New York Resident

Placement agencies provide options through an uneasy process for parents
by Victoria Pericon

There is nothing more important than knowing that in your absence your child is being looked after and safe in the hands of the caregiver to whom you have entrusted him. While many parents have had success finding a babysitter through word of mouth, utilizing a placement agency gives parents the ability to find a quality caregiver who has gone through a rigid screening process.

At Absolute Best Care (www.absolutebestcare.com ; (212) 481-5705), after the care specialist goes through a five step screening process, a detailed matching search is performed prior to placement using specialized software. Included in their screening process is a thorough background check of criminal, social security and DMV records.

While most placement agencies in Manhattan perform background checks on all sitter applicants, some are more intensive than others. Parents who do not require a babysitter on a regular basis and find themselves in a pinch regularly turn to local students for last minute help instead of a full-time agency. Sensible Sitters (www.sensiblesitters.com), New York’s 24 hour babysitting service, employs student babysitters in Manhattan who collectively attend New York University, Columbia University, New School University, Marymount Manhattan, and Juilliard. Jennifer Massaro turned to a responsible college student majoring in child development when looking for a babysitter for her 2 and a half year old son. “They had a need for extra cash and a predisposition to liking children and learning more about them.”

Columbia University’s Barnard College Babysitting Agency (http://eclipse.barnard.columbia.edu/~bbsitter/) is a popular choice for parents needing a weekend sitter. Parents are able to post babysitting jobs directly with the student run agency after paying a $20 registration fee and submitting a signed pediatrician release form. While the agency doesn’t perform background checks, students do attend an orientation prior to accepting short and long term jobs from parents living in the area.

The Parents League of New York (www.parentsleague.org; (212) 737-7385) offers baby-sitting referrals by parents to other parents of school aged kids in the city. Access to this resource is included in the yearly $90 league membership fee. But for parents like Margaret Schwartz, a single mother and author of "The Pumpkin Patch: A Single Woman's International Adoption Journey" (www.pumpkin-patch.net), trial and error, not a membership fee helped her find the right sitter for her two sons. Schwartz highly recommends finding a sitter in your neighborhood. “It was very frustrating to get home at 10 p.m. and have to think about transportation arrangements then,” says Schwartz.

Lisa Magro’s fully licensed and bonded Pinch Sitters ((212) 260-6005), specializes in placing sitters with childcare backgrounds in jobs in their neighborhoods. While other agencies do not have minimums, parents who use Pinch Sitters are required to pay a four hour minimum hourly rate of $16 in addition to transportation fees if the sitting job ends after 9PM. There is also a fee charged if parents cancel within 24 hours of the job, but Pinch Sitters does allow two families to prearrange to share a sitter for $20 an hour.

This article was written by Victoria Pericon.
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