Sitter Responsible Use

Responsible Use Guidelines
  1. Be on time. If it is a new client arrive 10 minutes early. 
  2. SMILE when greeting the family. Engage with the children.
  3. No smoking or alcohol consumption permitted during the sit. 
  4. Do not take the children on personal errands or have your friends or family in a client’s home.
  5. Do not use television as the sole means of entertaining the children.
  6. Clean up after yourself! No extensive cleaning is needed. However, you should leave the house as clean or cleaner than when you arrived.
  7. An infant's diaper should be changed every 2 hours, or when soiled or noticeably wet.
  8. Answer the phone at a client’s home as it could be the parents calling you. Do not use the phone for personal use.
  9. Find out house rules. What food children are allowed to eat, what TV they may watch, what rules are for indoor/outdoor play, and what discipline is allowed by the parents. Do not discipline physically and never yell or intimidate a child.
  10. On all Sitter Scout jobs, you are expected to wear appropriate clothing.  You should wear a clean and neat top, with clean pants or a skirt.  Jeans are fine on most residential jobs if they are not faded or ripped.  Never wear sweat pants.  Skirts should be knee length or longer.
  11. Inform the parents of what happened during the sit, such as disciplinary issues, if they ate, etc.
  12. Have the client phone number, address, and directions with you at all times. Call the client if delayed for any reason. If lost, don’t hesitate in calling the family for directions.
  13. You may bring homework, magazines, or books with you on the sit but may only read them after the children are in bed.
  14. Please let parents know if you bring your own food to homes to avoid allergic reactions with the children.
  15. If you need to cancel a job, notify Sitter Scout as soon as possible and speak with someone directly. If this is a last minute cancellation and you can’t get through to someone in the office after repeated attempts, you may reach out to the family to let them know. Continue attempts to reach Sitter Scout.
  16. Do not use cell phones or texting for personal use while on the sit. Do not use the family computer either.
  17. Do not bring additional children to the sit (including your own).
  18. Check your online schedule the week of your sits to confirm times & dates have not changed.

Rules for Confirming Jobs
  1. Always call the client to confirm your job the day the job is given to you.  If there is any reason that you cannot call the client that day, please notify the office.
  2. Always confirm all jobs even if you have been to the home before.  The client needs to hear from you EACH TIME to confirm that you will be there.
  3. If you get an answering machine when you call to confirm, leave a number where you can be reached and your reason for calling.
  4. Always confirm the DAY, DATE, TIME (including a.m. and p.m.), and LOCATION of the job so there is no misunderstanding.
  5. Always get directions from the client.  Using Google, MapQuest or any other method of locating the home can lead to mistakes.
  6. If you cannot reach the client within 48 hours, please contact Sitter Scout. Do not wait until right before the job to call us.  Do not assume that a client not calling you back means they do not need you.  A job is a job until you hear it is canceled.