How Do Care Shares Work?

What is a Care Share?

An arrangement among families for one care provider to care for children from multiple household, either simultaneously or separately. 

What are the benefits of a Care Share?

• Cost efficient
  • Average pay rates for care providers can range anywhere from $15-$30/hr. Sharing the cost with another family or two can help make it more affordable.
• Specialized care
  • Smaller adult-to-child ratios mean more individualized care.
• Flexibility
  • More flexibility in scheduling if a family only needs care a few times a week.
• Safety, Security & Support
  • Less exposure to Covid-19, sickness, germs, etc. vs. daycare or care center.
  • Families create a small, supportive community.

What is the structure of a Care Share?

Care shares can be tailored to fit the needs of the families and their care provider. 

• Full or part time, consistent or alternating schedules
• Number of families and children
• Exclusive or alternate hosting

What are typical duties of the care provider?

• General care needs of the children 
• Light tidying and meal prep 
• Laundry
  • Alternating shares: laundry at the household, laundry at the other household the following week or the other family may bring over laundry to host home
• Keeping track of the children’s schedule, recording and informing primary caregivers of their needs

How do I find a family to share a care provider with?

The care provider market moves quickly, so although it may not always be possible, it’s much more efficient to confirm your care share arrangement before searching for a care provider. This ensures that we can source candidates that fit both families’ schedule, budget, etc. 

Joining local parent, child, adult and/or community care groups in your area is one way to find a family to share a care provider with. You can post in Facebook groups or local job boards with a description of what you’re looking for. We can also connect families in the same area via our network. Coordinate a time to meet with families that reach out, either virtually or in-person, to see if it would be a good fit. 

What should I consider when looking for another family?

• Where does the other family live?
• What is their ideal care schedule?
• What is their hourly budget?
• Do you share similar care/parenting philosophies?
• What is their approach to discipline?
• Is their child’s age compatible with yours?
• Do they have any pets or other environmental considerations?
• Will they be a good personality fit with you and your child(ren)?

Tips:

• Make a list of the qualities you are looking for in a candidate and interview potential care providers together.
• Plan a get-together! Make sure everyone enjoys spending time with each other.
• Create a contract that covers partnership terms such as  pay, daily costs, shared responsibilities, etc. 

How do we pay our care provider?

Pay structure may vary on whether a family is going through a payroll service or 1099. Most care providers are paid on a weekly basis or by the end of their shift.

Families should review the benefit and PTO policies for full-time employees established by the Department of Labor.

Additional industry standards include:

Typical Part time benefits include:

• Three vacation days per year
• 1-3 sick/personal days per year
• Paid Federal Holidays, if they fall on their scheduled work day
• Guaranteed weekly hours

Typical Full time benefits include:

• 2 weeks of paid vacation per year (1 week of their choosing and 1 week of your choice)
• 3-5 sick/personal days per year
• Paid federal holidays
• Guaranteed weekly hours
• A $100 - $250/month health care insurance stipend