A mother’s helper is a great way to establish a great childcare relationship. For some, it may be as easy as looking around the neighborhood. For parents that do not have family in the area, finding a mother’s helper can be daunting. Read on for sources of reliable childcare in the neighborhood.
Your Local Church
To find a reliable mother’s helper or babysitter, a great place to look is in your local church. Keep an eye on the young volunteers at the nursery or in Sunday School programs. Youth groups may also be a great place to start. Finally, many churches have bulletins where you can request babysitting help. Get to know parents of tweens and teenagers. Soon, a network of responsible, caring, enthusiastic helpers will emerge.
The Homeschool Network
Another good source to find a mother’s helper is via the homeschool network. Homeschooling is becoming much more commonplace. Many families that homeschool do so because their families are larger or because they have values, goals and activities that they prefer to pursue or manage on their own. Older homeschool students generally complete their work independently and may be accustomed to caring for younger siblings. This built-in sense of responsibility is a plus when considering hiring someone for childcare. Also, a homeschooler may be able to babysit during school hours as part of community service or because their schedules are more flexible than traditional students. Homeschooling networks can be found by state online. You can also search Google for homeschool groups in your state.
Child Development Programs in High School
High schools and local community colleges may often have a child development program for students. They may provide limited low cost childcare so that the students have case studies they can interact with, observe and write about. A child can get an early education assessment from high schoolers that are supervised by teachers. Generally, these courses are offered as an elective, so the students want to be there to pursue early childhood education. Call your local high school or community college and ask about the childhood development programs offered there. Enrolling your child there will provide another network of potential mother’s helpers and babysitters.
Community Groups
Other great resources may be local civic groups, such as Girl Scouts, Optimists or 4H Clubs. Young people participating in these kinds of programs tend to be responsible, empathetic and enthusiastic.
For hiring childcare help, the bottom line is to start with locations and organizations that share similar ideologies or philosophies in order to find a person who demonstrates responsibility within a common value system.
Maribel Ibrahim - Maribel Ibrahim is a stay from home mother of three. Follow Maribel on Twitter @TheFrugalWriter to keep posted on her latest articles.
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