photo above: Ryan, Meera, Owen, Kyle – painting last week in the garage
One of the huge perks of being a university professor is the incredible pool of babysitters I have right at my fingertips. Lehigh is a great school, and many – many – of the students there would be terrific babysitters. So, when we are going to hire a babysitter we set out to find the very best of the best. Here is the job ad that I circulated (widely!) at Lehigh this past spring semester:
HELP WANTED: SUMMER BABYSITTING
Job Description: Giving three kids the best summer of their lives!
We are looking for a part-time summer babysitter for our twin 7-years-old sons and our 3-year-old daughter.
Basic Duties Include:
- focused time each day devoted to reading with each of the three kids
- playing basketball, baseball, soccer, etc. and supervising tons of outdoor time
- creative imaginative play and some coloring/painting
- preparing simple lunches
- possibly changing some diapers (our 3-year-old may not be 100% fully potty trained by the start of summer)
Requirements:
- Must have a reliable car and provide your own transportation to-and-from our home 20 minutes from the Lehigh campus.
- Must be an energetic, fun-loving person who enjoys spending time with rambunctious kids!
- An actively progressive, anti-racist mind-set is an absolute requirement for the job; must be consciously devoted to instilling self-confidence in three young children within a multi-racial family.
Lifeguard/swimming-safety training a huge plus but not necessary.
I made sure that lots of people saw this job ad and asked them all to forward it to lots more people. I got lots of interested potential babysitters. I narrowed it down to seven, and then interviewed each of them one-on-one. We had great options. But one stood way, way, way out— in my mind she was perfect. Everything we were looking for. I invited her to come meet the bambinos. They all loved each other. We hired her on the spot.
Fast forward to now.
Ryan has been babysitting for us for three weeks now. For where our bambinos are right now in their lives, Ryan is perfect. And for all the wildly high hopes and ridiculously over-the-top expectations that we have for a babysitter (not just a superb and enriching caregiver, but a central-person-in-the-raising-of-our-children and a spectacular role model), Ryan exceeds them all. She is stellar. And so… we are all very, very happy.
One thing I’ve learned about being a Working Mother is this: I cannot focus on my career when I’m distracted by not feeling wholly comfortable about what/where/with-whom my kids are when I’m at work. I need to know that my kids are content in order for me to be productive. And I can say this: in the past three weeks I’ve been able to get a lot done. Thanks to Ryan.
The looks on my bambinos’ faces tell me that all is right in their world (which means all is right in mine). Exhibit A: Photo taken today, by Ryan, while she was at the Crayola Factory with our crew-of-three~~~
It is shaping up to be a really great summer… Maybe even the best summer of their (our) lives!?!
Happy for you all!! Love that ad!! Enjoy the rest of the summer
– Kate
That’s so awesome that you were able to find the perfect sitter for your kids!
I was just curious, in your area, do you pay per child/per hour for babysitting or just a flat rate for all three kids? And, do you find the college kids are less expensive than a nanny?
For the swimming lessons with Calvin we have always paid per kid (right from the start that was our arrangement with Calvin– a per hour private swim lesson rate, double for two kids). But for babysitting we pay a flat hourly rate. HOWEVER… for a summer babysitter working for us on a regular weekly schedule, then on top of that hourly rate we always ALSO put in tips and gas money. We also pay for any activities they do with our kids. The only true Nanny we have had was Margie– with her we paid an annual salary… which worked out to be a lot more than an hourly babysitting rate.
Thanks for your reply. We recently interviewed a few babysitters and 4 out of 5 stated that their rates would be per child/per hour, so I was just wondering if that was now the norm. (We have four children). I don’t remember charging in that way when I was a college student!
That’s great!! As a working mom myself, I KNOW what you mean about not being able to focus at work if you’re not certain about your kids’ care…!
SO happy you are all having a great summer!
Do you allow the sitter to drive the kids to activities in her own vehicle or do you give her yours to use (with carseats)?
We have let our sitters/nanny drive the kids in their own vehicles. We have lucked out that our caregivers have had big, relatively safe, vehicles. We give carseats (in Pennsylvania the law is that kids still need to be in boosters up to age 8, so K & O still use them and M is still in a full-blown carseat), and Braydon always makes sure they are properly installed. ~hbj
I started using a summer sitter/nanny when my daughter was going into 3rd grade. We’ve lucked out and had the same nanny for 5 summers. She was going into college when she started with us, has finished her degree and getting ready to start teaching this fall. She’s also helped out during winter and spring breaks.
She’s a godsend and its the best childcare decision I made, especially as a single parent. She has also been able to stay overnight if I have business travel.
I pay a flat weekly fee plus gas and activities. Money well-spent. My daughter gets to have a very laid back break, not having to get up to go to camp/daycare……so worth the extra expense…
Thank you for this wonderful job description. I am currently seeking summer sitter for my 6 year old son and 4 year old twin girls!