8 Ways to Find Affordable Child Care

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Need daycare for two children

Denny Charles of OK 10:01AM April 17, 2012

Sittercity babysitter was arrested for child molestation - google this - and Sittercity has had a lot of complaints on the BBB and about sending all kinds of spam affiliate promos and they also don't properly explain backgruond checks to parents, according to Mom websites so just be careful of any website that takes your credit card to give a free trial - that is a redflag - same for care.com.

Monica Rubenstein of FL 5:55PM January 04, 2012

While the article is correct, there are many other ways to find childcare that doesn't cost any money. Craigslist and http://sitterfinder.com are two of the many ways to find childcare without paying outrageous prices of other online services.

Cynthia Jones of MD 11:10AM July 24, 2011

There are other sites out there as well where you can find sitters (and other things like contractors, etc.) that do NOT charge for the service. The Bay Area startup VaVoca (www.vavoca.com) is an example of a good site concept that doesn't take your money before you get something in return. Free form posting makes it easy to market yourself and the search is simple. As with hiring anyone, you should always use just prudence and check references and other background information.

Drea of CA 4:38PM August 10, 2009

Not all Nanny Agencies are "thousands of dollars".Professional Sitters of Kingston,Mass charges a yearly fee verses a finders fee and does all the work for you including background checks,driving record,first aid and CPR training.In addition they offer nights,weekends and back up care for no additional charge.

Peggy Marshall of MA 2:20PM August 07, 2009

greataupair.com DoES NOT PRESCREEN OR DO BACKGROUND CHECKS.There is a Visa application for au pairs but they do not pre-screen nanny candidates. Plus a Visa application does not pre-screen au pairs assuring they are the right person to handle the specific job. The parent has to do the work themselves.
I read on a nanny newsletter that to pre-screen a caregiver someone (when using a web site the parents are who do the work themselves) has to ensure that the nanny's skills and ability to handle the job requirements make them qualified for the job before ever sending the job applicant on job interviews.
Pre-screening includes finding out all information needed to make a great placement for the family and job seeker. Pre-screening nanny candidates requires the caregiver to complete an application for employment, be personally interviewed by nanny agency staff, and have all references verified to ensure the caregiver has professional childcare related work experience.
No one ever spoke to me from greataupair.com, not ever. The parents did all the work and I never signed any paperwork allowig a background check on me. Perhaps the Visa application is helpful for au pairs but nannies are not investigated at all by that web site.

Michelle of DE 1:45PM August 05, 2009

This was a good overview of the many options for child care. I like that the article gave various options. Each family is unique and has unique needs for child care.
I would really recommend the Au Pair option to those looking for child care. I would especially recommend it to parents of more than one child. Au Pairs turn out to be more cost effective than most forms of child care if you have more than one child. Plus on top of the savings, you can give your child the chance to learn from someone from another culture and who speaks another language.
If you are looking for an Au Pair I would look at http://goaupair.com/ or http://greataupair.com/. They are great resources for Au Pair information.

THansen of UT 12:50PM August 05, 2009

If you read the fine print, the background checks offered on SitterCity are NOT safe. These background checks are database checks that do not include all states and do not include hundreds of counties within the states that are included. If families use an online service to find a nanny, please be sure to run thorough background checks.

Loni of CA 10:49AM August 05, 2009

Online nanny web sites do not pre-screen nannies. Although they may advertise they have pre-screened nannies on their sites they do not. Parents must do the work themselves when using online nanny web sites to find caregivers.
http://bestnannynewsletter.blogspot.com/2009/07/pre-screened-nannies.html

Stephanie of NJ 11:15AM August 04, 2009