Working parents are logging on to Web sites like Sittercity.com, which "is the Match.com of child care," says CEO Genevieve Thiers, who founded SitterCity in 2001. Like the online dating sites, SitterCity connects like-minded folks in the same geographic area to see whether they harmonize.

SitterCity has profiles and contact information for 168,000 babysitters and nannies across the country, and about half of them also do pet-sitting. To a parent who has spent long hours trying to find a good babysitter, that might sound like a treasure trove.

The online model "works incredibly well for social networks and bringing people together," Thiers says. "The program is so new and so simple. That's why it's been so compelling."

Parents can peruse profiles that include photos and information about the age, experience, skills, education, references and availability of the sitters. The profiles indicate how much the sitters typically charge, whether they smoke and whether they have a car. The sitter's contact information is available only to those who have a membership.

It's up to the parents to interview sitters and determine who is trustworthy. Parents can request and pay for background checks through a separate company, if they want to do so.

A month-long membership to SitterCity costs $9.99, plus a $39.99 registration fee. An annual membership costs $7.99 per month, with free registration. The fees for babysitting are negotiated between parents and sitters. Sitters register on the site for free.

In addition, SitterCity started offering "speed-sitting" events in 2004, based on the speed-dating model used by some matchmaking services. Parents can attend a local event and interview a series of sitters for five minutes each, building a notebook of possible contacts. "You can establish whether there is a match, based on a gut reaction," Thiers explains.

Employer action

Recognizing the need for reliable child care, at least six employers have agreed to provide discounted or fully subsidized memberships to SitterCity as an employee benefit. The idea is to improve work-life balance by easing the stress of finding an occasional babysitter, a full-time nanny, back-up child care in an emergency, or a pet sitter for an upcoming vacation. This might be especially helpful for parents who work night shifts, holidays, weekends or other times when child care is hard to find.

Children's Health Care of Atlanta, a hospital system with 6,000 workers in Atlanta, started offering free SitterCity memberships as an employee benefit in December 2005.

Donna Nazary, director of total rewards, asserts, "Employees have needs for child care not only when they are at work, but when they are away from work. This is really an added resource for our employees. It's really been a great benefit."

The hospital system also sponsored a speed-sitting event, where 100 sitters met with parents. "We had great feedback from it," Nazary recalls.

With a workforce that is 86% female, and a large number of employees on maternity leave each year, the hospital system wanted to increase its rate of returning to work after maternity leave. The return rate grew from 64% two years ago to 89% now, after the company introduced the SitterCity benefit, distributed a resource guide on summer camps and started throwing baby showers for employees each quarter. The company also offers an annual $1,000 flexible spending account credit for child care and sponsors three day care centers near its worksites, with employees paying for the care on a sliding scale, based on income.

The company expects to see better employee engagement and loyalty to the company, Nazary points out. "We have a large number of working mothers, so [child care] is a very important issue for our workforce."

Meanwhile, Fox Networks started offering free SitterCity memberships to about 6,000 workers this fall to coincide with back-to-school season. Ruth Anne Herman, vice president of employee relations, hopes it will improve work-life balance for employees and "the comfort of our employees."

She discovered SitterCity shortly after her nanny unexpectedly stopped showing up. A mother of three boys, she needed a back-up caregiver fast and found plenty of sitters in her area listed on SitterCity.com.

"I thought this would be an interesting service to offer to our employees because I'm sure I'm not the only one who has encountered this situation," she comments. "It seemed to be a wonderful alternative to offer employees. It's one less thing for them to worry about. They don't have to worry about not coming to work."

Kelsey Martinez, a spokeswoman for Fox Networks, adds, "It also helps with recruitment and retention."

Herman says she liked "the wide variety of sitters that were available." The diversity of the sitters "was important, given the diversity of our employees," Martinez points out.

Other sitter sites

Of course, SitterCity is not the only Web site that lists child care jobs and available caregivers. Similar sites include Babysitters.com, 4sitters.com, eNannySource.com and GoNannies.com.

In addition, some parents post ads seeking nannies and sitters for free on Craigslist.com. Some home-based day care centers, babysitters and pet sitters advertise their services on Craigslist.com as well. - L.C.S.