Four-Step Sitter Screening Process

For years now, Sittercity has been refining and testing our special formula for screening sitters so we could bring you the easiest, most effective way to find the perfect babysitting match for your family.

Gone are the days of posting in classified ads and crossing your fingers, hanging a sitter flyer and holding your breath, and doing nothing more than dreaming about an outing away from dirty diapers, naptime struggles and spaghetti sliding down your walls.

With Sittercity.com, over 150,000 babysitters and nannies across the nation are at your fingertips, and with our tried and true four-step screening process, finding the best caregiver for your family is a snap.

STEP 1: USE THE INTERNAL FEEDBACK SYSTEM

Did Sitter A ditch her last job without so much as a phone call? Is Sitter B known for playing FUN, educational games that kids absolutely love? Only parents who've employed those babysitters know the answers. But with Sittercity's internal feedback system, you no longer have to wonder whether the help you hire has a hidden reputation.

This internal feedback system allows parents and sitters to leave feedback about each other for all to see. You can learn exactly what is was about Sitter C that a previous family loved so much, or hear specifics about Sitter D's child care principles from those who experienced it firsthand. In addition, Sittercity's advanced search allows you to search only for sitters with feedback posted about them.

STEP 2: CONDUCT AN INTERVIEW

Once you've narrowed down your search, the next thing to do is conduct an interview. Do NOT think that you can skip this step. Different kids can react differently to the same adult - which is why some kids giggle uncontrollably at goofy Uncle Greg while others let out frantic shrieks of horror (gotta be the mullet...) - so try to keep the kids around for the interview to gauge their reactions to their potential caregiver.

Of course, you'll want to ask the babysitter some important questions as well, questions whose answers will be quite telling to the type of job this babysitter will do. But what to ask? To gather the most revealing, effective questions for the interview, view our comprehensive list of questions from which you can pick and choose whichever you feel are most important.

STEP 3: CHECK REFERENCES

Whether or not you consider yourself an amateur Sherlock Holmes (you did solve the case of the unidentifiable sticky mess on your kitchen floor that one time), this is some light detective work any parent can do. Sittercity helps simplify the process of checking references by having Sittercity babysitters list at least one reference in their profile that includes an email address and phone number. With a simple point-and-click, you've got easy access to a direct source who can give you the inside scoop on your potential babysitter.

If you don't know what to ask a reference, don't worry. Sittercity has done the work for you. Check out the awesome resources available in the Sittercity Tips and Resources section, where you will find suggestions on what to ask references, how to conduct a call and more.

STEP 4: GET A BACKGROUND CHECK

So you've found a great candidate, a model citizen, sitter extraordinaire. Perfect! But you'll want to follow through with the final step, running a background check, to make sure there's nothing shady in her past that could take her from your Biggest Ally to your Biggest Mistake.

Through Sittercity's partner, LexisNexis, you can instantly run a background check on your top babysitter candidate for $9.99. All you need to do is click the background check link on the babysitter's profile. Seriously, that's it. Background check results take just minutes to receive once the person being screened grants authorization, so you'll receive peace of mind quickly and easily.

Three-Step Sitter Monitoring

http://babysitters.sittercity.com/article/monitoring.html

The sitter monitoring process is a critical part of determining whether your sitter remains a good match for your family or whether she displays some of the warning signs that could spell trouble...

Learn about Sittercity's three-step sitter monitoring process.