Local father helps connect parents with babysitters

If you were to ask any parent, they’d say good babysitters are hard to find.

According to the American Red Cross, in the last two years 55 percent of parents canceled plans away from home because they couldn’t find a babysitter.

“It’s a hassle to find a babysitter,” said Elijah Cravens.

Cravens is a father of two and said he feels the struggle most parents go through.

“My family, a lot of them have kids or they’re tied up with other things, so yeah it’s hard for us to find a babysitter ourselves,” said Cravens.

In an effort to create a free, public and easily accessible way for parents to connect with local area babysitters, Elijah took to Facebook and created the page “SE Idaho’s Babysitter, Nanny and Childcare Locator.”

“I’m sure there’s quite a few people that don’t leave Facebook either, so that was my whole intention — using social networking as it was designed,” said Cravens.

And not only can parents find sitters, those looking to take care of kids can post their resume, referrals and a photo.

Statistics show nearly one-third of parents reject potential babysitters because of safety concerns, so Elijah said this provides sitters an opportunity to talk about their skills.

“Parents can see reviews about babysitters from their friends and families, so it’s a lot easier,” said Cravens.

While the page is only about a week old, it is up and running for those looking for a sitter or sitters looking for work.

To view the page, visit http://www.facebook.com/SeIdahosBabysitterLocator?fref=ts