Ask A Baltimore Expert: How To Find The Perfect Babysitter

In 2005, Janelle Glasser was in search of a business. Glasser was looking for a business that "would be both family friendly and provide a service to the community." After many years of staying home with her children, Glasser and her husband, Michael, wanted a business that would work for their family. The Glassers opened the Goddard School in 2005. The Sparks, Maryland, Goddard School was the "perfect fit" for the Glasser's skillset. In 2013, the Glassers opened the Goddard School Bare Hills on Old Pimlico Road, in Baltimore.

Janelle Glasser
Goddard School Bare Hills
7300 Old Pimlico Road
Baltimore, MD 21209
(410) 486-2305
www.goddardschool.com

Opening a preschool or even two was the perfect business for Janelle Glasser. With her background in elementary school teaching, Glasser uses her teaching skills every day as the owner and operator of the Goddard School Bare Hills. Glasser has a B.S. in Elementary Education from the Ohio State University, as well as preschool certifications. After teaching elementary school in Columbus, Ohio, and Baltimore County, Maryland, Glasser loves that she has created a "new community of children, parents and educators" at her two Goddard School locations. For Glasser, there is no greater honor than when a family comes to Goddard School owners, teachers, and staff "to guide their children through their first school experience." The Goddard School Bare Hills has a variety of programs designed to fit the needs of all children. Parents can choose from infant, toddler, Preschool, pre-K/junior-K, kindergarten, and school age daycare programs. Glasser outlines some of the best tips parents can follow in choosing caregivers for their child to help guide them through their early stages of life.

Network

Asking your friends and neighbors for references is the best way to find a good sitter. Don't forget to ask neighbors about older teenagers or college students in the area who might be interested in babysitting, says Glasser. You can check local mom-blogs and post signs at your community pool or on college job-board sites.

Interview The Candidate, Check References And Trust Your Instincts

Invite the prospective babysitter over to meet your child. Ask a few questions that will give you a good sense of the babysitter's childcare style. For example, you could ask the babysitter what his or her favorite activity to do with a 3-year-old is. Or ask how she handles it when a child she is babysitting will not go to bed. Is he certified in child CPR/First Aid? If their values seem to match yours, check their babysitting references, then make your decision. Trust your gut feeling — if something doesn't feel right, move on to the next candidate, Glasser advises.

Have The Babysitter Come The First Time While You Are Home

Help the new babysitter get off to a good start. Pay her to spend a couple hours with you and your child while you do some projects around the house — or even go on an outing together if your child is slow to warm up to strangers. This will give them a chance to get to know each other while you are available to answer questions. It will also help your child view the new babysitter as "part of the family" rather than the stranger who arrives when mom and dad leave.

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Take Good Care Of Her

"Good babysitters are priceless," states Glasser. Be sure to pay your new babysitter a fair hourly rate, or maybe even a little more! Come home on time. And if you have to cancel last minute, pay her for the hours she expected to work. If she's a good babysitter, she likely turned down another job to commit to your family, so compensating her for cancellations will ensure a "yes" next time you ask her to babysit.

Don't Be Afraid To End The Relationship

Sometimes, despite careful interviewing and reference checking, it is just not a good fit. Don't be afraid to end the relationship and find a better match for your family.

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Jill Berry @MusingsfromMe is a writer who stays at home or a SAHM who writesit depends on the day and her mood. While playing a writer on the internet, Jill has the gray hair AND blogposts from raising a kid, a preteen, and a teen. When not blogging at Musings from Me, Jill seizes family time whenever she candinner as a family, movie night, marathon family game sessions, travelingyou name it she wants to do it.