What You Need to Know About Babysitter Co-ops

In today's tough economic times, we're all looking for ways to save money. Child care is a difficult place to cut back, though. No one wants to compromise on quality of care for our little ones. How do you trim the budget but also keep great care options for your kids?

Many families have joined a babysitter co-op as a way to save on child care—it's a trend that's growing quickly. A co-op is a group of parents who take turns watching each other's kids for free. Instead of paying a babysitter, participants earn points by watching another family's kids and then cash in those points when they need a sitter.

Advantages to a babysitter cooperative
As a mother, I'd have peace of mind using a co-op. For one, you have other moms taking care of your kids—moms you know and trust. You also know you're not imposing. Because co-op members work off a points system, you're not asking anyone to do you a favor. They'll be back to use your services soon enough!

It's also a great way for your kids to socialize. They'll get to know other families in your neighborhood, which builds community. But there are also great benefits for parents—you can have a chance for a regular date night! Use the money you save on sitters to treat yourselves to a nice meal, or just spend a couple quiet hours on your couch, watching a movie and enjoying each other's company. You can also use the free time to run errands or take care of business around the house.

What do I need to know before choosing (or starting) a co-op?

• Find the right fit
  
  Babysitter co-ops can be as small as three families or as large as 30. But most range in size from 10-20 households. That way, the kids get used to playing together and all the parents know each other. If a co-op is too small, you may have trouble finding a sitter when you need one. But if it's too large, you lose the community feel.
  
  
• Who's in charge?

Some co-ops use a secretary to keep track of the point system. Other co-ops use an honor system, where each parent keeps track of their own points. Many of those groups use point cards or fake currency to keep track—they'll "pay" the sitter at the end of the day with co-op points.
It's also important to know what the point system is. Many co-ops keep it simple and charge parents one point, per child, per hour. Others charge more on the weekends, round up to the next full hour, or break it down to 15-minute increments. Make sure you know what the "currency" is before you sign up.

• What are the rules?

When starting a co-op, parents should put together a list of rules for its members. This list can be informal, but it's important to set up in advance to avoid conflict. In addition to establishing a point system, the co-op also has to adopt an acceptance policy. How will you add new families? Will the co-op be open or closed to new members? Parents should also agree on basic sitter policies including plans for disciplining children and keeping emergency contacts on-hand for every member.

Other ways to save
Perhaps a babysitter co-op isn't the answer for your family. That's okay—there are other great ways to cut costs, but not the care. If you have relatives nearby, try using grandparents, aunts, and uncles as babysitters. Or you could even hire a babysitter to share with another family, cutting the cost in half.

If you do decide to join a co-op, make sure you also have a backup babysitter. If your co-op isn't large or you need a sitter for a popular night (like New Year's Eve or Valentine's Day), you'll want to make sure you have other options available, just in case.

What about you? Would you join a co-op or are you already in one? Leave a comment and let me know what you think!