Families with young children know that finding childcare, particularly babysitting services, can be a daunting task of networking with other parents and relying on referrals that may or may not pan out. In an effort to relieve some of that stress and grunt work, the WorkLife and Childcare Program and the Women Faculty Forum worked together to launch the Yale Babysitting Service in 2003, linking Yale parents with Yale students offering babysitting services for the first time. They enhanced the program by adding a tutoring option in 2020.
“The web-based platform demonstrates the university’s early commitment to Yale’s working and student parents. Watching its evolution and growth over the past 20 years has been very gratifying. In addition, the program’s format has been duplicated by many of our peer institutions,” said Susan Abramson, consultant for Worklife and Childcare in the Office of Diversity and Inclusion.
How it works
The Yale Babysitting and Tutoring website serves as a convenient platform where student babysitters or tutors can post their bios and rates, and parents can list job opportunities. Yale parents or guardians create a login and job posting only viewable to the registered Yale student sitters and tutors.
If interested in a position, the students contact the parent or guardian directly, and the parents can set up an interview and check references before deciding to hire a sitter. Parents and guardians can also contact someone directly based on their bio and proceed accordingly, discussing the rate, specific requirements, and other logistics.
The service can only be used by members of the Yale community with a Net ID, and the babysitters must be current Yale students. Non-Yale parents or guardians will be directed to the Yale Student Employment Office.
When staff member Shannon Preston was looking for a temporary alternative to traditional daycare for her infant son, she hired a student through this service. “I’d heard about this program from a co-worker, posted a job on the website, and hired a student who provided in-home daycare for several weeks during her break,” said Preston, undergraduate registrar in the Department of Economics.
After enrolling her son in traditional daycare, Preston and her husband now use the service for casual babysitting support such as “date nights” or other short-term needs. “We currently have a network of four or five students that we regularly employ and trust with our son. Many of the students we’ve hired are studying to be nurses or teachers and are looking for work experience,” said Preston.
A few years ago, Jenny Frederick, associate provost for Academic Initiatives and director of the Poorvu Center, had a positive experience hiring a student sitter to drive her child to and from school and practice during an entire academic year. In Fall 2022, she posted a request for a math tutor and quickly received several responses.
“I interviewed a few students and arranged for my child to meet one of them. They hit it off, and by mutual agreement, we continued the tutoring relationship into the following school year. Working with the tutor has been terrific. He provides in-person sessions, homework help, and guidance by Zoom and text as needed,” said Frederick.
Some tips for parents and guardians:
- There is no set hourly rate for either service. The students set their rates.
- When posting a position, be specific about your needs (e.g., must have their own transportation or you will provide it.)
- For any questions, comments, or issues, email babysitting@yale.edu.
For more information, visit the Yale Babysitting and Tutoring website or email babysitting@yale.edu. To view additional childcare resources available to families in the Yale University community, please see the Yale University Child Care resources.
