Finding childcare can mean very different things from one family to another. You might need someone for a few hours on a Saturday night, regular after-school care while you finish work, or a part-time nanny who can provide dependable help several days each week.
The important part is finding someone whose experience, availability and expectations fit your family's actual needs.
Babysitter or nanny: what kind of help do you need?
The words babysitter and nanny are sometimes used interchangeably, but families often use babysitter when looking for occasional or shorter periods of childcare and nanny when looking for more regular ongoing help.
Before looking for someone, think about the actual childcare arrangement you need.
- Occasional evening babysitting
- Weekend childcare
- Before- or after-school help
- School pickup or drop-off
- Regular weekday care
- Part-time nanny help
- Full-time childcare
- Care for an infant or toddler
- Care for more than one child
Being specific makes it easier for someone offering childcare services to decide whether the opportunity fits their experience and availability.
What should you include when looking for childcare?
A useful childcare listing should give people enough information to understand the job without publicly sharing private information about your children.
- Your general city or area
- Whether the position is occasional, part-time or regular
- Approximate days and hours
- Number and general age range of the children
- Important responsibilities
- Whether transportation is required
- Experience you would prefer
- Whether first-aid or CPR training is important to you
- The approximate rate or budget you are offering
Sensitive or personally identifying details can be discussed privately after you have identified someone you may want to work with.
Take time to evaluate the person providing care
Childcare is different from hiring someone for many ordinary household tasks because you are trusting another person with your children. A marketplace listing should therefore be the beginning of the conversation, not a replacement for your own screening.
Parents and guardians may want to discuss previous childcare experience, references, first-aid or CPR training, availability and how the person would handle situations such as emergencies, meals, bedtime or unexpected schedule changes.
What if you already have childcare experience?
The other side of the childcare search is the person who already has useful experience and wants to offer it. Someone with relevant babysitting, nanny or childcare experience can create an offered service listing describing the type of help they provide.
- Childcare experience
- General availability
- Preferred age groups
- Babysitting or nanny services offered
- First-aid or CPR qualifications, if applicable
- Area you can reasonably serve
- Transportation availability
- Expected rate
Always describe your experience and qualifications accurately. For people looking for flexible local work, childcare can be one way to offer an existing skill as a service without any guarantee of work, clients or earnings.
Where can Canadians look for a babysitter or nanny?
Gig Work Marketplace is a Canadian service marketplace where people can find or create listings for wanted or offered services.
Need childcare?
Search available listings or create a wanted service listing explaining the type of babysitting or nanny help you are looking for.
Have childcare experience?
Create an offered service listing describing the babysitting or nanny services you can provide, your general availability and the area you serve.
Because childcare normally requires someone to be physically present with the child, babysitting and nanny services are primarily local, in-person services.
One Canadian detail worth knowing
Depending on the working arrangement, paying a caregiver or babysitter can sometimes create employer responsibilities. The Canada Revenue Agency explains that someone hiring a caregiver, babysitter or domestic worker may be considered an employer depending on the circumstances. Families arranging ongoing childcare should check the current CRA rules that apply to their situation.
Find childcare help — or offer your childcare skills
Whether you're a parent looking for occasional babysitting, a family searching for regular nanny help, or someone with childcare experience who wants to offer a useful local service, Gig Work Marketplace gives both sides a place to create and discover service listings.