Whether you have an infant, toddler or a school aged child(ren), the thought of heading into the fall can be daunting. Managing the stress of working, virtual school, and infant care, at least for me, feels incredibly overwhelming. I’m having flashbacks to March and April, and it wasn’t pretty.
The longer this pandemic continues the more parents are realizing that it might not be feasible to continue balancing it all on our own. I’ve put together some resources that I’ve found helpful in figuring out how and where to look for someone, in a safe way, so that anxiety around bringing someone into your bubble feels manageable and so that you can get a little bit of the respite that you deserve.
- Where do I start?
- Asking trusted friends and family members for recommendations is a great way to start and comes with the added benefit of a personal reference. You can also ask friends what their experience has been with having in-person childcare during COVID to gain insight into both the benefits/challenges.
- Utilize online search tools that are geared towards hiring childcare, such as Sitter City, Care.Com. Many come with the added bonus of free background checks.
- Use neighborhood/community listservs to search and post (Remember to include local colleges, places of worship, and pediatrician offices)
- Interview Tips
It is important to add COVID related questions to your interview so that you can have open and clear communication about expectations on both sides to ensure everyone is put at minimal risk. Check out these articles with specific COVID question lists you can build off of: