Child Care for the Military Community Just Got Easier
Baby Sitter or Child Care Anyone? The Department of Defense is Paying for the Locating Service at Sittercity for YOU!
We all want our
children to be safe while we have to be away and we all like to save money! Why not combine the two! The military lifestyle is tough and we all know that the last thing we want to do is jeopardize our kids safety in a new town, location or daycare!
The Department of Defense pays for a service to locate quality, pre-screened personnel to be caregivers for your family! Save an annual fee of $140 and access to a free data base of caregivers in your area or get ready for that next PCS and look ahead! That is right! The Department of Defense is Paying for the Locating Service at Sittercity for YOU!
They have two million caregivers that are registered and have gone through a screening process! They agree to a Code of Conduct and you can see their background and security check! How about it? Are you a caregiver? You can register for free as well!
The MilitaryAvenue team met two Sittercity folks attending the Military Bloggers Conference in Alexandria, VA last weekend and coordinated for a chance to talk about their service and what they offer! When I went to their website and Facebook pages I was impressed! First, they definitely welcome the military community on their website and they have a separate Facebook page for DoD users as well.
But I am always a bit of a skeptic and yep, I defended this country for a long time and I want our military children (brats, I love the term) to be safe too! So I contacted a military family member who uses Sittercity to get the scoop! Melissa Staudacher (she gave me permission to user her name) needed a sitter due to a PCS and changes in employment, etc. and told me her experience with Sittercity was absolutely the best! She said the sign up was easy – 5 minutes; user friendly and with her details and requirements listed she had contacts within hours! She conducted five face to face interviews and within one week had a caregiver for her son! The caregiver is an in home caregiver who is also a military spouse! Melissa was so excited about how the system worked she was eager to tell her FRG (Family Readiness Group) about it at their next meeting!
So back to the folks at SitterCity! Melissa Anderson, Vice President of CitySitter Corporate Programs said they can meet all kinds of military needs! Part time, full time, after school programs, date nights and more! YOU define the need during the process to find a caregiver! They have had 1,700 positive reviews in the last year from military families and tens of thousands of military users! Why aren’t you one of them!
You do have to prove DEERS eligibility on their secure site and it includes Active Duty, National Guard and Reserve forces (sorry, military retirees and US Coast Guard are not included in the free program for locating caregivers but can still use the service).
Where to get started? Click here for the secure sign up page or review their website at http://www.sittercity.com/dod and they have a Facebook page at http://www.facebook.com/Sittercity.DoD just for military personnel as well! Each has links to the sign up process.
Do you twitter? You can find them at http://twitter.com/#%21/SitterCity.
A big thank you to Mary Schwartz, Director of Public Relations at Sittercity for arranging the interview! As we closed the conversation Melissa and Mary said they were honored and proud to serve military families! I could hear it in their voices and then Melissa, the military family member echoed the attitude she had seen while locating child care for her family’s needs!
What a great way to celebrate Month of the Military Family with a free program from DoD!
Photo Credits: Screen Capture from Sittercity used with approval
Photo Credits: MilitaryAvenue LogobyColonel KonThursday, May 05, 2011
Email ThisBlogThis!Share to TwitterShare to FacebookShare to PinterestMilitary Life:Col K,Military Blog Conference,military family,Military Family Appreciation Month
