Sittercity's 'Chime' app helping parents in need of last-minute babysitters
NEW YORK (WABC) -- There are plenty of times that parents find themselves in a bind and desperate for a last-minute babysitter.
If all of your go-to sitters aren't available, what do you do?
Lyss Stern is like most parents and wants the very best for her child when it comes to hiring a babysitter.
"You want to know when you are giving your child to a babysitter, your everything, your prized possession, that they're going to be safe and not only safe but actually having fun," Stern said.
Usually she relies on referrals from friends, but lately turns to "Chime". It's a new babysitter app.
Plug in the time you need a sitter and you'll be shown three people who are available.
You can read their bios, watch their videos, and read reviews.
"This app has become my go to option for last minute baby sitters and baby sitters in general," Stern said.
Chime is the app version of Sittercity, a popular website that helps parents find caregivers.
The app is geared for finding a last-minute sitter with vetting done by the staff.
"We also bring them in do an evaluation, talk about their experiences, they go through an enhanced background check, social media scrape, to see if anything comes up that would be of a concern to a parent," said Megan Steeves, of Chime.
Only about 20% of applicants are chosen, like Julia Pinnock.
"I would say on average, I'm booked seven times a month. That added income is way more than if I was working on my own," Pinnock said.
When it comes to getting paid, it's all done through the app. The hourly rate in New York City is $17 dollars an hour.
"Handling cash at the end of the night is never comfortable and I've had instances at the end of the night where parents are like, 'Oh we didn't have a chance to stop at the ATM,' so this takes care of all of that," Steeves said.
It's peace of mind for the sitter and the parent.
"These babysitters they have really engage, get on the floor, something I love to see," Stern said.
