I recently put an ad in craigslist looking for a babysitter/ backup for daycare & I got 2 responses. One is an inhome daycare provider who has other kids of various ages...the second is a SAHM with 5 of her own kids, degree in spec ed & used to teach at a spec needs school, used to be a foster care mom of aut. child, dh just got out of the air force...my question is what would you ask her? How much would she get paid for after school and summer break care? How do you do an appropriate check on her?? I know her old addresses, checked the sex offender database for her & dh, her story on where she worked checks out...what else should I do to be a responsible parent? He seems content at his current daycare, but the director (who is great with him) is leaving next Fri with no idea of the replacement...should I switch or maybe keep him with the daycare for afterschool and ask this lady for the occasional help during breaks? Thanks guys! I figured some of you guys would know - I've only used daycares for Payne - ones that I heard great things about and are certified through the state...the workers are already checked through DCF.
Personally myself,
I would treat it like a job interview which it is and ask for a resume. Is she is watching other children I would ask for the phone numbers of those childrens parents so that you can call them and see how they like her,if they have had any problems with her. Also I would definitly have a background check on her.If she does have a degree in special ed I would ask for a copy of that . I would do some research on how much the going rate is for a babysitter. Also call me parinoid but I would get little cameras to put around your house if she is going to watch your child in your home. So that you can make sure your child is being treated well. That is my thoughts, I am extremely picky on who watches my dd and my children. I hope that helps
She sounds great. I guess you could ask for specific references for families she's worked with in the past (particularly former students.) I don't know what she'd charge, I guess you'd have to ask her that (I babysit for several of my families and depending on the family I've been paid anywhere from (yes FOUR) to an hour.)For 0 you can have a company that specializes in this do everything for you. This place checks the following:
I). National Criminal
II). Regional Criminal- (10-13 States)
III). State Criminal
IV). County Criminal- (Professional Court Researcher)
V). Sexual Offender- (Nationwide)
VI). Driving History- State DMV Records
VII). Bankruptcy, Judgments, Tax Liens- Has she sued former employers?
VIII). Alias Search- Criminal records under assumed names?
IX). Address Trace
X). College Education Verification- Both Degrees and Attendance
XI). Social Security Number Verification
http://www.childcarebackground.com/
How much to pay varies regionally. I pay /hr. What I'd recommend you do is call a local nanny agency and pretend you're interested in potentially hiring a nanny but you aren't sure if you can afford it, and then ask about the going hourly rate. That should give you a good idea of what it's like in your area.
In terms of what to ask her, I typically require two letters of reference from prior childcare clients. I also call and speak to those prior clients. Some of what you want to ask an at home provider is how emergencies are handled. Does she have a vehicle that can transport all of the kids, would she can an ambulance for an ER situation, what level of liability insurance does she have, is she licensed, etc.
Here's a good interview checklist for any parent, not necessarily special needs:
http://childcare.about.com/od/occasionalcare/a/sitterquestio ns.htm
If you decide to use a babysitter instead of a daycare center, the following resources might be helpful:
Here is a cheat sheet to fill out for a babysitter after hiring, specially written for children with special needs:
http://specialchildren.about.com/od/childcare/a/caregivercs. htm
This brochure "Caring for children with special needs" includes a section with tips for babysitting autistic kids:
http://www.wcdd.org/babysit.html
More tips on preparing the babysitter:
http://www.schwablearning.org/articles.aspx?r=550