The Reliable Child Care Challenge!

I have a really hard time finding reliable child care. I don't know if it's me, or the people I hire. I am almost beginning to think it's me.

One time I hired someone and even bought her lunch when I interviewed her and she didn't show up. She didn't even answer her phone. Then about 4 months later I got a text from her asking me to retract a review that I posted at the agency that I use to find child care providers. This young woman went so far as to say that she was in a near fatal car accident that left her with a crushed pelvis and that she had no way of contacting me for that length of time and that she was fired from her job elsewhere (no respectful business would do that if someone was in such a life threatening situation). Out of the goodness of my heart I retracted the review. I am still skeptical.

I am not like some child care employers. I don't expect a lot. I do expect my kids to like the person who is taking care of them and I expect them to pick up after themselves. I do have one pet too many but they aren't that hard to manage. My house is clean. I also tell my sitters to help themselves to food and drinks. It's a pretty good gig with pay. At least I think it is. There is also the fact that some of these people think they should be paid a professional salary for sitting in my house, eating my food and watching my television. Sorry folks you get paid a professional salary when you have a degree and many, many years of experience. I went to college got my degree and now I have over 17 years of experience and the salary that reflects that.


With the summer coming I hope I won't be hunting someone new for child care. I had to hunt this week again. I finally got in touch with a sitter that I used a lot last fall (who consequently had been unavailable for a few months). Interviewing sitters is a really pain in the butt. It's hard for us we have no family nearby and my children are home educated so they are too old to go to daycare. Soon my son will be old enough to take care of his younger sibling.