Sittercity.com FAQs

Community Guidelines

Community members are expected to adhere to the Community Guidelines. Members who do not follow the Community Guidelines will be subject to review, which could lead to suspension or removal from the platform.

Responsiveness Expectations

Parents and sitters expect responses the same day, when possible, in order to effectively make plans. Responding to requests and messages, even if you are declining a request, will ensure that our families and sitters can effectively search for jobs and care providers in a timely manner.

Ratings Policy

Care providers may receive a rating and review for any exchange that occurs between a family and care provider. This includes, but is not limited to, communications, interviews, and sittings. Its important to keep a strong star rating, as ratings are highly regarded by members when deciding who to interview and book with. Ratings that fall below an acceptable level will be subject to review, which could lead to suspension or removal from the platform.

Once you register, well guide you through a step-by-step process to post your job. Here are a few tips to get you started.

Be sure to check out our Trust & Safety tips before you post your job.

In your title, explain what you need in a few descriptive words. For example, Afternoon Sitter Needed for Two Boys is better than Need Occasional Sitter.

The more details you include, the better your matches will be. Things like:

Number and age(s) of care recipients

Details about care recipients (special needs, feeding, allergies, mobility, etc.)

Additional duties (transportation, light cooking, cleaning, etc.)

Caregiver requirements (CPR certified, second language spoken, number of years experience, etc.)

If you entered the wrong age and need to update your birthday, please contact us here and we can help!

For more information on taxes, check out our blog guide here !

When a family posts a job, it's up to the family to manage that job posting and applicants. Once they find someone, they can either close their job posting so it's no longer visible on the site, or they can let the job posting expire on its own.

Please note that Sittercity is simply an online meeting platform where families can post a job and sitters can apply for that job. We don't know the families on the site or get directly involved in their hiring practice, so we have no way of knowing whether or not they have filled a particular position. We understand this can be frustrating at times, and were working on ways to create a better job search in the future!

Once someone from Sittercity hires you, they are your employer and are responsible for paying you based on an agreed-upon rate and form of payment. So, its important to be sure to agree on the terms of payment (rate and form) up front.

Please note that since Sittercity is an online meeting venue/job board and not an agency, we do not employ you in any way. As such, Sittercity does not get involved in the hiring process or monetary transactions between you and a family. We simply provide the platform for you to advertise your services and apply for jobs posted by families.

The first step in finding a job is making sure your profile is complete, including uploading a photo! Once you've done this, you can search for jobs by location and apply to the ones that you think would be a great fit for you.

Find a job, then once you find one you're interested in, just click Apply to This Job!

6 Tips to Writing a Winning Sitter or Nanny Application

Need some inspiration? Check out our blog post:

Sittercity has partnered with Stride Health to help caregivers find the best health insurance plan at the lowest possible price and get the most of their benefits.

Stride makes it easy to find the best plan at the lowest possible price:

Searches thousands of health insurance plans and finds the best one for you.

Helps lower your health insurance costs by searching for discounts. Caregivers save an average of $340 per month.

Makes it easy to enroll, right from your phone. Only takes 10 minutes. Get started here.

Using Stride, Caregivers can sign up today for health insurance starting January 1st, 2020.

Stride FAQ

Am I eligible to use Stride and is Stride free to use as a Sittercity caregiver?

Yes, Stride is free and you can use Stride if you are an independent contractor and all of the following are true:

Must live in the United States.

Must be a U.S. citizen or national (or be lawfully present). Learn about eligible immigration statuses.

Can't be incarcerated.

Does Sittercity pay for my health/dental/vision insurance?

No, but our partnership with Stride will make it easy to find the best insurance at the lowest possible price, in 10 minutes or less.

Is Stride an insurance company? No, Stride is a unique service that:

Searches 1000s of health insurance plans and recommends the best one for you based on your specific needs

Helps you find ways to lower your health insurance costs by helping you estimate your income, taxes and eligibility for subsidies

Provides customer support all year round to help you get the most out of your insurance

Offers dental, vision, and life insurance plans built and priced specifically for independent workers

Provides a free expense tracking app to help organize your receipts, categorize expenses and lower your tax bill

Is available nationwide and offers plans from more than 200 insurance companies.

When is Open Enrollment (OEP)?

Open Enrollmentor OEPis the only time of year you can purchase or renew your health insurance for 2019 (unless you qualify for Special Enrollment). Depending on where you live the dates can differ, but generally it runs from November 1, 2019 to December 15, 2019.

Can people enroll if they already have health insurance?

Yes! In fact, Stride recommends people review their health plan every yearthere might be new plans that offer more coverage at a lower cost. But remember, Open Enrollment is the only time of the year that people can actually switch their health insurance plans.

If I stop working for an extended amount of time, will I lose access to my insurance?

No! After you enroll through Stride, as long as you make your monthly payments, youll keep your health insurance plan.

Does Stride offer Medicare?

If you want to find out if you qualify for Medicare, Stride will help get you enrolled through their Medicare partner.

How can Stride help me with my taxes?

Strides free mobile app makes it easy to track your mileage and expenses all year round, and shows you all of the things you can deduct based on your line of work.

Can I find insurance for my family through Stride?

Yes!

What happens if Idon'tbuy insurance?

https://www.stridehealth.com/health-insurance/guide/going-uninsured

How do I contact Stride?

Stride Support/Enrollment Phone Number: 415-801-3120

Stride Support Email: [email protected]

Support/FAQs Link: https://support.stridehealth.com/hc/en-us

The site has changed and members can no longer use their username to log in. Please use your email address and password to access your account.

Click to reset your password. You can reset your password using this form.

How can I complete my profile?

Sometimes our identity authentication service might have trouble linking you with the address you entered, preventing you from completing your profile. There are a handful of reasons why this might happen. Authentication will fail if...

Youve recently moved. Your old address should work!

Youre away at school. Well need your permanent, home address - as shown on your ID.

Your address has a typo or is not in the correct format.

If you're on desktop, click the chat box at the bottom of this page so we can help you retry! Chat is open 8am-7pm CST, Monday - Friday.

No time to chat or not on desktop? Contact us here. You can also purchase a background check for verification and add a badge to your profile.

Please be sure to check out our Trust & Safety Center for additional important information regarding trust & safety on Sittercity.

The following guidelines are in place to help each member of our community have a great experience on and off the platform.

We encourage to keep all communications on platform for as long as possible, for added safety

Communicate openly and respectfully with every member in the community

Connect with each other ahead of time in order to communicate the details of each booking:

Payment method

Number of children

Care instructions

Relevant care for sick children

Pets in and around the home

Pickups and drop-offs

Additional tasks to be completed during the booking

Respect each others time; being on-time for bookings is important and will ensure the booking runs smoothly

Children are expected to be cared for in a clean and safe environment

Be accessible to each other during the booking. Although we stress a limit on phone usage, it is important to be available for any questions or concerns that might pop up during a booking

Sittercity is the easiest way to find your familys next great sitter!

On Sittercity, you can browse sitter profiles near you and filter your search on things like schedule, experience and location. Or share your familys unique needs to get responses from interested sitters.

Additionally, you canread sitter reviews or check references from other families. Onceyou'vefound a few sitters youre interested in, you can upgrade to Premium to send them a message, buy background checks and set up interviews before you hire.

Sittercity is perfect for any needafter-school sitters, date nights, or even last minute.

No worries we're here to help. First, please be sure to check out our Photo guidelines for sitters to confirm your photo meets all criteria.

Keep in mind, photos do go through a review process but should display on your profile within 1 business day.

If you're still having trouble uploading your photo, simply contact us via the Submit Request link belowand we'll be happy to upload your photo for you.

Add your photo to your Sitter profile.

Trust & Safety Center

For additional information, read about what each background check covers.

NOTE: Background checks are only valid on your profile for 3 months.

NOTE: At this time Motor Vehicle Record checks are not available for the following states: Alaska, New Hampshire, Pennsylvania, Utah and Washington.

Please be sure to check out our for additional important information regarding trust & safety on Sittercity.

At this time, parents need to contact us to close or deactivate their account. Simply fill out this form, and our team will take care of your request.

Please note that if you are a Premium member and close your account, you will immediately lose access to your Premium membership.

Please keep in mind we do not offer refunds.

If you are having trouble upgrading to the Premium Membership and are receiving an error message, or it just goes to the homepage when clicking "Subscribe", this is either an internet browser issue or your card is being declined. Here are a few recommendations on what to do:

Try using a different browser and/or device

Sign into your Sittercity account using a different browser and/or deviceand select "Upgrade to Premium". When upgrading to Premium, keep in mind that you will need to select the subscription plan of your choice, and click Subscribe. It will confirm on the screen that you have upgraded and you will see a thank you message.

Select the "Free Basic Membership" for now

If using a different browser and/or device doesn't work, you can join on a Free Basic Membership for now, and then upgrade to Premium once your account is created. Select the "Free Basic Membership", then click Join Now to skip past this page. Next, follow the steps on the screen to finish up the registration of your account. You will then go to Account Settingsand click Edit Payment Methodin order to save your payment method on file and select Upgrade to Premiumon the same page. Once you confirm that you have selected the Premium subscription plan you want, you can click Subscribe. This method should upgrade your account successfully.

Try a different credit card or contact your bank

If your card is being declined, we recommend trying a different credit card or contacting your bank to discover why it may be declined.If it's an error with your billing zip code, confirm with your bank the correct billing zip code associated with your card.

For more information, review on our Membership options for parents.

Youre able to close or deactivate your account directly through your Account Settings.

Are you trying to figure out how much to pay your care provider? Its important to set a competitive rate to attract the most qualified applicants.

Use the pay rate table to compare rates nearby.

For guidance on how to pay your sitter (payment methods), click here.

Job postings on our site may go through a manual review process for the security of our users.

This can be because you have publicly posted your contact information in the post, inappropriate language, excessive use of symbols, and/or a number of other reasons that monitor for. We also screen job posts for relevancy to Sittercity -- all posts should be care-related.

Just be hang tight - a job post is usually reviewed and passed through within a few hours!

To see if a sitter's schedule matches your needs, simply navigate to theAvailability sectionlocated beneath the Trust & Safety section of their profile.

references

Sitter profiles on Desktop will show detailed, confirmed availability once a sitter updates it. This means that the sitter has updated their availability in the past 30 days, and is available for work at the displayed date(s) and time(s). On Android, only general availability will show via bullets (e.g., "generally free weeknights"). We're working to add confirmed availability to Android as soon as possible.

Once you find a sitter you like, we recommend reaching out directly to the sitter to set up an interview or booking. And now on Android, you can send an interview request through our platform for the first time!

Sitter Availability FAQ's

Is there a way I can search for sitters whose availability matches my needs?

Yes -- you can search by availability! Learn how to here.

How do I know the sitter is really available when they say?

Confirmed availability is the strongest indication that a sitter will be available, since it must be updated on a monthly basis. To get a further confirmation, most parents either send an interview request (on Android) or message the sitter directly (on the web).

Are sitters only available when they say?

Even if a sitter doesnt appear to be available, you may message them directly (or send an interview request on Android) for any time desired.

How do I find sitters with confirmed availability?

Sitters with confirmed availability are more likely to appear at the top of search results, since they are generally more active. At this time, there is no way to directly search for sitters by their availability.

Are sitters with confirmed availability better/vetted?

At this time, there is no difference between sitters who have confirmed availability and those who dont. Instead, you can view their reviews, badges, and to gauge the quality of a sitter on our site.

What do I do if I like a sitter without confirmed availability? Does that mean they are inactive?

Sitters may be a great fit for your family, even if theydon'thave confirmed availability. To see ifthey'reactive, you can see their last login on their profile.

Searching for sitters by their availability --that is, finding sitters who have reported availability on a specific date or time -- is easy!

First, navigate to the search menu. Then:

Enter your search criteria (date & time) in the left rail

All sitter results that match your search criteria will then be displayed!

FAQs:

The sitters profile availability doesnt match my request exactly. Why?

Since parents have expressed flexibility in their plans, the search will return sitters with ANY overlapping availability - which could be less than, exactly, or more than the desired availability block. Use the calendar on the profile to see the exact time a sitter is free.

What do I do if there are no sitters available in my area?

Many sitters may be free even if thatdon'tuse the specific availability feature (only ~30% of sitters fill out specific availability). You can use the All sitters search to ask sitters directly if theyd like to take on your booking.

At this time, Sittercity only supports booking a sitter for your own children or pets.

Once you hire someone from Sittercity, you are their employer and are responsible for paying that caregiver based on an agreed-upon rate and form of payment. So, its important to be sure to agree on the terms of payment (rate and form) up front. Forms of payment could include Venmo, Zelle, Paypal, or cash.

Please note that since Sittercity is an online meeting venue/job board and not an agency, we do not employ caregivers in any way. As such, Sittercity does not get involved in the hiring process or monetary transactions between families and caregivers. We simply provide the platform for families to post jobs, and for caregivers to advertise their services & apply for jobs posted by families.

For guidance on how much to pay your sitter, click here.

Finding the right sitter starts with a search on Sittercity.

Onceyou'veentered your zip code, search results will automatically show sitters with the most complete profiles at the top. Youre most likely to see sitters who are closest to you, have been recently active, and whose profiles include things like:

Profile photos

Reviews from other families

Background checks

If you have more specific needs, use our filters to find the right fit. Search for sitters who:

Are available on a specific date and time

Have a certain level of experience

Are within a certain distance

Have access to a car

scheduling an interview

Onceyou'vebrowsed several sitter profiles, favorite the ones youre interested in and start reaching out! Even if youre not sure if its a fit, its always worth sending a message or to learn more about a few candidates.

We do offer an Android app for Sittercity parents. It can be downloaded from Google Play here.

Our Sittercity iOS app for families is currently unavailable as it's being updated. While we don't have timing just yet, we will let all families know as soon as the updated iOS app is released.

For now, we recommend that iOS customers use Sittercity via a web browser on either desktop or mobile.

In order to manage your job posting, you can log in to your account on your internet browser and select "Jobs". From there, you can edit, open, or close/deactivate a job posting.

To learn more about posting a job, check out this Help Center article.

Find caregivers in your neighborhood who meet your familys needs. Please keep in mind that all Premium membership options will continue to renew until canceled.

Parent account

Set up your now!

We accept any of the of the following major credit or debit cards:

Visa

MasterCard

Discover Card

American Express

We do NOT accept international credit cards or prepaid debit/credit cards.We are NOTable to accept any billing information over the phone for security reasons.

If you would like to remain active as a parent and also open a caregiver account, you'll have to sign up as a caregiverusing a different email address. Currently, each Sittercity account is uniquely identified by one email address. An email address cannot be shared between multiple accounts.We have seen an increase in our members wanting to access the platform as both a sitter and parent simultaneously, and hope to provide a more streamlined account experience in the future.Use a separate email address from your parent account and create your account as a sitter.

Unfortunately, we no longer offer a military discount on Sittercity. The free membership available to service members through the DoD ended on 7/31/2015, as the Department of Defense opted out of resigning their contract with Sittercity.

All Sittercity subscriptions renew until cancelled by Downgrading to Basic in your account settings or contacting us here.

Premium Membership subscription purchases and renewal fees are non-refundable. We do not bill or refund based on account activity. If you cancel your Premium Membership subscription, you will receive a confirmation email and your account will automatically downgrade at the end of your current billing period.

Additionally, we do not provide refunds or credits for any partial-month membership periods.

At this time, for safety and security reasons, thereisn'ta way for you to share the results of your background check directly through oursite, and no detailed information is displayed on your profile. There are two ways in which background check reports can be shared between you and families:

You can save the page from your web browser to your desktop and send it as an attachment through a personal email account.

Pull up your report under the My Background Checks page, and then "View Report". Trust & Safety Center

A new tab will open displaying the contents of your report. In any blank area of that page, right-click to "Save As" a PDF this is also under the "Print" option.

Simply printing the page from a browser and sharing it with a family as a physical copy could work, too!

Please be sure to check out our for additional important information regarding trust & safety on Sittercity.

One of the most difficult aspects of child care can be finding and connecting with the right sitter. So, setting up an interview is a critical step in the process. Itll give you and your sitter a chance to get to know each other, align on job details, and determine whether or not its a good fit. With our Request to Interview feature, it's easy to create and manage interview requests!

To create an interview request, click on the pink Interview button on the sitter's profile.

From there, you can add information about:

The date & time you'd like to schedule the interview

The location of the interview (we recommend a public setting such as a coffee house, or a virtual FaceTime/Skype/phone interview). Please note, for in person interview requests, the sitter will only receive the address/location of the interview once they accept the request. The address will be shown on the dashboard of their Bookings tab.

Details of the job you're hiring for (number of kids, pets, pay rate, and any other pertinent details)

Once you've added all of your familys information, you'll have the chance to review your interview request. If you need to edit anything, simply press Back in the top left corner. If all looks correct, press Send and the request will go to the sitter!

Please note that your interview request will expire 24 hours after you send it

After you submit an interview request, you'll receive the following notifications by email:

Once the request has been sent

When a sitter accepts or declines your request

If a request expires without being answered

You can view your existing requests (both confirmed and unconfirmed) by navigating to your Bookings tab. This is where you can find the phone number of the sitter you've booked!

If you need to cancel a scheduled interview, you can click into your Confirmed booking details and choose to Cancel interview from there.

To manage your membership, log in to your Sittercity account and go to Account Settings.

Near the bottom of this page you will see the option to Manage your Subscription. Click here, then select Downgrade to Basic. You will be asked to select an option for downgrading and to confirm your request.

NOTE:Downgrading to Basic will turn off the automatic renewal.

NOTE: This must be done on desktop only. This feature is not available in the Android app.

By setting your availability, you can let families know exactly when you're free to provide care! Simply click on Availability in the top right (on desktop) or on the Calendar icon (on iOS).

**Please note that as of 12/4/2018, Availability is only accessible to iOS and Desktop users. We are working to make this accessible on Android as soon as possible.**

Once you're in the Availability menu, you can add, view, or edit/delete your availability.

Add: Start by selecting the pink + icon at the bottom of the page. From there, you can set one-time or recurring time slots. Keep in mind:

Availability blocks can go into overnight hours, up until 4am'

Overnight availabilities will be shown under the day they begin

You can add new one-time availability blocks up to 30 days in advance

Any availability blocks that overlap will be merged (for example, 4-7pm + 6-9pm will become 4-9pm)

View: Simply clicking into the Availability menu will allow you to see all availability you currently have open.

Edit: Simply click on the block of available time you'd like to edit. From there, you can modify or remove availability by adjusting the time & choosing Save, or by selecting Delete as appropriate.

Please note that you can only edit one block at a time, even if you created multiple blocks of availability at once

If you're receiving a "Complete Your Profile" error, but you do have a complete profile, this could be due to one of two reasons:

An app issue in which you need to update your app. For this, we recommend logging out of the Sittercity app, and then logging back in. This should help update the app and correct the error.If you still have difficulties, we also recommend trying Sittercity on mobile web or via a computer browser.

The wrong care type profile. On Sittercity, you must create a profile for each care type you want to apply to (i.e., babysitter, nanny, pet care, etc.). For example, you may be receiving this error message because you're trying to apply to a babysitter job, but only have a nanny profile.

You can add additional profiles by logging in on a web browser (mobile or desktop), clicking on My Profiles on the right-hand side of the screen, then clicking Add.

Please note that this MUST be done on a web browser, as this feature is currently not supported on our mobile app.

**Please note that as of 12/11/2018, Request to Interview is only available on desktop & mobile web for sitters. We hope to have this feature available on iOS and Android very soon!**

Interviews are a great way for sitters & families to get to know each other and find out if the job is a mutual fit. With our Request to Interview feature, it's easy to view and manage your interview requests!

To view your existing & confirmed interview requests, simply navigate to the Bookings section of your dashboard.

tips to ace it!

From there, you can view the details of each confirmed and requested interview, including:

Date & time

Location

Job details such as number of children, pets, and pay rate

It's important to review these details before accepting an interview so that you're prepared before you meet families, and to decide whether or not the job details match the type of work you're looking for. You can always decline an interview if the details are a mismatch! Whether you're accepting or declining the interview request, it's important to respond as quickly as possible.

With Request to Interview, you'll receive the following notifications by email:

When you receive a new request

Confirmation of your accept or decline of a request

If a request you received expires without being answered

If you need to cancel a scheduled interview, click on the Cancel button at the bottom of the interview details.

Before your interview, be sure to check out these

You can update your notification settings from the notifications section of My Sittercity.

You can update your credit card info in your Account Settings.

Are you having trouble submitting your background check?After four failed attempts your account will be locked.

Here are a few tips to follow while filling out your personal information:

Phone number:Do NOT use dashes or spaces

License number:Do NOT use dashes or spaces

Social Security number:You MUST use dashes (xxx-xx-xxxx)

If you are entering your Social Security Number correctly and are receiving an error message that there is a discrepancy, please see the following instructions for a quick and easy fix!

Fill out a discrepancyform: Fill out thisform (200 KB).Be sure to include a note that has your name and indicates that you are applying for a sitter job through Sittercity.

Fax the form to Sterling Talent Solutions:Fax the completed form and note to Sterling Talent Solutions at (800) 433-7392.

Processing Time: Sterling Talent Solutions will process your information in 2 business days.

Your care profile may be hidden. Don't worry, it's a quick fix!

Under your Quick Links, select My Profiles. You'll see a list of all the care types we offer. If the profile you created is hidden, it will be indicated next to that care type. Simply select Show and your profile will be visible and the Apply option will be available on the job postings.

If you haven't completed a care profile and want to apply, simply select Add under the correct care type to fill out your experience and qualifications!

While we encourage our members to respond to all messages, we know our parents are busy!

Once your application is submitted, it is up to the parent to reach out to the sitter that best matches their needs. In the meantime, continue to apply to jobs that you think you're a great fit for.

Don't be nervous about applying to too many jobs. As you get responses, you can decide which job is best for you!

Heres a checklist to make sure your profile has all of the key information to help you stand out:

Add a photo:Show off that smiling face! For more information, check out our Profile photo guidelines for sitters.

Spell check and proofread:Your bio should be professional and grammatically error-free.

Emphasize your previous experience and qualifications:Dont forget to include your favorite activities!

Run a Background Check :Sitters with a completed check receive 5 times more profile views.

Perfect your skills at writing winning applications:Need some tips? Check out our blog post: 6 Tips to Writing a Winning Sitter or Nanny Application

Making changes to your profile is easy! To get started, click on +Profiles located within the links below your profile photo. From here you can view, edit, add or hide each care type.

here.

View: Select View to see how your profile displays to parents. Your background check badge will be pinned here when you have passed your background check.

Edit: Select Edit to make updates to your profile as your availability changes or qualifications and experience expands.

Add: Select Add to create an additional care-type profile that allows you to apply for care-specific jobs.

Hide: Select Hide if you no longer wish to apply for jobs within that care type. This will also hide your profile from those seeking for care.

If you're looking to update your Availability, you can learn more !

Sitters are able to submit one application per job posting. Once the application has been submitted, it is up to the parent to take the next step and reach out to the sitters they would like to interview.

Youcan'tedit an application after its been submitted, so be sure to read it over and make sure its perfect first!

When you upload a picture to your account, it can take a day or two to clear the review process. Once the review process is complete, your pic will be visible to families who visit your profile page.

For additional information, read out Sitter profile photo guidelines.

Your profile photo is often the first impression a parent will have of you. Its important that you put your best foot forward with a photo that is clear, current and inviting. Since all photos are reviewed by our team, we encourage you to take the time to find the perfect profile photo so that it can be approved as quickly as possible!

Below is a list of our sitter profile photo guidelines. Please review these before uploading your photo.

Be your best you:Have good lighting and a bright smile!

Add your photo to your Sitter profile

Use a clear photo of yourself:Headshots are best at a minimum, the photo must clearly show you from chin to forehead.

Be close:We recommend a photo in which you are no more than 6 feet away from the camera.

Be alone:Were sure you love your friends or family members, but since youre working solo the photo should be just you.

Dont hide:Keep your sunglasses and hoodie off! If youre wearing a hat or wrap, be sure itisn'tcovering your face.

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Be appropriate and professional:Be sure not to include any offensive body language or text in your photo. Likewise, its best to avoid photos highlighting unprofessional activities.

No cartoonish filters:While we appreciate art, we ask that you refrain from adding cartoon-like filters to your photo.

Dont advertise:At Sittercity, we appreciate our users who run various businesses. However, we do not allow advertising of other services on our site. As such, we do not allow business or brand logos for profile photos.

Finally, protect your privacy:Dont display any sensitive information in your photo. This includes, but is not limited to, drivers licenses, passports, government-issued IDs, phone numbers and home addresses.

We accept JPG, PNG, and GIF file types. File size must be between 50 KB and 500 KB.

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You can unsubscribe yourself by going to Notifications under your Quick Links, and adjusting your preferences.

Sittercity is a community of great sitters and families, but its important to understand that we do not automatically run background checks or verify credentials, certifications, or licenses. We recommend that during the hiring process you conduct your own background checks (some of which we offer through the site ), and verify credentials directly with the sitter.

Please be sure to check out our Trust & Safety Center for additional important information regarding trust & safety on Sittercity.

With Sittercity, its easy to find the experienced care you need with features like detailed profiles, background checks, references and reviews. Here are three steps we recommend for finding your sitter:

Post your job: Tell our community of sitters what you need in your job posting description and let the right sitters come to you. You can post your job by going to My Jobs when logged into your Sittercity account.

Review responses: Once your job is posted, you will start receiving messages from interested sitters. Remember that youll need to upgrade to a Premium Membership to respond to sitters who message you! In addition to waiting for applicants to reach out, you can also browse through sitter profiles using your zip code and apply various filters such as distance and rate.

Find the right match: Once you have compiled some favorite sitters, its time to interview them. Protect your familys safety and security by following our steps to selecting the right caregiver.

Please keep in mind thatSittercity is an online meeting venue for families to connect with sitters in their area. We are not an agency that places individuals into specific jobs or employs sitters, but we put all the tools in the hands of families to post a job on our site, field applications from independent sitters, and move forward with their own interview process.

Finding the right sitter is a big decision. Below are a few tips to help point you in the right direction. We also encourage you to check out this article for additional information on sitter background checks and general safety.

Screen the sitter

Review caregiver profiles

Read reviews from other parents

Run a background check

Interview

Conduct a phone interview

Arrange and meet for an in-person interview

Evaluate

Check caregiver references

Search caregivers name online

Run additional background checks as appropriate