<p>
<span class="sub-title">
Placement agencies provide options
through an uneasy process for parents</span><br />
by Victoria Pericon
</p>
<p>
There is nothing more important than
knowing that in your absence your child is being looked after and
safe in the hands of the caregiver to whom you have entrusted him. 
While many parents have had success finding a babysitter through word
of mouth, utilizing a placement agency gives parents the ability to
find a quality caregiver who has gone through a rigid screening
process.
</p>
<p>
At Absolute Best Care
(<a href="www.absolutebestcare.com" target="_blank">www.absolutebestcare.com</a> ; (212) 481-5705), after the care specialist
goes through a five step screening process, a detailed matching
search is performed prior to placement using specialized software. 
Included in their screening process is a thorough background check of
criminal, social security and DMV records.
</p>
<p>
While most placement agencies in
Manhattan perform background checks on all sitter applicants, some
are more intensive than others.   Parents who do not require a
babysitter on a regular basis and find themselves in a pinch
regularly turn to local students for last minute help instead of a
full-time agency.  Sensible Sitters
(www.sensiblesitters.com), New York&rsquo;s 24 hour babysitting service,
employs student babysitters in Manhattan who collectively attend New
York University, Columbia University, New School University,
Marymount Manhattan, and Juilliard.  Jennifer Massaro turned
to a responsible college student majoring in child development when
looking for a babysitter for her 2 and a half year old son.  &ldquo;They
had a need for extra cash and a predisposition to liking children and
learning more about them.&rdquo;
</p>
<p>
Columbia
University&rsquo;s Barnard College Babysitting Agency
(<a href="http://eclipse.barnard.columbia.edu/%7Ebbsitter/">http://eclipse.barnard.columbia.edu/~bbsitter/</a>)
is a popular choice for parents needing a weekend sitter. Parents are
able to post babysitting jobs directly with the student run agency
after paying a $20 registration fee and submitting a signed
pediatrician release form.  While the agency doesn&rsquo;t perform
background checks, students do attend an orientation prior to
accepting short and long term jobs from parents living in the area.
</p>
<p>
The Parents League of New York
(<a href="http://www.parentsleague.org/">www.parentsleague.org</a>;
(212) 737-7385) offers baby-sitting referrals by parents to other
parents of school aged kids in the city.  Access to this resource is
included in the yearly $90 league membership fee.  But for parents
like Margaret Schwartz, a single mother and&nbsp;author of &quot;The
Pumpkin Patch: A Single Woman&#39;s International Adoption Journey&quot;
(<a href="http://www.pumpkin-patch.net/">www.pumpkin-patch.net</a>),
trial and error, not a membership fee helped her find the right
sitter for her two sons. Schwartz highly recommends finding a sitter
in your neighborhood. &ldquo;It was very frustrating to get home at 10
p.m. and have to think about transportation arrangements then,&rdquo;
says Schwartz.
</p>
<p>
Lisa Magro&rsquo;s fully licensed and
bonded Pinch Sitters ((212) 260-6005), specializes in placing sitters
with childcare backgrounds in jobs in their neighborhoods. While
other agencies do not have minimums, parents who use Pinch Sitters
are required to pay a four hour minimum hourly rate of $16 in
addition to transportation fees if the sitting job ends after 9PM. 
There is also a fee charged if parents cancel within 24 hours of the
job, but Pinch Sitters does allow two families to prearrange to share
a sitter for $20 an hour.
</p>
<p>
<strong>
This article was written by Victoria Pericon.<br />
If you wish to use this article in any manner, you must <a href="index.php?option=com_content&amp;task=view&amp;id=51&amp;Itemid=165">request permission</a>.</strong> <br />
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