Sittercity vs Care.com vs Nannies4hire: Babysitting and Nanny Referral Sites Compared

Finding the perfect babysitter can be frustrating. Busy families need a reliable and simple way to find care and companies like Sittercity, Care.com, and Nannies4Hire are there to help. These businesses manage an extensive network of caregiver profiles with reviews, references, and access to background checks. Finding the right nanny or babysitter for your family is easy - just log on and start searching.

Sittercity

Sittercity is a popular website that connects parents looking for child care services with babysitters, nannies, and other care providers. The online company, headquartered in Chicago, IL, was founded in 2001 and manages an extensive network of caregivers nationwide. Sittercity's main customer focus is families but they also provide services to large employers, academic institutions, and military families.

How Sittercity Works

Sittercity is a user-friendly site packed with tips and tricks to help users find the perfect babysitter. Online registration is required for access and users complete a customer profile consisting of:

• No. of children
• Age of children
• When service is needed (must be within three months)
• Applicant preference (male/female)
• Job Description

Once you complete the profile and job posting, potential babysitters or nannies apply for the position. You have to log in to the site to check for messages and the applicant's profile includes a photo, personal description, prior experience, and preferred rates.

For new users, Sittercity's free trial lasts seven days, after which customers can pay for membership to access all the site has to offer. Membership is necessary to contact potential sitters and review their references.

Membership Perks & Pricing

A Sittercity.com membership provides the following:

• Ability to contact interested candidates
• Unlimited job postings
• Full access to sitter profiles
• Ability to view references & background checks.

Sittercity often promotes discounts to offset the cost of membership. The discounts can sometimes go up to 35% so it's a good idea to search for promotions before upgrading to a full membership. Currently, there is a 20% discount on membership fees:

How to Use Sittercity

Sittercity has a large network of babysitters and nannies and they encourage parents to utilize their Four Step Screening Process to choose the right care provider. This process involves the following steps:

1. Use the Sittercity.com internal feedback system
2. Conduct a face-to-face interview
3. Check references - babysitters are required to have at least one reference on their profile, including a phone number and email address.
4. Complete a background check - all background checks are performed by LexisNexis and cost $14.99.

The website also provides a handy list of questions to ask when interviewing babysitters, a sitter cheat sheet to provide your instructions for care, and a rate calculator to help determine the going rate for babysitters in your area.

In addition to child care, Sittercity also provides care for seniors and pets, as well as tutoring services and housekeeping help.

Contact Info

Call Customer Service: 888-SIT-CITY (888-748-2489) Mon-Fri, 8am-6pm CST

Email: support@sittercity.com

Mail:

Sittercity

20 W. Kinzie St.

Suite 1500

Chicago, IL 60654

Care.com

You have probably seen Care.com's TV ads featuring the global company's CEO, Sheila Marcelo. Care.com has been in business since 2006 and has over eight million members in 16 countries. The company's mission is to "be there in those moments to help families find quality care solutions that meet their unique needs and for caregivers to find meaningful work."

Finding Help

Care.com is similar to Sittercity in that users must first register and set up a profile before posting a job. The sign-up process is simple but even if you are just looking for a babysitter/nanny, there will be various upsell features for tutors, daycare centers, and other Care.com services.

After you post a job, response is guaranteed within three days. Users must log in to review potential applicants but you can also browse babysitter profiles (including photos, experience level, and reviews) on the site for free. Care.com also displays a safety verification dashboard on each caregiver profile, which shows phone and email verifications, Facebook connection, and background check status. It's important to note that free browsing only provides access to limited profiles.

Membership

Contacting babysitters who respond to your job posting requires a membership upgrade, which also comes with access to background checks and caregiver references. Care.com's subscription plans are as follows:

Premium membership comes in handy if your chosen sitter calls in sick or can't make it on time as it provides Back-Up Care where, if there is a last-minute change in plans, Care.com will send an instant message to all available caregivers and help you find someone to replace your sitter.

Care.com also provides online payment options for caregivers and their care services extend to seniors, pets, military families, and household help.

Contact Info

Check here for Care.com's list of Frequently Asked Questions.

Call Customer Service: (877) 227-3115

Email: careteam@care.com (a contact form is also available on the website)

Mail:

Care.com, Inc.

201 Jones Road

Suite 500,

Waltham, MA, 02451

Nannies4Hire

Nannies4Hire specializes in providing families with access to nannies or au pairs. The company is part of Nannies International, Inc. and has been in the caregiving industry since 1987. Nannies4Hire operates in the USA and Canada and has partner affiliations with Dr. Phil, Good Morning America, the TLC channel, and many other businesses.

How it Works

It's free to search for the perfect nanny on the Nannies4Hire website. Just enter your zip code to browse in-depth profiles of nannies in your location, which usually include a short bio, photo, level of experience, education, and availability. To contact a potential candidate users must sign up for membership. There are three membership levels:

The premier package comprehensive background checks (US only) include:

• 1 Multi-State Criminal History Search
• 1 Driving Record Search
• 1 Social Security Number Trace
• 1 Multi-State Sex Offender

Other membership perks include unlimited job postings, access to nanny resumes, printable hiring forms, and advanced search capabilities.

Resources

Since Nannies4Hire focuses on connecting families with the perfect nanny, they have an extensive knowledge center with numerous tips and articles about finding, hiring, and keeping a nanny. The site also has a book store (offerings include '100 Tips for Nannies & Families') and a frequently updated blog.

Testimonials

Nannies4Hire is popular with satisfied customers based on testimonials posted on the site:

I just wanted to share that I have hired 7 nannies off the website and it has been a wonderful outcome! We joined out of desperation and it is amazing the quality of people we have been able to find. Nannies4hire.com has solved our dilemmas and gave us the freedom we remember.” - Marilee, Ponte Vedra Beach, FL

“Just wanted to tell you how easy this was. I have found an incredible family and all within 3 days of starting my search. I think Nannies4hire.com is a great source and I will recommend you to others.”- Stacy, El Paso, TX

Contact Info

Call: (402) 379-4121

Email: mail@nannies4hire.com (a contact form is also available on the website)

Mail:

Nannies4hire.com

PO Box 2202

Norfolk, NE 68702