| America is a mobile society. Extended families | | | | solve the childcare problem. Childcare services act |
| more often than not live hours or days away | | | | as a clearinghouse where childcare providers and |
| from each other, or if they do live close to each | | | | families can connect. |
| other, grandma or grandpa may still be in the | | | | Each childcare provider who signs up with the |
| workforce. Unlike 40 or 50 years ago, today's | | | | service completes a profile which includes a |
| parents are raising their children without much help | | | | picture of the provider, availability, type of care |
| from extended families. More households have | | | | provided (nanny, babysitter, au pair, last minute |
| both parents working or are headed by a single | | | | care, special needs care), experience with children, |
| parent who works. How do these households find | | | | rate, age, gender, location and contact information. |
| good childcare? | | | | People looking for childcare can browse the |
| One option is to run a help wanted ad in the | | | | providers and/or post a their own profile. |
| newspaper. This can be costly and time | | | | Information can be searched by zip code to |
| consuming. In addition to paying for the ad space | | | | locate providers who serve a given area. It is |
| in the paper, you will have to answer questions | | | | free to search and browse childcare providers, |
| about the job on the phone, collect resumes, read | | | | but the provider's contact information will only be |
| through them and then interview potential | | | | shown once the person searching for childcare |
| candidates. Another option is asking friends to | | | | becomes a paying member of the site. On |
| recommend a childcare provider to you. Or, you | | | | becoming a paying member of the online childcare |
| could answer ads in the newspaper advertising | | | | service, families gain access to provider contact |
| childcare services. All of these options require | | | | information, can do free background checks |
| meeting with the prospective provider, but even | | | | through the service, as well as check the |
| at this point you cannot be sure that they are | | | | provider's references. |
| representing themselves truthfully unless you run | | | | Whether the childcare need is a live-in au pair, a |
| a background check, which will also cost you | | | | regular babysitter or a babysitter who will take |
| money. | | | | care of sick children, using an online childcare |
| There is an easier, less costly, less time | | | | service streamlines the process of finding |
| consuming way to find childcare. Thanks to the | | | | childcare and minimizes the risk for families and |
| internet, childcare services have emerged to help | | | | providers alike. |