"I just thought there's got to be an easier way to meet a bunch of people and just get that gut feeling and decide who you want to move forward with."
Founder of Premier Sitter services, Shannon Choe, says she found the traditional way of finding a babysitter, too time consuming and not very efficient. Although she would often know in the first five minutes if the person was someone she was interested in hiring, the process of finding and interviewing candidates could take days even weeks.
"So the key to this that kind of make it stands out from the other things that are out there is that you are essentially in 90 minutes meeting 10 to 20 sitters. You're getting that kind of gut reaction that gut feeling instantly."
Here's how it works, Premier Sitter Services recruits potential sitters through resources like Craig's list and local colleges and universities. Choe finds a host location like a spa or restaurant where moms and sitters meet and exchange information. Moms pay a fee of $100 per event. Sitters are not required to pay any fee.
Both parents and sitters, who have used the service, believe it is a safer way to meet each other and a more accurate way to find a good match.
"You can tell a lot about a person in the first meeting you know and putting them on the spot and asking them tough questions and really see how they come through and handle it," said mom of 3 Kelly McBride of King of Prussia.
"No matter how many things you see on a piece of paper, resume or background check it still doesn't substitute for meeting someone in the flesh and blood and getting a sense of who they are even if it's only for a few minutes," said babysitter Brooke Williams.
But is this kind of sitter-match safe? Choe says she is very clear with parents that although they screen the sitters for experience the rest is up to them.
"We don't do background checks, we don't do reference checks for a couple of reasons primarily liability so we're acting in effect as an event planner the liaison between the moms and sitters just kind of bringing them together and leaving it to them."
If you find a sitter you like, the background checks are your responsibility as are all payments and scheduling.
These events are held in different locations throughout the area. Click below for future schedules.
Premier Sitter Services
Premier Baby Concierge, Shannon Choe's baby planning company
