Steps for Blizzard-Proof Child Care

Many of us New Englanders would like to forget the record breaking snowfall last year, but with tomorrow being the first day of winter, the question on everyone's mind is, "Will it be another brutal winter?" Followed by, "Will I have enough vacation days to cover the snow days?" For kids it's just the opposite: "How many snow days will we get this year?!"

Most kids get excited for snow days, eagerly waiting to see the cancellation announcements and cheering when they come in. But it can leave many parents scrambling to find a last minute sitter so they can still go to work.

To help make sure your family's needs are covered through flurries, blizzards and the next snowpacalypse, we've compiled a list of steps you can take now to make snow days less stressful when they arrive.

Line-up care providers before the storm.
To blizzard-proof your child care, create a go to list of "favorite" backup caregivers before a single flake hits the ground. Take time now and interview top local babysitters who are interested in taking on occasional jobs – so local that they can walk to your house, despite snow drifts and unplowed roads. Create a plan with them to make sure they'd be willing to come on short notice.

Our Care-on-Call service gives you an additional way to communicate your needs. If all your backup sitters are unavailable, you can use Care-on-Call to quickly broadcast your needs to a list of local caregivers who are available and willing to provide backup care on short notice. Simply fill out a Care-on-Call request and Care.com will text messages and emails to local caregivers who have indicated a willingness to help on short notice.

Gather a back-up care community group.
Care Groups are a great way to help form friendships – for parents and kids! They can also help you arrange backup care. You can create an online care group for free and invite parents from your neighborhood and school system to join.

With a care group, you can send messages to specific group member's inboxes or broadcast announcements such as, "Should school be delayed or cancelled tomorrow, would anyone be willing to split child care needs? I can watch your kids from 2-6p.m. if you watch mine from 9-1p.m."

Formalize a back-up care co-op.
More structured than the care groups, care co-ops provide a tracking system for swapping care with other parents. Instead of using money, parents exchange points. Last-minute snow-day care may mean forking over more points than an average date night, but if it means getting to work to meet a deadline, it's probably worth it.

Track the storm
Stay in touch with the forces of nature as soon as you hear a storm may be impending. Watch for school closings and keep on top of the television and radio reports. If forecasters are predicting snow into the night and next morning, then snow plows might not be able to catch up. Also, if you hear a lot of hype, schools may even close the night before.

Okay, you've been studying the weather, and you can feel it in your bones. A storm will arrive before the wee hours of the morning. It's time to initiate your care plan make the first contact with your list of back-up care providers or the other parents in your group or co-op.

With everyone poised and ready to take on the coming storm, you should be as close as possible to blizzard-proofing care for your family, no matter how frightful the weather.

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