FAQ

How much control do I have over who will look after my children?
As a mother, I would feel uneasy hiring a sitter without checking him/her out myself. Although we carefully vet our sitters, it’s very important that you are actively involved. That is why we provide you the SITTER’S RESUME and SUMMARY OF REFERENCES which we encourage you to check carefully.
Can I interview a potential sitter?
Yes, you can, and you should. I know that’s what I would want for my son. However, we ask that you keep the interview to NO MORE THAN 1 HOUR. YOU MAY INTERVIEW UP TO 3 SITTERS PER BOOKING before making your final decision.
If I have a particularly good relationship with a sitter, may I book with them directly?
All bookings are done through the office. We will do our best to enable these relationships, but PLEASE call or email the office to book a particular sitter in order to avoid scheduling conflicts.
What if I expect to be home later than the booking time?
Let the sitter know as soon as possible if you will be later than expected. If you are MORE THAN 15 MINUTES OVER THE BOOKING TIME, please pay the sitter FOR AN EXTRA HALF-HOUR. If you are 30 MINUTES OR MORE OVER THE BOOKING TIME, please pay the sitter a FOR AN EXTRA HOUR.

How much control do I have over who will look after my children?

As a mother, I understand the need to know all I can about a new sitter. Although we carefully vet our sitters, we offer you the opportunity to know more by providing a synopsis of the sitter’s resume and references.

Can I interview a potential sitter?

Absolutely. We ask that you keep the interview to no more than 1 hour. You may interview up to 2 sitters before making your final decision.

Can your sitter “train” with my current sitter who is leaving the position?

Smart Start Sitters number one priority is always your child’s comfort with a our sitters.  In keeping with this, child first policy, we offer “sitter trailing” for families who’s current sitter is leaving, whether it’s a Smart Start Sitter or your current sitter.  We provide a 2 hours “trailing” at a reduced hourly cost of $12 p/hr for the sitter who is learning to take over the position.

If I have a particularly good relationship with a sitter, may I book with them directly?

All bookings are done through the office. We will do our best to enable these relationships, but please call or email the office to book a particular sitter in order to avoid scheduling conflicts.

What if I expect to be home later than the booking time?

Let the sitter know as soon as possible if you will be later than expected. If you are more than 15 minutes over your booking time, please pay the sitter an extra half hour of sitting.  If you are more than 30 minutes or more over your booking time, please pay the sitter an extra hour of sitting.