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Finding Baby Sitters Online
Oahu
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Twice a week, Kristin Mitchell-Box depends on the services |
“It all started with an ad on Craigslist,” says Kathy Custer, founder and owner of Keiki Sitters & Ohana Helpers. For years, Custer toyed with the idea of a Web-based business that would help time-strapped parents connect with responsible baby sitters. Curious whether there was any demand for this service, she advertised as a baby sitter on Craigslist. “I had nine families respond to me within two days,” she says.
That was all the market research she needed.
When Custer created www.keikisitters.com, she knew the basics of what it should offer. One of her biggest requirements is that all sitters pass a background check. Once cleared of any criminal history, they fill out a profile and can post their photograph and a resume on the Web site. They can also add details like the times and areas they’re available, and any special skills they have, such as CPR or a foreign language. Sitters can sign up for free.
For $89.95 a year or a one-time fee of $29 and $10 a month, parents can review hundreds of sitters, scanning profiles and comparing resumes. They can contact sitters directly or post their needs on the Web site and let the sitters come to them.
“For me, it’s about the flexibility,” says Kristen Mitchell-Box, who needed a sitter for her daughter, Kyla. A doctoral student, Mitchell-Box found it difficult to work around the schedules of daycare centers. Keiki Sitters helped her find someone whose schedule fit hers. Now, Jennifer Cypriano, a former pre-school teacher and a young mother herself, sits with Kyla twice a week, while Mitchell-Box writes her dissertation.
“It’s really good, because you can work around your schedule,” says Cypriano. Obviously others agree. In fact, the success of Keiki Sitters caught Custer off guard. “It took three days for the first parent to sign up,” she says. “Now, we get about 25 new families a month.” In less than a year, she has signed up more than 600 sitters and nearly 250 families.
Next up for Custer: franchising.
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Reader Comments:
I am a member of keikisitters.com and this service is great! I recommend all parents and sitters to use this site for their next babysitter search or job! I am a father of 3 beautiful children (two boys and one girl) and me being military and my wife now wanting to get out of the house we needed a sitter quick. I saw an ad for this service on the marine corps base and told my wife to look into and we both were highly impressed with the service. We give keikisitters.com a call and actually got to speak with Kathy herself she is such a friendly and caring person. The customer service they provide is just outstanding. So all of you parents or sitters out there look this site up!! It's such a huge help and relief.