I run a nanny agency - how can I let parents know about my service?

If you feel that you have witnessed child abuse or neglect either by a parent or a sitter, the BPN is NOT the right place to report it. Report it immediately to Child Protective Services, or the local police. This is the very best way to protect the child.

Here are some phone numbers that might be of assistance:

The Parents Network is not in a position to DO anything except potentially connect with the parent of a child, and even that is only a fairly remote possibility.

Here are further reasons why we don't publish these messages:
1) It is impossible to know what the full story is if you don't know the parents, don't know the babysitter, and don't know the child. It's irresponsible of us to publish a negative report about a person based on the brief observations of a stranger.
2) Different parents have different parenting styles and different requirements for childcare. Babysitters and parenting styles are highly personal decisions. What works for me may not work for you. You can't assume that I will disapprove of the same things you disapprove of.
3) We don't want the newsletter to become a sort of "spy network" where stay-at-home moms are reporting back to working parents about our babysitters' activities they observed at the park. We have to assume that those of us who hire babysitters have interviewed and called references and are comfortable with the care our children are receiving from the babysitter.

Hints about posting to the Childcare newsletter

• Make sure your heading is specific. See Choosing a heading for your post for hints. Be sure to include the neighborhood you are interested in.

• If you are looking for a nanny share, be clear in your post about what your requirements are, but keep in mind that the more flexible you can be about hours and locality, the better response you will get.

• If you are looking for a nanny, be aware that most nannies want to work full time. If you need only a few hours a week, be prepared to arrange a share with other families who can provide the nanny with more hours.

• Make sure you are posting to the correct section. Your post may not be read if it appears in the wrong section.

• If you are looking for a teenage sitter, please read Advice about Teen Sitters and also make sure you post your message to the Parents of Teens newsletter.

• If you still have questions about why your post is not getting responses, feel free to ask the Childcare moderator (email address is on the newsletter) or send an email to the BPN administrator.