Community Corner
Woodland Hills Parents Shell Out Big Bucks For Babysitters: Study
Woodland Hills parents can expect to shell out nearly $15 an hour for babysitters, making it one of the most expensive cities.
By ALEXANDER NGUYEN
Woodland Hills, CA -- Parents in Woodland Hills can expect to shell out a pretty penny for babysitters, according to a survey by a nanny and babysitter service.
Local parents can expect to shell out nearly $15 an hour for babysitters, making it one of the most expensive cities, according to the 2017 Babysitter Survey by Care.com. The Los Angeles-LongBeach-Anaheim metro area babysitters can expect to make $14.75 an hour, according to the survey. Nationally, the average amount parents pay in 2016 for babysitters is $13.97 per hour -- up 11 percent from 2010.
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“Parents are increasingly paying more for a babysitter,” said Joyce Hodel, data scientist at Care.com. “What surprised us is that parents are also willing to pay even more in certain circumstances."
Parents were more likely to pay extra for help with homework, or for sitters with safety training or child-care certification, according to the report, which surveyed 800 parents.
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"We’re seeing that this is a babysitter’s market with parents recognizing that sitters have a huge responsibility and are providing a priceless service," Hodel said.
Cost was also a factor for parents who decided against hiring a babysitter. According to the report, 42 percent of parents say that they spend at least $1,000 a year on babysitting, another 22 percent say they spend up to $2,000 a year.
One of the factors for the discrepancy in costs is that babysitters in major metropolitan areas cost more. Higher cost of living often means higher wages. The highest cost for a sitter is in San Jose, which costs an average of $16.68, compared to Youngstown, OH, which about $11.81, making it the least expensive city in the report.
Which days are parents most likely to hire a babysitter? According to the data, in 2016, parents were pawning their kids off to the sitter on New Year's Eve, the day before Valentine's Day and the Saturday before Halloween.
Tell us in the comments how much you pay for a sitter.
Photo via Pixabay
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