Barrington Mom Launches Sitterworks.com



Finding an honest, reliable and experienced nanny or babysitter can be challenging these days. Two moms decided to put their heads together to create an easier way for families to find nearby sitters.

Kimberly Walker of North Barrington and Elizabeth Patano-Jaworek of Chicago launched the new website Sitterworks.com on July 1.  With over 1,000 users already registered, the site is the newest way for Chicago area parents to find qualified childcare and connect with other parents nearby.

“We determined from our own experiences that finding quality childcare is challenging. Particularly with people who have a limited amount of time to do it. We looked at a lot of resources available and determined that there must be a better way,” Walker said. “That’s how Sitterworks.com was born.”

Sitterworks.com is different than competitor sites Care.com and Sittercity.com in a variety of ways. First of all, it’s free to use for both the caregivers and care-seekers, while other sites have fees involved.

“Some have fees involved if you connect with someone. Once somebody responds to your job listing, you have to pay a fee to communicate,” Walker said.

Another advantage to Sitterworks.com is that only babysitters interested in your position will inquire. The positions are also taken down after 30-days to prevent sitters from applying to a job that may no longer be available. This is a more streamlined way of doing things in comparison to similar websites.

“With our competition, there is the option to use sitters and inquire directly with them to see if they are interested in a position. I find this could be a huge time waster. Many times you don’t hear back from sitters, or they’re already booked,” Walker said.

Safety is paramount for the creators of Sitterworks, and they offer multiple background checks for sitters or parents interested in having one done.

“The background check situation with other sties that are out there is very surprising and there’s a lot of details that you may not know about the person that you aren’t able to get from other sites,” Walker said.

Sitterworks has different levels of background checks available, ranging from basic to more comprehensive. The basic background check costs under $20.

In addition to finding a babysitter, Sitterworks.com also serves as a community bulletin for local families to connect. Families can chat about anything from forming a new play-group, finding a last minute sitter, or anything else on their minds.

The response from Sitterworks.com has been very positive for Walker and Patano-Jaworek.

“People really appreciate having a free site that is dedicated specifically to identifying trusted childcare,” Walker said.  “This has been in the works for quite a while, and we’re really looking forward to some success.”

Sitterworks.com is currently limited to Chicago and the surrounding suburbs, but the Barrington duo plans to launch the website in six major U.S. cities soon.