Finding an In-Home Sitter or Nanny
Resources to Help You Locate an In Home Childcare Provider
Finding excellent childcare can be a daunting and traumatic experience for parents. Here are a few excellent internet child care resources to help with the sitter search.
Daycare centers offer the benefit of a social environment and the reliability of being there day in and day out. But what if you want to hire someone to care for your children in your own home? Where do you start? How do you know who to trust with your precious little darlings? Even just finding a sitter to allow for the occasional ‘night out’ can be difficult, particularly if you have recently moved to a new geographic area. Here are some great websites that can make your search considerably easier.
Web Resources for Parents Seeking a Child Care Provider
Nanny Network: America’s Nanny Agency Directory
Nanny Network is a diverse web resource that provides a nanny agency directory by state and great FAQ information on how to find, interview, hire and keep a nanny. The site also has helpful information on the tax and insurance issues that parents may encounter when employing a child care provider.
Sittercity is a fantastic site that brings those in need of a sitter in contact with those seeking employment. Child care providers and pet sitters can post a resume and a profile free of charge. Parents, and those seeking pet sitting services, must pay for membership access to the site's resources, but the cost is well worth it, particularly if you are new to an area and have few sitter connections.
As a member of Sittercity, sitter seekers can search according to zip code and generate a list of sitters seeking employment with a photo of the applicant, general information and distance from the searcher. The website also provides access to background searches and allows parents to post an advertisement describing services needed. Parents are then emailed when a potential sitter responds to the ad.
Child Care Aware
This is the web resource of the National Association of Child Care Resource and Referral Agencies; a non-profit go-to source for finding the not for profit child care referral agencies in your area. The site also has numerous resources for parents including: a monthly newsletter, child care articles and videos, budgeting for child care, an on-line parent network and information on child care for military personnel.
Child Care Resource Center
CCRC is another non-profit that provides a wide range of services, assistance and resources both to parents and providers. Parents can find referral services and information on assistance with the cost of childcare as well as a range of helpful articles. Prospective providers can find information on becoming a child caregiver, training resources and licensing.
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