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Shopping with Toddlers in Tow?
The Benefits of Starting a Holiday Babysitting Co-op
By Shannon McKelden
"Imagine having a trusted sitter available on short notice at any time for any reason," says Myers, who also runs the site BabysittingCoop.com. "It is truly a lifesaver for the busy holidays. Moms are eager to do sits for you because they earn points so they can have time off too."
Most co-ops work in a similar manner. Nicole Thibadeaux participates in the Burbank Kids' Club with her two children. "The basic operating procedure for our babysitting co-op runs thus: We have a volunteer position called the Scheduler that rotates every two months. Members contact the Scheduler (usually by e-mail) with their sit request and the Scheduler sends out e-mails to the membership, who then reply with their availability," she says. The Scheduler assigns the sitter and keep the logs of sits. "The Scheduler receives babysitting points in exchange for the time they spend coordinating sits for the membership," Thibadeaux says.
Julian Ford founded the Burbank Kids' Club in 2004, the second of three she has started, and loosely based the structure on Myers' book. What does it take to get a co-op started, in her opinion? "At least four friends ready to exchange time," Ford says. "In my experience a co-op hums with 12 to 15 members – many more and it becomes hard to manage, many fewer and dates may go uncovered."
Ford suggests using the Internet for finding information on co-op structures. "You need someone to serve as the secretary to make sure sits are covered and points/markers exchanged per rules," she says. "You need someone to serve as president and it's a very good idea to have an advisorycounsel to perform safe home checks to make sure all is well at each sitting environment." She adds that the advisory counsel also deals with disciplinary issues should that need arise.
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