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Tips for parents seeking sitters, sitters seeking jobs

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By SHERRI ACKERMAN | The Tampa Tribune

Published: May 22, 2009

TAMPA - Babysitting 411

School will soon be out and babysitting in. Parents are looking for the perfect sitter and teens and college students are looking for compatible jobs. Here are some tried-and-true tips from both sides of the search:

For parents

&bull: Sign up with a babysitting service like South Tampa's Sitters Soirees, www.sittersoirees.com, which offers for a fee meet-and-greets, a rolodex of mom-approved sitters and a how-to on interviewing candidates, checking caregivers' background and finding the right fit for your kids.

&bull: Ask about the sitter's experience – skills useful for dealing with toddlers may not translate well with teens. Get recommendations.

&bull: Get sitters to talk about themselves; this is a good way to learn about their personalities.

&bull: Find out about a sitter's availability; a college student may be taking summer classes and a high school student may be juggling family and social obligations.

For sitters

&bull: What are parents' expectations. Will you pick up the kids from school, do chores, walk the dog? Is there a swimming pool that might require lifeguard skills?

&bull: Inquire about the children's interests. Do they want to watch movies, play computer games or work on creative projects?

&bull: Arrange to meet the children and spend time with them when the parents are home.

&bull: Veteran sitter Sarah DeNapoli suggests heading to the $1 toy bin at your local department store for some inexpensive gifts to hand out.

&bull: Set a pay rate in advance (average fees, according to Sitter Soirees and local sitters, range from $5 to $15 per hour, depending on work load, number of kids, your experience and other variables).

Other options

Parents can search for sitters for free on www.craigslist.com and for a fee on www.sittercity.com, www.ebabysitters.com and www.care.com

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