|
Parents who have spent an afternoon calling teenager after teenager looking for someone to take care of their tot would be quick to admit that good baby sitters come at a premium.
Members of the Gorham Recreation Department recognized this and created the "Baby Sitter Social" as a solution, administrative assistant Gail Platts said. The social is designed like a speed- dating circuit, but rather than finding a date, you're finding someone to take care of your little ones so you can go on a date.
"The goal of the Baby Sitter Social is to connect parents with baby sitters in a fun, social setting," Platts said.
The first social was held in June with 20 parents and 20 sitters participating. Platts said baby sitters are asked to fill out an information card, including their experience and a list of references, for parents to have as resources.
Parents are given a list of potential discussion topics to break the ice and get a sense whether the baby sitter would be a good fit for the family, she said.
Parents in attendance circle around the room with three minutes to chat with each prospective baby sitter.
Stacy O'Brien was one of the parents at the June social, and she said by the end of the night she had a list of 15 baby sitters whom she thought would be a good match to care for her 8-year-old son.
Her regular baby sitter had moved away to college, and O'Brien said the social was the perfect venue to find a replacement.
"I thought it was helpful to meet a potential baby sitter face to face before," she said.
"Often, in the past, I've received references from friends and spoke with them over the phone, but it's nice to make face-to-face contact."
During her time with the baby sitters, O'Brien was able to ask them questions such as, "How many times can you watch the Star Wars movies?" because her son will watch them over and over again.
"I find that, especially with one child, it's important finding someone that's compatible with him," she said.
She also asked them if they were comfortable preparing a meal for her son, caring for household pets and what they would do if her son presented them with a challenging situation.
"I wanted to know how they would handle those challenges and react to certain situations," she said, adding that she felt comfortable knowing all the potential sitters were American Red Cross-certified.
Before creating the social, Platts said the recreation department would have parents asking for baby-sitter recommendations.
"We offer Red Cross baby-sitting classes for students ages 11 to 15, so then we have all these baby sitters who have got the training," she said.
"But we were uncomfortable being that mediator."
The recreation department kept a catalogue of ceritified baby sitters for parents, but Platts said it wasn't an effective way to connect them.
O'Brien said the social was certainly a great way to make that connection.
"It's absolutely helpful, especially for people like myself that don't have a lot of family in the area or are new to the area," she said. "It's great to know there's a resource of girls in the area."
|
Test Drive and Search for a
Sitter Now
