The first day your child is placed into your arms, you swear to love and protect him or her for the rest of their lives. The little bundle of joy, also gives you a gift of new insecurities and uncertainties.
The first day your child is placed into your arms, you swear to love and protect him or her for the rest of their lives. The little bundle of joy, also gives you a gift of new insecurities and uncertainties. The first day on the job as mom or dad is definitely nerve-racking. You know the saying, “They sure don’t make a manual on children!” You can bet that something new happens everyday. As the hours, days, or months pass by the diapers sure do add up, and so does the financial worries. At this point you are thinking about going back to work. But before you trust just anyone, learn how to find a qualified babysitter. Besides if you take the time to find a qualified babysitter, you can rest assured that your precious baby or spontaneous toddler will be well taken care of. One less thing to worry about, while leaving you time to focus on your new job or business.
Finding a babysitter on a short notice is always a challenge. There are so many baby sitters on Kauai, and you might come across family friends who may offer you their service for free or for a cheap price. At times you might feel overwhelmed with so many baby-sitting options.
But it is certainly all right with taking your time. It is your baby or toddler we are talking about keeping safe and well-educated while you are away. Luckily, we have some great resources here for Kauai families, so let’s get to it. What I found to be an asset is the nonprofit PATCH (People Attentive To Children) Program, which is a recipient of funding from the state Department of Human Services and Kauai United Way and Visitor Industry Charity Walk.
PATCH was founded in Honolulu in 1976 by a group of home-base providers and early educators. It later expanded to the outer islands like our own, Kauai. So what’s PATCH?
Well, if you ever went online and looked for airline tickets, you would get a list of referrals to choose from. That is exactly what Patch is, the only child care referral agency in the state of Hawaii. Patch will register your name, phone number, and email into their system and email you a list of state license baby sitters to interview.
The Kauai Patch office is at 4485 Pahee St. and their hours of operation are 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, but open until 5:30 for extended hours on Thursdays. Don’t be afraid to inquire about their services. They have an open door policy.
Literally, I walked in one day and spoke to the Kauai Coordinator Ms. Cathy Shanks. After my very own bad experience with my 4-year-old child, who at the time of the incident was a helpless 8-month-old baby. I can remember it as if it was yesterday: I was working a full-time job, until one day after work I went to the baby sitters home and found my son bruised, scratched and bitten everywhere. As you can imagine, I was devastated. “Why work if I cannot protect my own son?” is how most moms feel after an incident like mine.
Cathy Shanks helped hold my hand when it was time to find a new babysitter, and I was ready to get back to work. My son was 2 years old, and still I had a hard time trusting someone with my own child, so you know I asked a lot of questions. I asked Cathy, “how important is interviewing a new babysitter on the referral list?”
She responded, “Extremely important to the correct “fit” for the child and family. Early experiences in life, specifically under the age of 5, affect the development of the brain and lay the foundation for intelligence, emotional health and moral development throughout these early childhood years.”
I felt so comfortable talking to Cathy, that I asked her, “In the years that you have serviced Kauai families, what are the most common mistakes that you’ve seen new parents make when finding a child care provider?”
Cathy said, “ Using a non-licensed, unknown provider without doing their due diligence on them or settling on the first child care provider they come to without thoroughly doing their due diligence.”
It made sense: Find the perfect fit for your child by doing the research and using your resources. At least you know you crossed your t’s and dotted your i’s if something terrible were to happen to your child.
Info: www.patchhawaii.org. There you will learn that their mission statement reads: “Our mission is to support and improve the quality and availability of care for the young people of Hawaii.”
• Stephanie Shinno is a freelance writer, photographer who lives on Kauai.
