Organizing a babysitting coop is easy to do. Here's how.
As an at-home mom, do you want to put a new twist on an old idea to get some guilt-free time to yourself? Form a babysitting co-op. Cooperatives have been around for hundreds of years. Based on the values of self-help and self-responsibility, they are organized voluntarily by a group of persons to meet a common economic, social and cultural need.
A babysitting co-op gives you:
* no-cost, quality childcare.
* a support network of other women who deal with many of the same daily issues as you do.
* the opportunity to spend time on yourself.
* a new group of friends for you and your children.
Getting started
The first thing you need for a babysitting co-op is a group of women with children. Babysitting co-ops have been started with as few as two women; others have membership as high as 50.
Where do you find members? Perhaps there are other at-home moms right in your own neighborhood. Surely there are some who attend your church. Early childhood community education programs for mothers and children can give you an instant connection to prospective members. Start a conversation with others about a babysitting co-op. If nothing else, agree to begin one on a trial basis.
Getting organized
Because a co-op is a give-and-take proposition, it's necessary to have a record keeping system so that all members benefit from the co-op. Here are two examples of record keeping systems from other babysitting co-ops that you may use or modify to meet your needs:
* Each member begins with a 30-point base and is charged one point for one child per hour and an additional point for each additional child per hour. Members who do the babysitting call in their earned points to a secretary who debits and credits the member "accounts." The secretary is a position that rotates among members monthly; she is paid five points for keeping the books updated.
* There is no need for a secretary to keep track of hours with the hour-card system. Each member receives 30 hours worth of cards in one, one-half, and one-quarter hour increments. She pays whoever babysits her children with these cards""a one-hour card for one child per hour and a one-half hour card for each additional child per hour.
No matter what system is used, members need to pay attention to totals. A rule of thumb for the 30-point or 30-hour system is that once a member has a total of 15, it's time for her to start babysitting. Members with totals of 60 or more are urged to get out and go more.
All co-op members receive membership lists from their co-ops which contain the name, address and phone number of each member, their children's names and ages, an emergency number and the name and phone number of the children's doctor. Some lists may include the number of the poison control center or columns designating members who may be willing to babysit evenings and weekends.
Periodic membership meetings should also be held""monthly or quarterly. A large co-op in Minnesota holds an annual business meeting and tries to have one morning educational meeting with a speaker each month. Subjects may range from houseplants to first aid. They also hold a spring picnic for social purposes.
Another co-op holds quarterly evening meetings which have a social and business mix. Members work cooperatively to solve problems that may arise from meeting to meeting, assessing how well the co-op is working. They also build friendships among their members.
Small co-ops can host monthly meetings in different members' homes and bring their children along. These meetings allow mothers and children to get to know each other better and become familiar with the different homes where they will stay. Although primarily social in nature, a meeting like this also serves to increase group cohesiveness.
Getting out
The babysitting co-op concept is simple and its practice is multi-rewarding. A babysitting co-op offers you the opportunity to get involved in community or personal interest activities. It also carries with it the responsibility to give your time to others, caring for their children. In addition, your children will learn valuable social skills through their interaction with other children of different ages. And both you and your children may form lifetime friendships.
