Childcare Question

[sailors_wfe]

I have a quick question for all of you experienced parents out there DH and I are expecting our first in April... DH works over an hour away and is currently working nights. I work from home a lot (i'm a Dental Billing Specialist with about 15 offices) but do have to travel 1-2 times a week with the occasional trip to our headquarters in Atlanta. DH and I were thinking about childcare options that would be flexible and I was doing some research and I like the idea of "part time" childcare where I could drop our daughter off for the morning 3 or so days a week and DH could go get her when he wakes up/gets off of work in the afternoon (3:00 ish) Called around to local centers and no one has any part time avilable, all infant care is full time only We also live in a small college town, so I started thinking how neat it would be to try to get a college kid to come into our home 2-3 days a week for 5 hours or so and watch the baby/help out (generally a mother's helper I think??) Do college age kids still look for jobs like this? What should I expect to pay someone that does this?? I know around our area full time child care centers are charging $180-$250 a week... I would think this would be a cheaper option, and I could get by offering $150 or so a week?? but at the same time that seems like a really cheap pay?? Anybody with experience like this that can make any reccomendations?

 

[WantToGoNow]

I would put an ad in your local paper for a "mother's helper" and see if anyone responds. I would think you could get childcare in your home for less than a center.

0I wish you lived closer to me - I watch a 14 mo. old 4 days a week for $50-$60 a week and some weeks she doesn't pay me at all. I also have to run to the neighboring town (15 minutes each way) 1-2 times a week to pick up her dd from school then race back to beat the bus before my ds gets off.

 

[tinker&belle]

I think for a nanny, you would probably need to pay more than 150 for 15 hours for someone good. I don't know what area of the country you're in.

Also check out the tax implications. I recently heard about the 'nanny' tax, plus you are supposed to pay social security and other taxes. I don't know if that would apply in a part time situation.

 

[Colinsmom]

We have a nanny who cares for our children 3 days/week while we work. She's been a nanny for 15 years and has four children of her own (youngest is 12yo), so we knew she'd be in this for the long haul. She would not be an economical choice for one child, but is for two kids (soon to be four - we have twins coming this summer).

What will you do when your sitter calls in sick? What will you do if she quits suddenly on you? We dealt with these problems a LOT when we tried to have an au pair, and it just didn't work out with our work situations.

And at $150/week you would have to withhold taxes, pay social security, and probably pay unemployment tax on your sitter, though it probably wouldn't add more than $10-15 to your costs for the week. You can google "nanny tax" to find out the specifics. I don't think that $10/hr is unreasonable for 15hrs a week of sitting by a college student but add in nanny taxes (and last minute scrambles when sitter is sick or quits) and you're probably better off going with full-time infant care for a little more at $180/week and using only what you need.

 

[Ennazus8810]

I quit my social work job in December after being a social worker for 12 years. I am also expecting our first child in the spring, and needed just a small amount of money to supplement the money that DH makes. I am currently watching an 8 week old infant, and I charge the family $4.00 an hour. I am certified in all aspects of care, and this seems to be the going rate in our area.

Best bet, actually is Craigs list. Every area has a child care section. Check it out, and you will see what is available in your area. There is also a site www.care.com that is great and localized to your area as well.

 

[daisyduck123]

Do college age kids still look for jobs like this?

Yes. My next-door neighbor has used a college student for the past 9 months for her 12 month old DS. The girl drives over (20 min. drive each way) 3 days a week & sits from 9-5.

Sorry, but I have no idea what my neighbor pays her.

 

[ilandrazdsw]

I was a "nanny" for friends in college for a semester. I wasn't paid but lived with them. There were 4 kids...2 in school, a toddler and newborn. The mom was a intern teacher and the father worked nights. It worked out great because I was able to schedule my classes to be home so there was always an adult home for the kids and 2 adults home at night.

I guess my point is...do you have the room to accommodate a live in college student (of course background check and references). She could work for room and board...and maybe a little extra $.

 

[sailors_wfe]

What will you do when your sitter calls in sick? What will you do if she quits suddenly on you? We dealt with these problems a LOT when we tried to have an au pair, and it just didn't work out with our work situations.

And at $150/week you would have to withhold taxes, pay social security, and probably pay unemployment tax on your sitter, though it probably wouldn't add more than $10-15 to your costs for the week. You can google "nanny tax" to find out the specifics. I don't think that $10/hr is unreasonable for 15hrs a week of sitting by a college student but add in nanny taxes (and last minute scrambles when sitter is sick or quits) and you're probably better off going with full-time infant care for a little more at $180/week and using only what you need.

The good thing about my job is that I can be really flexible with the time I actually have to be away from home... so if we find someone and they get sick/quit/are away on holiday from school ect then I can rearrange my schedule for that week and not do any traveling.

I hadn't thought about taxes and allof that fun stuff, thanks for the tip, I'll be looking into that. I do really like the idea of having them come to me over putting them in a center... not that I have anything against childcare centers (I worked for one several yrs back) I just like the idea of still having my baby girl around and yet having someone else to help take care of her while I'm focusing on work things.

Best bet, actually is Craigs list. Every area has a child care section. Check it out, and you will see what is available in your area. There is also a site www.care.com that is great and localized to your area as well.

Thanks!!!! I never would have thought of looking at Craigs List for childcare

Yes. My next-door neighbor has used a college student for the past 9 months for her 12 month old DS. The girl drives over (20 min. drive each way) 3 days a week & sits from 9-5.

Sorry, but I have no idea what my neighbor pays her.

That's exactly what I'm looking for...Thanks for giving me hope!!

I was a "nanny" for friends in college for a semester. I wasn't paid but lived with them. There were 4 kids...2 in school, a toddler and newborn. The mom was a intern teacher and the father worked nights. It worked out great because I was able to schedule my classes to be home so there was always an adult home for the kids and 2 adults home at night.

I guess my point is...do you have the room to accommodate a live in college student (of course background check and references). She could work for room and board...and maybe a little extra $.

That would be GREAT but unfortunately we don't have the extra room right now (spare b.room is being turned into the baby's room ) so something like this would have to wait a few more years until we move. Good idea to keep in mind for the future though!


Thanks everyone for all the information!!!! Gave me LOTS more to think about

 

[mjkacmom]

Having someone come to your home usually costs more than a center, or someone who provides childcare out of her home. That said, I did have a woman come to watch my twins 8 hours a week, and she only charged $10 an hour. She was 19, from Mexico, and worked for a friend of mine, so I knew she was good with babies.

 

[puffkin]

Another idea is to do a nanny share. If you have any friends with daycare needs you could split the cost of a nanny.

Definitely look at Craigs List and even in the classifieds in the paper. There are a lot of people who will watch children in their homes and many of them do offer a more flexible/part time arrangement than centers. It is pretty standard for centers to charge FT for infants regardless because of the low ratio they need to keep and the centers overhead.

I used a private sitter for my son for the first 2 1/2 years and I LOVED it. He is now in a center and flourishing. I found my sitter on craig's list.

 

[Melknor]

You may want to check into in-home care, where you take the baby to someone elses home and they watch the child there. I also work from home and was able to find an in-home sitter that agreed to part-time care. She watches my son everyday from 7-11. I pick him up and he has lunch with me and then naps in the afternoon. It has worked out really well for us. Of course I don't have to travel for work, but if a trip does arise, I just make arrangements and she is usually willing to watch him full time as needed.

Something else to consider.

 

[Fabinva]

Originally posted by Melknor You may want to check into in-home care, where you take the baby to someone elses home and they watch the child there.

That's exactly what we did and it worked out fine for us, was cheaper than having someone come to our house. We found them on ads from HOA newsletter but know many that also posted on Craigslist.

 

[hroyale]

We have 2 kids, who are in preschool for the mornings. We hired a college student to watch them PT in the afternoons (approx 15 hours a week). It's worked out really well for us, but wouldn't be economical for one child. It depends on the area, but we pay $13 an hour. She arranges playdates, drives them to classes etc...

A center would probably charge $7 an hour for pt care. So for two kids, it is more economical to have a nanny. Plus given some special needs it really works out for us.

Forgot to mention at first, we found her on Craig's List.

 

[jackskellingtonsgirl]

A mother's helper is NOT a nanny. As a college educated, INA credentialed, professional nanny I find it offensive for everyone who provides childcare in someone else's home to be called a nanny.

The INA website www.nanny.org has a lot of information about determining what sort of care you need, the definitions of a nanny, mother's helper, governess, etc. There are also links to help you understand taxes and other info about hiring an in-home caregiver for your child. You absolutely need to do a thorough background check and make sure the candidates have newborn experience, references, CPR and First Aid certification, etc.

When my previous charges started full days of school my bosses no longer required full-time care. They had a very difficult time finding someone reliable who was OK with only working 15 or so hours per week. Several of the girls they hired either never showed up or quit after a short time. It is wise to do a few "trial" days to make sure she understands what the job will entail and clear up any questions. I also strongly suggest having a written work agreement that spells out the terms of her employment so you both have something to refer back to.

Other websites worth a look are www.nannyanswers.com and www.lifewithnanny.com there are sample work agreements, FAQs, and so forth.

 

[Una_Lane]

I would suggest Care.com since you can post exactly what you want in a sitter & then run a background check on them & check references.

I know a lot of college students who still look for part time babysitting jobs, in fact I think what you are looking for is a pretty ideal schedule for someone in school. In terms of what to pay you can use the babysitter pay calculator at Care.com

Good luck!!

 

[NotUrsula]

Just remember that you are looking for a LOCAL college student, not one who lives out of town and goes home on long breaks. You don't want to be out of a sitter from mid-Dec to mid-Jan and all summer, too.