Care.com

Childcare Provider Search Engine

Published 05/26/2010 and rated 4 out of 5 stars by AppAppeal Editor

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Care.com is a site that may be used to find child care, adult and senior care, pet care and home care, tutoring, or housekeeping. It provides background checks, profiles, recorded reference interviews, and job postings.

Sheila Lirio Marcelo, Founder and CEO of Care.com founded the company in 2007 after having difficulty finding reliable care for family. The site receives approximately 11,000 unique visitors per month on average.

Care.com screens care providers with an option for enhanced background checks so that members can feel secure in hiring someone that is affiliated with the company. In addition to searching national databases for criminal activity and sex offender registries, members can request searches of federal and county courthouse records in jurisdictions where the care provider has lived over the past seven years. References and reviews are also provided to aid in finding the right person for the job.

After registration, users choose the type of service they are interested in and are asked to create a job description. The application provides tips for describing a typical job, but assistance in creating posts is somewhat limited. Users must create a job post title, description, dates and times, job details, and provider requirements such as non-smoker or comfortable with pets.

Users have the ability to upload photos to their profiles. The finished profile includes basic information acquired in registration. Note that the default email preferences include adding multiple contacts (emails) from Care.com.

While general information may be obtained by browsing the site, users must purchase a membership to enable access to contact information, references, and background checks.

Registration requires a full name, address, telephone number, email address, password, birth date, referral source, and desired membership level.

The Basic membership is free and includes refined search ability, limited profiles, and limited job posts. The Premium membership is $35 for one month, $70 for three months, or $140 for one year. It should be noted that all subscriptions are automatically renewed until cancelled. Members can opt out of this, but must initiate the opt out process.

The services offered by Care.com are diverse. Those seeking care for children, seniors, and pets will benefit from the service, especially with the added safety of background checks. Those requiring tutors or housekeepers can also find care providers on Care.com. The downside is, of course, the cost of the membership on the site in addition to the cost of the provider.

• Search by provider type and location
• Care for children, seniors, and pets
• Home and lifestyle helpers
• Standard background check included
• Enhanced background check – fee based
• References included
• Varied membership options

Care.com video

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