Oakville woman created National babysitting Website

Oakville woman created babysitting Website
Liz Campbell, Special to the Beaver
Jul 25, 2003

For most parents, finding a reliable babysitter to care for their children while they go out can be a real challenge. Martha Scully, an Oakville mother, didn't feel comfortable leaving her daughter with a teenager who might not be able to handle emergencies.

As a student Scully had earned her way through college babysitting, and had been much in demand because she was studying early childhood education.

She realized there was an enormous need for sitters like herself with experience and maturity. So when her second child was born, she set about creating www.canadiansitter.ca - a  babysitting Website to bring parents and baby sitters together.

Parents can log onto the Babysitters Website to look for sitters and sitters can register themselves. Sitters must be at least 18 years of age, must be college students or graduates, and must provide references, background information and work experience. Many offer a schedule of dates and times when they are available.

For Rebecca Angevaare, an Oakville resident studying nursing at McMaster University, finding a job outside of her school schedule might have been difficult. She found the Web site by accident and registered immediately. "I've been babysitting since I was 12 years old. It's great to be able to earn some money this way because I simply couldn't find a regular job with my schedule," she said. "It's an excellent resource for both sitters and parents. In fact, my sister has started doing it too."

Parents can find help one of two ways. They can post a date and time that they will require the services of a sitter and wait to see who responds. Or they can take the initiative and call someone from the list, based on the credentials and the sort of experience they seek.

Lori Wilson, an Oakville mom who works from her home several days a week, found herself in difficulties when her regular sitter's own children became ill and she couldn't take Lori's one-year-old. Her four-year-old daughter goes to day care. A Toronto friend had mentioned canadiansitter.ca and it seemed the right moment to check it out. She went online and joined, without much hope that she would find someone for the next day. But she did, and her experience was so positive, she decided to look for regular sitters through the site.

"Most parents have a list of neighbourhood kids who babysit, but that can run out pretty quickly. It's nice to have alternatives,"she said. "As a parent you want to be sure your kids are with someone reliable. This is a wonderful resource."

In fact, she added, her older daughter has asked for the sitter to return, surely the best recommendation one can get. More than 400 families and about 1,440 active sitters are registered on the site across Canada so there's plenty of choices for both. Sitters can register for free, but parents pay a small fee of $39.95 for three months or $79.95 for the whole year to access the site. "My ultimate goal is to keep the cost low for parents and provide a useful service," says Scully. "I've even had a mother in this area with a special needs child who was delighted to find a sitter who could handle the situation. It's important for parents to feel confident when the leave their child with a sitter that he or she is safe."

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