How to Build a Babysitter Schedule Around College

With school in full swing, the ease of scheduling for summertime fun is a lot harder when you’re factoring in your babysitter’s classes, your child’s classes, and your work schedule. Maybe you won’t finish work until 6, your child’s done with band at 5, but your babysitter won’t be finished with their classes until 4:30. This can be a struggle in the early fall and spring, but we’re here to help you find the right babysitter so you can make this school year less of a hassle!

This article is divided into 4 sections: Early Semester and Fluid Schedules; Mid-Semester and Backup Plans; Final Semester and Upcoming Breaks; and Final Tip.

Early Semester and Fluid Schedules

If you’re looking for a sitter now, it’s best to set your expectations to be a little more open, as the first few weeks are a bit easier than the midterm and finals schedules. Some students might finish class earlier in the beginning and lean towards using every minute once they’re in October. For

your child, they might switch to after-school help, which can add a 30-minute variation from day to day. To keep this in mind, it’s best to use your interview process not only to verify your alignment checklist, but also to see how compatible their schedule is with yours and your family’s. Some questions to ask are:

• What does your weekly schedule look like, and how often does it change? Are your classes mostly in the morning, afternoon, or evening?
• Do you have extracurricular activities outside of school? Such as clubs or upcoming internships?
• How do you plan to handle midterms, finals, and study groups that might conflict with your babysitting hours?
• Are you looking for a fixed weekly commitment, or will your availability fluctuate from week to week? If it fluctuates, what’s the minimum and maximum number of hours you can allocate to babysitting?
• What is your plan if you need to request time off for an exam or a major project? (If they are unsure, you can provide a 1-2 week notice in advance.)
• In addition, how much notice do you need if we need you to come in earlier or stay later?
• What is the best way for us to reach you during the day when you are in class or on campus?
• What is your average commute time from campus to our home and our child’s school?

Mid-Semester and Backup Plans

While things do settle a bit in mid-September/October and again in February/March, they ramp up around November/April with fall/spring breaks and midterms. Group projects, mid-reviews for final projects, and testing are when most students stay in their dorms to eat, sleep, and study. So, once you and your babysitter have established a schedule, sit down with them to go over important changes and responsibilities, as this can also entail changes to your child’s schedule for their breaks and exams. You should ask:

• What are your busiest weeks for class?
• Do those weeks affect your commute time, availability, and/or time-off requests?
• Will you need to study here? (If so, offering a space for them to study while watching the kids can help ease the pressure off of them and keep them on the clock.)
• Are you planning on going back home for fall/winter break?
• Do you know anyone who’s a babysitter who could fill in for you? (Sometimes, internal networking can save you the hassle of putting out ads. But your best bet will be to find a secondary daycare or another local babysitter.)

Final Semester and Upcoming Breaks

With midterms done, most are going full steam ahead to finish final projects and essays, and to pack up to go home for the holidays and/or graduation, all at once. This can make babysitting a lower priority for the time being, which you’ll need to plan for in advance as your child transitions into the holiday break. To better prepare, ask your babysitter the following questions:

• Will your schedule change significantly at the start of the next semester or quarter? (By this point, whether they are a freshman or a senior, they should have their class schedules for January/interterm and the spring semester.)
• Will you be here for all of January/all of summer? If not, what day are you planning to return? (In most cases, if they are not scheduled for interterm, summer classes, and/or are not doing a sorority/fraternity rush, they will go home.)
• Will you be working on any internships/extra jobs during your off-season? If so, how many hours can you commit to babysitting?

Final Tip

With all your conversation points, you’ll still need a reliable way to keep track of your babysitter’s schedule, your child’s schedule, and yours, especially if it fluctuates. You can try:

• Use a Shared Calendar App: Create a calendar and add your babysitter as an authorized user so they can add their schedule. They can send time off requests, write in break schedules, and block out study times. In return, you can write in your child’s extra help sessions, practice days, game nights, and everything else you would need your babysitter to attend to.

With the right tools by your side, you can find the perfect babysitter and communicate with them throughout the semester to stay apprised of everything. Long-term, this can help you retain a reliable babysitter and support them as they pursue their degree. Best of luck!