Babysitters Unite - not to strike but for more work.
A new business has opened in the area and is asking babysitters to unite under one agency.
Julie Stapleton said she got the idea to start the agency, Barnwell Babysitter Service, because mothers are always asking for sitter referrals. Stapleton also owns a daycare outside of Williston.
All of the sitters who work through the agency are CPR and first aid certified, random drug tested and have had criminal background checks by local law enforcement, she said.
Babysitters range in age from 16 to 60 years old, Stapleton said.
The sitters also must supply three work and three personal references, she said.
Those references are provided to parents and they are welcome to “double-check” them, Stapleton said.
Stapleton has rules the sitters must abide by during their jobs as well.
“The babysitters will not be able to leave the home once there. They cannot travel around,” she said.
Currently, eight sitters are signed up with the new service, she said.
A two-hour minimum time is required for each job, Stapleton said.
Those needing a sitter call Stapleton and a sitter is booked for them. The agency is paid a referral fee of $10. If a family uses the service three or more times per month, the referral fee is cut to $8, Stapleton said.
The family booking the sitter pays the sitter directly.
The fees for the sitter are: for one child, $8 per hour; two children, $8.50 per hour; and three children, $9 per hour. All hourly wages are the minimum that can be paid to a sitter, she said.
Fees for additional children, families sharing a sitter or sitters for special functions such as weddings and church functions can be obtained by calling Stapleton.
“My ultimate plan is to have every babysitter I hire come into my home and sit with my own children,” Stapleton said.
She said by having them sit with her children, she can “get a more personal connection to the babysitters.”
“I think that is a very big part - knowing your employees well.”
To apply for a babysitter’s job or to hire a sitter, Stapleton can be reached at (803) 645-7825 or (803) 266-5470.