter in the past, chances are it could work out well for you too. Also, make sure to do your own research on the individual; get a full understanding of their qualifications and experience before making a decision. Do a quick search on your social media platforms for this person. Fortunately, or not, you can gleam a great deal of information about someone from their public social media profiles and pages.
Another great idea is to ask for references from the potential babysitter. What do other families who have hired this sitter in the past have to say about them? It is also worth noting that most states have minimum age requirements for babysitters, so make sure to check these beforehand as well.
What if you're new to town and don't know anyone who you can ask for a sitter recommendation? What happens if you need to book a last minute sitter for an hour from now and don't have time to go through these steps? What happens if your regular sitter bails on you at the last minute? What happens if friends or family members aren't as "forthcoming" with their little black book of reliable sitters? Worry not...
Enter stage left: the Olive Us babysitting app. Olive Us gets you as close to having a friend recommend a sitter as possible. App users can:
- Fill out an engaging questionnaire that determines a family's unique needs and personality. Sitters do the same with their own questionnaire for matching purposes.
- Review dozens of sitter matching results from the proprietary Olive Us algorithm. Results include a percentage match, geographic proximity, etc.
- Read sitter profiles to gain an understanding of their experience, personality, and specialties.
- Request as many sitters as they would like for a given babysitting job.
- View a sitter's availability both now and in the future (think: need a sitter for that wedding in 4 months.)
- Text or video chat within the app with sitters who are available and interested in your job.
- Request additional time while your sitting job is in progress (i.e. we're going to be home 30 minutes late.)
- Pay your sitter seamlessly within the app.
- Leave sitter reviews.
The process of finding reliable childcare can be intimidating, but it doesn’t have to be. By following these tips and taking your time to evaluate potential babysitters, you can make sure the process is as stress-free as possible – leaving you with peace of mind that your children are in safe hands.
Happy Searching!!