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Kids & Company Blog
Kids & Company Babysitting and Date Night!
Most people would agree that some solo adult time makes us better parents. Whether you choose to spend that time with our spouse/partner, with friends or alone, a bit of leisure time away from the kids helps us to recharge our batteries. It all sounds wonderful until you realize that…. you need to find a baby-sitter.
The challenge of finding a babysitter that you trust and you child likes may seem so daunting that you are tempted to cancel your plans. Don’t despair! There are a few steps you can take to make the process manageable – and maybe even enjoyable – for you and your children.
Start your search with people you trust
If your child attends childcare, ask if the teachers are available for after-hours care. A person who knows your child personally and is familiar with his/her routines will alleviate a lot of your anxiety. Kids & Company recently made a list of babysitters available to our families at every Kids & Co. centre. We’ve set a standard cost per hour, eliminating awkward conversations between parents and teachers. This service has been very popular with parents! (If your child attends a Kids & Company child care centre and you are interested in receiving the babysitter list for your area, please ask your centre director. She’ll be happy to provide it to you!)
Another alternative is to find organizations that provide evening childcare on-site. This Valentine’s Day, one Kids & Company centre offered evening care so that parents could enjoy a night out. We had such an amazing response to this event that we’ve decided to hold a “Date Night” in each centre across the country throughout 2012. Several other types of organizations including churches and synagogues offer child-minding periodically.
If your childcare centre doesn’t provide this service, you can ask friends, neighbors and co-workers if they have a sitter to recommend. Another option is to contact a local college or university with an ECE (Early Childhood Education) program. Many of these students are often eager to find part-time positions and welcome the opportunity to hone their expertise with children.
Clearly state your needs and expectations
Once you have found a babysitter that you trust, setting clear expectations will help everyone feel more comfortable. This might include snacks, dinner and drinks; what activities that you prefer they do; whether it’s OK to go outside; bedtime routines; how much clean-up you’d like her to handle; phone/computer house rules, etc. Leave all of your contact information in a permanent place – don’t trust that it’s stored in someone’s cell phone.
Let your babysitter and your children know when you plan to return, and try to stick to that schedule, at least for the first few times that sitter visits your home.
Adults need playdates too!
Your child may be in tears when it’s time for you to go. Explain that you need a little time with other adults, just like he or she gets time with friends. Trust that the experience will be similar to your childcare drop-off. Within minutes, the tears will be gone and your child will have moved on to an exciting activity.
Give feedback as soon as possible
If any questions or issues arise, address them quickly rather than stewing over them for days. Misunderstandings do happen, and if they are discussed as soon as they occur, you have the greatest chance of continuing a mutually beneficial relationship with your babysitter.
Have a great night out!
Posted on: Friday July 20th, 2012
Posted by: Victoria Sopik
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Sweet Kiddles Avon Lake, part of the Kids & Company Family
Abington
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Sweet Kiddles Beachwood, part of the Kids & Company Family
Bedford (Dellridge Lane)
Larry Uteck (Southgate Dr)
Pine Village South End, by Kids & Company
Braintree 1
Braintree 2
Brampton
Pine Village Brighton, by Kids & Company
Pine Village Brookline, by Kids & Company
Burlington Children’s Centre
Burloak
Appleby
Beacon Hill
Brightstart Burnaby, by Kids & Company
Bow Trail
Livingston
Midlake
Millrise
Royal Oak
Britannia Crossing
Marda Loop
Evanston
Beltline
Aviation Crossing
Gulf Canada Square
Royal Oak Out of School Care and Child Care
Glendeer: New – Open for Enrollment
Pine Village Kendall Square, by Kids & Company
Pine Village Porter Square, by Kids & Company
Canton
Jackson
Lincoln Park
Harrison
West Loop
Fulton
Sweet Kiddles University Circle, part of the Kids & Company Family
Cochrane
Brightstart Coquitlam, by Kids & Company
Dartmouth
Dover
Walpole North
Eastern Passage
Ellerslie
Edmonton Ice District
Baturyn
Diamond
Friendly Frog
Meadowlark Park
St. Charles
St. Dominic
Sunshine Factory
Tamarack
Jagare Ridge
Horse Hill
Fraser
Century Park: New – Open for Enrollment
Islington
Etobicoke (Bloor & Islington)
ABC Kiddie Kampus Exeter, by Kids & Company
Apple Hill Academy Freehold by Kids & Company
Halifax
Hamilton
Hammonds Plains
Route 39
Schaffner
Swatara
Apple Hill Academy Howell by Kids & Company
Sweet Kiddles Hudson, part of the Kids & Company Family
Hummelstown
Pine Village JP Revere, by Kids & Company
Pine Village JP South Street, by Kids & Company
Kamloops
Eagleson (South Kanata)
Crayon College, by Kids & Company
Tyke Town Lake St. Louis, by Kids & Company
ABC Lake St. Louis, by Kids & Company
Kids World
Langley (200th St.)
London Richmond
Sackville
Apple Hill Academy Manalapan by Kids & Company
119 Avenue, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Dewdney House (Infant/Toddler and 3-5), Part of the Kids & Company Family
Dewdney Church (Preschool/OSC/3-5), Part of the Kids & Company Family
Edge, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Webster’s Corner, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Harry Hooge, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Alouette, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Silver Valley, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Whonnock, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Under The Sun Marlton, part of the Kids & Company Family
Sweet Kiddles Medina, part of the Kids & Company Family
Milton
Lougheed, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Stave Falls, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Briskham, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Robert Speck Parkway
Mississauga Gateway Centre
Nanaimo
Pine Village Needham, by Kids & Company
Ottawa Barrhaven
New Westminster
Pine Village West Newton, by Kids & Company
Pine Village Newton Highlands, by Kids & Company
North Vancouver
North Van Esplanade
O’Fallon South
ABC O’Fallon, by Kids & Company
Oakville Cornwall
Oakville Dundas
Joshua Creek
Oakville West (3471 Wyecroft Rd)
Okotoks
ABC Kiddie Kampus Old Forge, by Kids & Company
Ottawa Albert
Ottawa Westboro
Palmyra
ABC Kiddie Kampus Pittston, by Kids & Company
Brightstart Port Coquitlam, by Kids & Company
Port Moody
Marina Bay
Randolph
Red Deer
Richmond
Head Office
Schaumburg
Sherwood Park
St. Albert North
St. Albert Grandin
ABC St. Charles, by Kids & Company
Tyke Town St. Peters, by Kids & Company
ABC St. Peters, by Kids & Company
Stoney Creek
Under The Sun Stratford, part of the Kids & Company Family
Sweet Kiddles Strongsville, part of the Kids & Company Family
Morgan Crossing
Surrey Professional Centre
King George
Brightstart Cloverdale, by Kids & Company
Sylvan Lake
Bloor Christie
Bloor (Bloor St. East)
Consumers
Finch
Front
Scotia Plaza
Stockyards
St. Andrew’s Church
Liberty Village
Rosedale
Queen West
Tyke Town Troy, by Kids & Company
Vancouver West
Cambie
Langford
Victoria
Walpole South
Waterdown
Tech Town
Under The Sun West Deptford, part of the Kids & Company Family
West Quincy
Sweet Kiddles Westlake, part of the Kids & Company Family
Whitby
ABC Kiddie Kampus East Mountain, by Kids & Company
Winnipeg
West York
Queen Street
Keystone Early Learning Academy, part of the Kids & Company Family
Calgary
Calgary
Calgary
Calgary
Calgary
Edmonton
Cochrane
Red Deer
Calgary
Calgary
Okotoks
Calgary
Calgary
Calgary
Calgary
Edmonton
St. Albert
Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton
St. Albert
Edmonton
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Newton
Cambridge
Boston
Randolph
Kingston
St. Peters
Lake St. Louis
Troy
O'Fallon
St. Charles
Lake St. Louis
St. Peters
O'Fallon
Howell Township
Freehold Township
Manalapan Township
Stratford
Marlton
West Deptford
Bedford
Dartmouth
Halifax
Bedford
Hammonds Plains
Lower Sackville
Eastern Passage
Avon Lake
Beachwood
Hudson
Medina
Strongsville
Cleveland
Westlake
Aurora
Burlington
Burlington
Etobicoke
Etobicoke
Hamilton
London
Milton
Mississauga
Ottawa
Richmond Hill - Corporate office (No child care services)
Toronto
Toronto
Toronto
Toronto
Toronto
Waterloo
Kanata
Oakville
Oakville
Toronto
Whitby
Toronto
Mississauga
Ottawa
Toronto
Toronto
Toronto
Brampton
Stoney Creek
Toronto
Nepean
Burlington
Burlington
Oakville
Waterdown
Oakville
Pittston
Wilkes-Barre
Exeter
Old Forge
Dover
Harrisburg
Harrisburg
Harrisburg
Hummelstown
Palmyra
York
York
York
Sweet Kiddles Avon Lake, part of the Kids & Company Family
Abington
Aurora
Sweet Kiddles Beachwood, part of the Kids & Company Family
Bedford (Dellridge Lane)
Larry Uteck (Southgate Dr)
Pine Village South End, by Kids & Company
Braintree 1
Braintree 2
Brampton
Pine Village Brighton, by Kids & Company
Pine Village Brookline, by Kids & Company
Burlington Children’s Centre
Burloak
Appleby
Beacon Hill
Brightstart Burnaby, by Kids & Company
Bow Trail
Livingston
Midlake
Millrise
Royal Oak
Britannia Crossing
Marda Loop
Evanston
Beltline
Aviation Crossing
Gulf Canada Square
Royal Oak Out of School Care and Child Care
Glendeer: New – Open for Enrollment
Pine Village Kendall Square, by Kids & Company
Pine Village Porter Square, by Kids & Company
Canton
Jackson
Lincoln Park
Harrison
West Loop
Fulton
Sweet Kiddles University Circle, part of the Kids & Company Family
Cochrane
Brightstart Coquitlam, by Kids & Company
Dartmouth
Dover
Walpole North
Eastern Passage
Ellerslie
Edmonton Ice District
Baturyn
Diamond
Friendly Frog
Meadowlark Park
St. Charles
St. Dominic
Sunshine Factory
Tamarack
Jagare Ridge
Horse Hill
Fraser
Century Park: New – Open for Enrollment
Islington
Etobicoke (Bloor & Islington)
ABC Kiddie Kampus Exeter, by Kids & Company
Apple Hill Academy Freehold by Kids & Company
Halifax
Hamilton
Hammonds Plains
Route 39
Schaffner
Swatara
Apple Hill Academy Howell by Kids & Company
Sweet Kiddles Hudson, part of the Kids & Company Family
Hummelstown
Pine Village JP Revere, by Kids & Company
Pine Village JP South Street, by Kids & Company
Kamloops
Eagleson (South Kanata)
Crayon College, by Kids & Company
Tyke Town Lake St. Louis, by Kids & Company
ABC Lake St. Louis, by Kids & Company
Kids World
Langley (200th St.)
London Richmond
Sackville
Apple Hill Academy Manalapan by Kids & Company
119 Avenue, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Dewdney House (Infant/Toddler and 3-5), Part of the Kids & Company Family
Dewdney Church (Preschool/OSC/3-5), Part of the Kids & Company Family
Edge, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Webster’s Corner, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Harry Hooge, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Alouette, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Silver Valley, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Whonnock, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Under The Sun Marlton, part of the Kids & Company Family
Sweet Kiddles Medina, part of the Kids & Company Family
Milton
Lougheed, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Stave Falls, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Briskham, Part of the Kids & Company Family
Robert Speck Parkway
Mississauga Gateway Centre
Nanaimo
Pine Village Needham, by Kids & Company
Ottawa Barrhaven
New Westminster
Pine Village West Newton, by Kids & Company
Pine Village Newton Highlands, by Kids & Company
North Vancouver
North Van Esplanade
O’Fallon South
ABC O’Fallon, by Kids & Company
Oakville Cornwall
Oakville Dundas
Joshua Creek
Oakville West (3471 Wyecroft Rd)
Okotoks
ABC Kiddie Kampus Old Forge, by Kids & Company
Ottawa Albert
Ottawa Westboro
Palmyra
ABC Kiddie Kampus Pittston, by Kids & Company
Brightstart Port Coquitlam, by Kids & Company
Port Moody
Marina Bay
Randolph
Red Deer
Richmond
Head Office
Schaumburg
Sherwood Park
St. Albert North
St. Albert Grandin
ABC St. Charles, by Kids & Company
Tyke Town St. Peters, by Kids & Company
ABC St. Peters, by Kids & Company
Stoney Creek
Under The Sun Stratford, part of the Kids & Company Family
Sweet Kiddles Strongsville, part of the Kids & Company Family
Morgan Crossing
Surrey Professional Centre
King George
Brightstart Cloverdale, by Kids & Company
Sylvan Lake
Bloor Christie
Bloor (Bloor St. East)
Consumers
Finch
Front
Scotia Plaza
Stockyards
St. Andrew’s Church
Liberty Village
Rosedale
Queen West
Tyke Town Troy, by Kids & Company
Vancouver West
Cambie
Langford
Victoria
Walpole South
Waterdown
Tech Town
Under The Sun West Deptford, part of the Kids & Company Family
West Quincy
Sweet Kiddles Westlake, part of the Kids & Company Family
Whitby
ABC Kiddie Kampus East Mountain, by Kids & Company
Winnipeg
West York
Queen Street
Keystone Early Learning Academy, part of the Kids & Company Family