How to Write an Ad for a Child Care Provider
Careful preparation, concise writing and good placement of your child care advertisement are the keys to getting worthy responses from potential caregivers. In many cases, parents simply do not effectively publicize their child care needs correctly in order to maximize replies from quality applicants -- and minimize the chance of your caregiver quitting due miscommunication of the job requirements. A well written child care advertisement will save you time and money in the long run.
Instructions
Gather Important Information
Familiarize yourself with what type of child care provider you are searching for. A mother's helper provides care for your children in a "live-out" arrangement -- usually when one parent is home. A nanny provides care for your children in a "live in" -- usually unsupervised -- arrangement. A babysitter is someone who provides care for your children on an irregular, full or part-time basis. Gather information to help you write a clear, precise advertisement. Write down this information on a blank piece of paper, in bullet form. This list will help you draft the perfect child care advertisement. Decide on what type of provider you need from Step 1. Determine the work hours and what time the child care provider's shift starts and ends. Look over your finances to determine the hourly rate of pay or estimate the value of room-and-board. Add a small salary to the value of the room-and-board to equal a regular monthly wage. Determine if the child care provider needs a car and car insurance to do such chores as grocery shopping or picking up the kids from school. List any special needs your children may have, their ages and genders. Talk with your spouse or family member and decide on the basic job responsibilities of your care provider. For example, light housecleaning, watching the children, picking them up from school, preparing dinner or taking the dog out for a walk. Decide on the minimum educational requirements and child care experience that you would like. If you want five years child care experience, remember to put that on the advertisement so that you only get responses from applicants who meet your requirements. Ad Writing Information
Use the information you gathered from Steps 1 to 7 to begin writing your ad. To get started, think about what you would want to know if you were looking for a child care job. Remember, this is not the final copy of the ad, but a working draft. Add a bit of personality into the ad with a quirky or humorous line. A potential applicant wants to know they are applying for an enjoyable job with a pleasant employer. Examples include, "Quirky Family-of-Five Seeks Humorous Nanny," or "Golf-Loving Mommy Requires Mother's Helper." Draft your advertisement using concrete, specific and precise words. Remove any words that are not necessary. Don't forget to add contact information. For privacy and safety reasons, it is a good idea create an email address for applicants to send their resumes to. Never supply your full name or address. Review your advertisement draft and make any corrections. Have your spouse or family member check it over to look for any possible spelling errors. Ask for feedback from your peers and apply any changes. Time the placing of your child care provider advertisement carefully. Take into consideration you need enough time for potential care providers to see and respond to the ad. On the other hand, placing your ad too far in advance will reduce replies. Most people do not know their schedule three months in advance.
