The cost of babysitting has changed dramatically since I was a kid. We recently hired a nanny to watch our two boys so we could go out for my birthday, and her hourly rate was in line with what other parents in our area were spending. In the end, the woman we hired cost almost as much as the dinner and movie we watched without the kids. We were glad to have a few hours to ourselves, but it underscored the point that babysitting doesn’t cost the $20-$25 a night I used to charge when I was a teenager. (Yay, inflation.)
Webinar recording: How to start a babysitting cooperative?
For parents on a budget, there’s another option. A free alternative to the high cost of babysitting, a neighborhood babysitting co-op is exactly what it sounds like: families in the community working together to share parenting responsibilities. This arrangement gives parents much-needed peace of mind knowing their children are being safely supervised by someone they trust, while also enjoying some quality time with your partner (or yourself) at no cost.
There are countless benefits to starting a babysitting co-op, from social opportunities for you and your kids to the certainty of emergency assistance. It’s a win-win situation, but setting up a co-op requires careful planning. To help you out, we’ve put together some tips on how to get started with your co-parents.
Once you’ve found parents who want to set up your neighborhood babysitting co-op, you’ll want to determine how it will work in the real world so there are no misunderstandings later. Here are some topics you should discuss:
