If you are in one of the states allowing in-home child care options, you’re probably on the hunt for some relief from working at home with kids.
Finding in-home caregivers that are best for your family takes work. But it’s entirely worth it. Once you’ve found a handful of candidates who meet your criteria on paper, the next step is to interview them. There’s no substitute for the give-and-take of an interview with a potential babysitter or nanny. You can have your more in-depth questions answered and also get a feel for the sitter as a person.
Begin by preparing a list of qualities that are most important to you and prioritize them. We have a list of typical interview questions to get you started. Additionally, families need to consider more than just the typical right now. There are also questions to ask that are specific to COVID-19.
Questions You Can Ask a Potential Nanny or Babysitter During COVID-19
Below we’ve outlined some topics specific to the COVID-19 crisis to address when interviewing a nanny or babysitter. Each topic has a list of sample interview questions for caregivers. We suggest using this interview checklist as a starting point and adjusting it to fit your family’s needs.
Hygiene Practices
By now, everyone most likely has their hygiene practices updated.
- What have you updated your personal hygiene practices to include?
- How would you address basic hygiene with the kids?
- How would you handle food preparation?
- How would you approach disinfecting surfaces while working?
Social Distancing Practices
How are they helping to flatten the curve?
- Do you use masks and gloves when going outside of your home? How?
- How often do you leave your home and what for?
- Do you live with anyone? Are they considered an essential worker?
- Are there people other than who you live with that you still interact with?
- What are the social distancing practices of the people you live with?
Working Environment
This is the time to share everything about the activity in your home and ask if they’re working conditions they are comfortable with.
- Who all will be home when the sitter is with the kids.
- What everyone will be doing at home when the sitter is around (working, studying, etc.)
- How many and what type of rooms/areas will the sitter have to be with the kids.
- How crucial it is for those at home to not be distracted by the kids.
- What kind of specific help you need (eLearning/homework, meal prep, cleaning, etc.)
After the Interview
Ready to make it official with a sitter or nanny?
We’re doing our part to help you confidently find the child care help your family needs on Sittercity. We encourage you to spend some time in our Trust & Safety Center (for both families and sitters).
If you’re ready to move forward with a candidate, look over the background checks you could run for some extra peace of mind and consider writing up a child care contract. Caring for your child is an important job—make the choices that are best for your family.
