How to Get Background Checks & References for Child Care Providers
One of the first things that I worried about, when I found out that I was going to become a mom, was childcare. In my city, like many others – it’s tough to find quality childcare that’s affordable. It’s scary enough leaving your new baby with a stranger – when you add in all the other worries like, “Is the facility safe? What are their qualifications? How do I know if there have been problems there??” – it can be really stressful.
Smart Solution: Care.com
I ended up losing my job while on Maternity leave, so I avoided the final decision of where to take Abby while I was at work. But before that – I had spent months visiting everything from small in-home daycares, to giant facilities. There were so many choices – but there were so many things to consider! I was honestly overwhelmed, and terrified of putting her in the wrong hands. So when I heard about Care.com this week, I knew it was a Smart Mom Solution that I had to share with you guys.
A little more about Care.com:
Find and select the best care possible, including child care, special needs care, tutoring, senior care, pet care, housekeeping and more. Detailed profiles, background checks, and references for hundreds of thousands of mom-reviewed providers who are seeking to share their services. Click Here to learn more.
What do you think?
How did you decide on childcare the first time? Did you find a great option on the first try, or was it more trial and error? Have you used a site like Care.org to find reputable helpers for your own busy mom life? It’s totally worth checking out – it takes less than one minute to sign up, then you get access to the site, and can browse around and check it out. We’re thinking of having Abby in daycare one or two days a week soon, so she has a chance to play with other kids more often – So I am totally loving the help that this site provides!
We didn’t use any childcare services for a long time. We had a friend who needed a place to stay and lived with us for some months taking care of our daughter in exchange for the room and some food. :) But, when I did need to find someone for babysitting while I was at work and she wasn’t available, I used Care.com. I have had GREAT results with it. I got some 70+ inquiries, was able to match up my schedule and what I was looking for with a few and chose the first person I interviewed and she has continued to be our go-to babysitter for the last year and a half now! I have also used Care.com to look for housekeeping for my elderly parents – we haven’t actually gone through the interview process yet, but I love the background check option and the fact that I can find someone who fits their needs without looking in a bunch of different places.
For interviewing, I met people outside of my home first and then when I chose the girl who is now our babysitter, I stayed for an hour or so with her the first time she came. But, it has worked out great. I am lucky in that I have a lot of family who is willing to watch her for overnight trips, etc, so her babysitting has been limited.
I had my daughter in daycare at 12 weeks and then when we moved to Arkansas, had her in preschool for 3 days a week. Each time I relied on recommendations from friends and was very happy with my decisions. But, if I didn’t have that network to rely upon, a service like this would be highly beneficial!
I had my daughter in daycare when she had 8 months. It was a hard decision to make: I spent months and months looking and searching. Hopefully it was a good one.
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I'm Meagan - a Momma, a Blogger, a Freelance Writer, and a total Social Media Junkie. I love sparkles and … [Read More...]
Thanks for posting this! We haven’t yet had to rely on strangers for babysitting services yet. I’ll have to bookmark this for later!
We didn’t use any childcare services for a long time. We had a friend who needed a place to stay and lived with us for some months taking care of our daughter in exchange for the room and some food. :) But, when I did need to find someone for babysitting while I was at work and she wasn’t available, I used Care.com. I have had GREAT results with it. I got some 70+ inquiries, was able to match up my schedule and what I was looking for with a few and chose the first person I interviewed and she has continued to be our go-to babysitter for the last year and a half now! I have also used Care.com to look for housekeeping for my elderly parents – we haven’t actually gone through the interview process yet, but I love the background check option and the fact that I can find someone who fits their needs without looking in a bunch of different places.
For interviewing, I met people outside of my home first and then when I chose the girl who is now our babysitter, I stayed for an hour or so with her the first time she came. But, it has worked out great. I am lucky in that I have a lot of family who is willing to watch her for overnight trips, etc, so her babysitting has been limited.
I had my daughter in daycare at 12 weeks and then when we moved to Arkansas, had her in preschool for 3 days a week. Each time I relied on recommendations from friends and was very happy with my decisions. But, if I didn’t have that network to rely upon, a service like this would be highly beneficial!
I had my daughter in daycare when she had 8 months. It was a hard decision to make: I spent months and months looking and searching. Hopefully it was a good one.
I honestly have being worried about leaving my kids with a stranger. This might make me feel a little bit better