Military families enjoyed free childcare some years back. These days, they’re asking one question; is Sittercity free for military?
There seems to be some confusion about the partnership between Sittercity and the military.
Is it still ongoing or not? This article will set it straight.
🤔 What's The Real Scoop On Sittercity? This Is What We Found Out
So, if you’re one of those folks asking the question, is Sittercity free for military families, read on.
Table Of Contents
Is Sittercity Free For Military Families?
Yes, as of August 10, 2020, Sittercity is once again free for military families. This means military families get to enjoy free premium membership on Sittercity. This is according to Moaa.org.
Sometime in July 2015, the partnership between the U.S. Department of Defense and Sittercity was discontinued. What started in 2010, lasted for five years.
Five years after it was discontinued, the partnership was rekindled through the Pentagon Sittercity military discount program.
Yes, as of August 10, 2020, Sittercity is once again free for military families. This means military families get to enjoy free premium membership on Sittercity.
Courtesy of the Defense Department, military families now have access to a premium Sittercity membership that’s offered through the Military OneSource service.
Among the military groups that can benefit from the free Sittercity premium membership are the following:
- National Guard and families of reserves,
- Active duty,
- Coast Guard,
- Surviving partner,
- Medically discharged crew and their families,
- Retirees, and
- Former troops.
These military groups get to enjoy premium Sittercity services that are worth about $140 annually. If you belong to any of these military groups, you can enjoy the features that come with the premium membership of Sittercity. Related read: Save On Sittercity With This Discount
Benefits Of A Premium Membership
The premium membership of Sittercity offers a lot of benefits for military families. First of all, they have access to the instant messaging service of Sittercity.
This particular service comes in handy, especially in an emergency. You can never tell when you will need a last-minute sitter. With the instant messaging service, it’s easy to get in touch with a sitter.
The instant messaging service is integrated into the sitter’s profile. If there’s a sitter that you’re interested in, you can use the service to leave a message.
If you want to stay in touch with a couple of sitters, the service will also come in handy. You see, the instant messaging service is the only way to communicate with the sitters on Sittercity.
Access to the instant messaging service can spare you from the tedious task of posting a job.
Don’t expect the sitters to give you their personal mobile numbers because they won’t. For safety reasons, communication between sitters and parents is coursed only through Sittercity.
Access to the instant messaging service can spare you from the tedious task of posting a job. There’s no need for you to do that since you can just look through the profiles of the sitters and choose the ones you like.
From there, you can use the instant messaging service to connect to the sitters you like. The instant messaging service can save you a lot of time.
Aside from the instant messaging service, you can also run background checks on a Sittercity premium membership. If you’re the kind of parent who wants to know everything about the sitter, then you will find the background checks very useful.
Sittercity allows you to run various kinds of background checks:
🤔 Is Sittercity Right For You? Here's What Sittercity Isn't
- The Basic Background Check does a name search on the sitter.
- The Enhanced Background Check not only used the sitter’s name but other aliases as well.
- The Motor Vehicle Records Check uses the sitter’s license to check if there have been some driving or parking violations.
The background checks on Sittercity are considered additional costs. This means you have to pay for them.
If you want to run the Basic Background Check on a sitter, you would have to pay $15. The Enhanced Background Check will cost you $60. The Motor Vehicle Records Check will cost you $30.
You can also combine the Motor Vehicle Records Check with either the Enhanced or Background Check. That way, you can save a couple of bucks.
These background checks will definitely provide you with some peace of mind. So, even if you have to pay for them, they’re worth it.
The Enhanced Plus will only cost you $80 and the Basic Plus will only cost you $35. These prices are definitely lower as compared to the individual price of each background check.
These background checks will definitely provide you with some peace of mind. So, even if you have to pay for them, they’re worth it.
If you think about it, running background checks won’t hurt your budget since Sittercity is free for military families. You’ll only be paying for the background checks.
Another benefit you can enjoy from being a premium member on Sittercity is access to the resumes of the sitters. From the resumes, you will be able to see the various references of the sitters. You can always call them up to gather more information about the sitter.
Sittercity also provides you access to feedback. Feedback from previous employers is posted on the sitter’s profile.
Sittercity also provides you access to feedback. Feedback from previous employers is posted on the sitter’s profile.
This is something that you can take advantage of as well. You’ll have a good idea as to how the sitter is with other families. In addition to that, you’ll know what other parents are saying about the sitter.
It comes without a doubt that military families can benefit a lot from their free premium membership on Sittercity. They will never have a hard time contacting a sitter. At the same time, they can always run background checks to make sure the sitter is qualified and trustworthy enough to care for the kids.
Supporting Military Families
Military life is not easy. It takes a toll on the whole family as well, especially upon deployment. One parent is left at home with the kids. The long separation won’t make it any easier for the parent who is left behind.
It could get worse when there’s no extended family nearby. The loneliness could really catch up on the kids and the parent who is left behind.
🤔 Should You Use Sittercity? Check Out What Parents Have To Say About Sittercity
Supporting military families through a free childcare service like Sittercity could really lessen the stress for the parent who’s left behind. Having a trusted sitter at home could also liven up the situation.
The kids can have some diversion while the left-behind parent can deal with other stuff, aside from childcare. Although there is no easy way to deal with deployment, it’s recommended that parents talk to their kids about the up-and-coming changes.
If a new sitter is to be hired, it’s best the kids are informed about it immediately. This can give way to a smooth transition.
If a new sitter is to be hired, it’s best the kids are informed about it immediately. This can give way to a smooth transition. The last thing the kids need is to be with a stranger once one of their parents is deployed.
It just makes a lot of sense for military families to gain free access to a premium membership on Sittercity.
That way, they can communicate with experienced sitters and at the same time, run background checks on them.
Each time they need a helping hand, they won’t have to look anywhere else. They can just rely on Sittercity.
Since they have access to premium features such as background checks, they won’t have to worry about the sitter. They’ll have peace of mind that the sitter is safe to welcome at home.
There are no details as to when the partnership between Sittercity and the Department of Defense will last.
Considering it was discontinued in 2015 and rekindled in 2020, anything could happen.
So, if you’re a military family, it’s best to take advantage of the ongoing partnership of Sittercity and the Department of Defense. You’ll get quality childcare at the time you need it most.
Have you tried signing up for the premium membership? Do you find the features useful? Feel free to share your thoughts with us. We would love to hear from you.
It used to be the case that I would babysit for families. These days, I’m the one hiring sitters to watch over my little girl. LOL! How time flies. My mission now is to share some of my insights so that other moms get to benefit from my experience with babysitting. Read More
Oh, how nice! Even retirees can avail of the premium membership of Sittercity. That certainly will come in handy. More time to enjoy precious moments at home.
Thanks for clarifying it. I came across an article before saying that it was discontinued. Apparently, it was true but I wasn’t aware that the service is now back. I think that’s great. Honestly speaking, those military families deserve it. I mean a single-parent household is no joke. Kudos to you for setting it straight.:)