OKC for child care. Families are different. Right now there is no way, outside of super-expensive agencies, to find a good nanny/family match.
Currently, THE website to find childcare is care.com . But when hiring families sign on, usually they auto-generate a profile using check boxes such as "We like arts and crafts!" or "Playing outdoors". So there is absolutely nothing to distinguish one family from another. (Hint: All parents say their kids like crafts and playing outdoors)
On the childcare provider side, since there is no good way to find the best match, the safe route is to also be generic. Maybe I could teach your kids to code and spin wool (true), but unless I'm willing to wait a long time for the right family to find me then I have to downplay (or just hide) many of the interesting things about me that very specific families would love.
Some families don't allow their kids to watch hardly any TV. Some allow them to play hours of video games. Some families want you to refer to dinosaurs as "dragons" because they are Young Earth Creationists. Some families want you to sing Mormon songs. Some families are fine with an LGBTQ+ nanny. Some would fire you if they knew.
I have worked for all of those families.
If that information could be gathered, and you could get a list of the best matches for your family (or vice versa), then the huge Russian Roulette risk of getting a new nanny/babysitter or finding a new job could be ameliorated.
But you say:
>If that information could be gathered, and you could get a list of the best matches for your family (or vice versa), then the huge Russian Roulette risk of getting a new nanny/babysitter or finding a new job could be ameliorated.
Clearly relying on the user to provide that info will result in it being fashioned to be marketable. So how would you ensure correct data?
Currently, THE website to find childcare is care.com . But when hiring families sign on, usually they auto-generate a profile using check boxes such as "We like arts and crafts!" or "Playing outdoors". So there is absolutely nothing to distinguish one family from another. (Hint: All parents say their kids like crafts and playing outdoors)
On the childcare provider side, since there is no good way to find the best match, the safe route is to also be generic. Maybe I could teach your kids to code and spin wool (true), but unless I'm willing to wait a long time for the right family to find me then I have to downplay (or just hide) many of the interesting things about me that very specific families would love.
Some families don't allow their kids to watch hardly any TV. Some allow them to play hours of video games. Some families want you to refer to dinosaurs as "dragons" because they are Young Earth Creationists. Some families want you to sing Mormon songs. Some families are fine with an LGBTQ+ nanny. Some would fire you if they knew.
I have worked for all of those families.
If that information could be gathered, and you could get a list of the best matches for your family (or vice versa), then the huge Russian Roulette risk of getting a new nanny/babysitter or finding a new job could be ameliorated.