How to Establish a Babysitting Co-op

What a cutie!

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By JoyNmyHeart
eHow Community Member

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What is a Baby Sitting Co-op? Free childcare! Who couldn't use a little break from their little cuties? I love my boys but there are times when I really need some time away from them. The problem is finding reliable, trustworthy childcare that doesn't cost more than your date with your husband!

Difficulty: Moderately Easy

Instructions

Things You'll Need:

Children
A group of people that have children and need cheap childcare
Poker Chips

Step 1

Find some friends. If you are in a church you can start your search at the nursery. If you are not in a church get in one :-) Other places to find friends in need of childcare are at the local jump house or play group. If your child is in school or pre-school get to know the parents there. The possibilities are endless when it comes to finding parents in DESPERATE need of a little time away from their sweet kiddos.
Step 2

Once you have some parents to talk to you should set up a place and a time to meet like McDonald's or Chuck E Cheese. That way the kids can play while you talk. If you go to a church that offers childcare for life groups (I am lucky in this way but I am usually one of the people watching the kids :-) you can have your meeting while someone else watches the kids. It is best to have a monthly meeting at least.
Step 3

You will want to have a phone list with everyone's name, phone number, address and email address on the list. If you want to stop there and just keep it simple then that is fine. You will have a group of people that you just swap sitting with. You watch mine and I'll watch yours. Unfortunately, this can get a little lopsided from time to time if there is someone who is always dropping their kids off and not ever watching any kids themselves. That is where the chips come in.
Step 4

Divide the chips. Each month at the meeting each family gets around 20 free chips. These chips are to be used 1 chip per hour per child. When you run out of chips you know that you need to watch some kids in order to get more free babysitting. If you find yourself with 50 chips and the month is only half over, it is time to go on a nice LONG date. You can also have a group leader who is willing to sell the chips in which case all of the proceeds from the sales would be used to buy more chips or hold the annual Christmas party.