Not many things are more upsetting than discovering that your child has been abused, in any way, by your babysitter. People think that to be a babysitter means you must be a nice person. WRONG! Some of the nicest people turned out to be Serial Killers, so don’t ever give a Babysitter the benefit of the doubt. Unless you have a good friend and neighbor who happens to be an experienced nanny, the best place to go for prospective childcare providers are nanny agencies. These agencies usually perform preliminary background checks – education, experience, personal references, and even psychological testing – copies of which should be forwarded to you.

Also, nanny agencies can have policies and draft agreements on nanny cams that you can refer to. You have to clearly understand these policies so that you can search for other agencies should you find them unsuitable to your needs. You should not rely on the documentary personal references alone. Call the persons listed in the resume as character references. You can ask questions like work performance, duties and responsibilities, and even reaction to nanny cams. You must, however, introduce yourself and state the reason for your call.

Check child-care ads and place your own help-wanted ad in your local newspaper, local college career services office, and community bulletin board or newsletter. Specify the hours and days you need child care, your child’s age, the general area in which you live (but don’t give your address), and whether or not you want the sitter to live in or have a driver’s license. If you require a nonsmoker, say so. Your child’s caregiver should have training in child development or have experience taking care of children. The caregiver should also appreciate the importance of stimulating your child’s intellectual, social, and emotional development.

He or she should be able to communicate well so your child can build his or her language skills. Your caregiver should respect your philosophy of child rearing and understand that you are the ultimate authority for making decisions about the care of your child. He or she also needs to guide your child’s behavior with positive reinforcement rather than physical punishment. Even if you work with a child-care agency that prescreens candidates, you should participate in the screening process. First, screen candidates over the phone to eliminate those who don’t seem right.

Listen to your gut feeling, even if you are under the gun because you need help immediately. Ask whether or not they’re available the hours you need them, their salary needs, how long they can commit to the job, what interests them about child care, what kind of work they have done in the past, and when they can start. Invite the best candidates to your home for an interview. Some parents develop a job application form to make the hiring process more formal and professional. Once you have a candidate in mind, contact at least three former employers and three personal references. Ask former employers about the candidate’s responsibilities, his or her strengths and weaknesses and the ages of the children that they have worked with.