How to Find a Babysitter or Nanny in Your Area by:Doreen Lee
At some point, you're going to need the services of a good babysitter in your area to take care of your children
. Whether it is to take the afternoon or night off from parenting duties or to stay longer at the office to attend to work, the services of a reliable caregiver are indispensable for a busy parent like you. So how do you go about searching for a reliable nanny in your locale? Here are a few tips for you to consider.
Ask your family and friends
If you're lucky enough to live near family, you can enlist their help in babysitting for an afternoon. Your parents or siblings will probably be more than glad to spend some time with your child. You can even alternate with different relatives if you all live in the same area. Teenage children of relatives can also be enlisted to babysit especially if they are looking for extra spending money. Otherwise, you can also ask if they can refer you to babysitters or nannies in the area whom you can contact.
Go through the neighborhood
You can also ask your neighbors and friends for referrals to trustworthy caregivers in your area. They may also have a teenage child who could use the extra money and is willing to babysit for an afternoon or two. The good thing about entrusting your child to a teenage babysitter in the neighborhood is that you know his or her parents and you're assured that they are just located nearby, should the babysitter run into problems while you're away.
The community babysitting cooperative
Surely you're not the only parent looking for a reliable babysitter in your area. You're bound to come across several others in your neighborhood going over the same problem so you might as well form a babysitting circle with them. Putting up a babysitting cooperative or joining one in your area is a good idea to get someone to look after your children on a regular basis. You can simply return the favor by looking after someone else's kid later on.
Go to a nearby school
Visit your local high school or community college. You're bound to find a lot of responsible students looking to earn extra funds through a babysitting job. If there are colleges near you that offer child development or education courses, you want to find students who are taking up these majors as they would be suitable candidates. You can go through campus bulletin boards as students are more likely to announce their services there. You can also ask for referrals from professors or the school's guidance services.
Through a babysitting agency
A local babysitting agency will also be able to help you find a nanny in your area. You can check your local paper for classified ad listings or your phone book to directly contact an agency. You may need to pay an additional fee with an agency to get matched with a sitter according to your preferences. But they do handle all the background checks so you're at least assured that you're getting credible candidates.
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