Babysitting Bonanza

Good help is hard to find, or so the saying goes. And for moms looking for quality childcare,whether it’s full-time for the working mother or just a few hours to get out to dinner with your partner some Friday night, it can be especially challenging. In a vibrant community like Marblehead, finding the right sitter, nanny or child care center is sometimes as easy as asking the family next door. But if you need a few other options, read ahead for a roundup of local resources that will leave you little one(s) in good hands!

• Day time childcare centers: Not just for full-time working parents, these centers can be great for the parent looking for a few daytime hours of childcare as well. Some, like the or the , offer infant care, toddler programs,and preschool options, on a full or part time basis, and are larger programs. Benefits here: both have fitness centers for parents, swim programs and other activities (like gymnastics or dance) for children. Other area centers, like (ages 1 month to 7 years), (15 months to preschool), or (toddlers to age 6) offer smaller programs without the extra amenities but a potentially closer community feel. Pros: with these type of programs, you never worry about your nanny calling in sick, and there is opportunity to meet many other parents. Cons: no evening hours or weekends, and if your child is the one sick, you can’t bring them to the centers. 
• Online child care sites: Many area families find their perfect nanny or sitter via websites such as www.sittercity.com, www.care.com or www.craigslist.com. On Sittercity and Care.com you can do background checks, sort care providers by available hours, location, age and other options, get reviews from other parents, and more. Craigslist offers a more generic, classifieds page feel, but check out the North Shore child care section and you can find sitters offering their services ranging from the occasional night out or full-time, in home nanny situation. Pros: a wide array of sitters to choose from (sittercity.com in particular has many Salem State and other local college students on their site), ability to weed out some instantly via sorting options, and finding last minute help can be quickest via the web. Having someone who can come into your home to provide care is a better options for some parents, and flexibility to have evenings or weekends covered is fantastic. Cons: with so many sitters posting, it can be hard to decide who to interview, and checking out references and other background info on your own can be daunting. Also, if your nanny gets sick or cancels, you may be stuck without child care at the last minute. 
• Nanny placement services: These services, such as Nanny Poppins in Beverly, place au pairs and other full time nannies in home. Pros: the services does extensive background checks and places only well-screened nannies, with many offering special skills like fluency in arts or languages and ability to care for challenged children. Cons: The expense. Costing upwards of 4 figures just to get started with the service (some fees can go into the $3000 range), and guaranteed contracts for nannies, this is the most costly option around. 
• Unique care needs: such as newborn services or special needs children: Specialty services that provide overnight newborn care for singles or multiples can also befound (such as mine, ; also try Precious Family Care or the Bluebirds. 
• Have a special needs child? Salem State and other local colleges that have early childhood education programs also keep track of students looking to fulfill hours towards their degrees, which can include in home work with children (you can also email the schools and ask them to post your needs and info on their boards- I know two families that found fabulous nannies this way). Students earning special needs degrees can be just the right fit for your child. 
• Still can’t find the right person? Consider calling the preschools or childcare centers above, and ask for names of teachers or helpers that are lookingfor extra hours. Many individuals there are working only part-time hours and looking to fill other care work on the side- so you can get a very qualified person with solid references who has the flexibility to come to your home. Another option is to call the local pools at the YMCA or JCC, and ask for names of workers that might be looking for outside hours. Area religious organizations have also been a source for care providers names. Consider nanny sharing with a friend (or group of friends). If an excellent available nanny needs more hours than you can provide, or the expense is too great, pooling hours to offer them may offer a way to give them a full time schedule. Maybe they are willing to watch your child plus your friend's to get higher overall rate but at lower cost to you.

Have another great Marblehead resource for child care you want to share? Email me or post in the comment box below and I’ll share some additional ideas via my Facebook page. (No individuals names please but creative ways to find someone will be posted, along with other centers or group providers I may have missed here).