So you’ve read what a babysiting co-op is and you want to start one. What now?
The first step is to find other families that might be interested in joining. Finding them is easier than you expect. Start by trying:
Friends and family with children
Parents in your mothers group
Parents in your playgroup
Parents of your children’s friends.
Your group [...]
I came across this article about a week ago. Being part of a babysitting co-op is more than just swapping babysitting duties. It provides:
friends for your children to play with,
a support network when you need advice,
people to trade toys and equipment with
people you can borrow equipment from
The article includes cost saving ideas such as [...]
Babysitting co-ops use a points base system. Using points has a number of advantages. First you don’t need to provide babysitting to families who babysit for you. Here’s an example with 3 families where each family provides 5 points worth of babysitting for another family.
Family A => Family B (5 points)
Family B => Family C [...]
Paying for babysitting can easily add $50-$100 to your night out. That’s if you can find an available babysitter that you trust. Babysitting co-op’s are formed by a group parents who exchange babysitting services. This means you have a pool of trusted babysitters available and all it will cost you is time babysitting other children.
Families [...]
