Why this exists
I looked at the babysitting courses parents and teenagers are actually buying, and most of them are not courses at all.
One provider advertises a 100% pass rate with unlimited attempts — which is another way of saying the assessment does not do anything. Another charges $95, more than double the Red Cross, from a page that will not tell you who wrote it, what is in it, or what you have to score to pass. A third markets, as a feature, that its certificate “does not mention the word online.”
None of them let a parent verify a certificate. Care.com lists a dozen programmes and quotes no prices at all. UrbanSitter’s rate data has not been updated since May 2024.
Who writes this
I am a former preschool teacher with 12 units of early childhood education coursework. I have looked after other people’s children professionally, which is a different job from having opinions about it.
The course covers what actually happens on a Saturday night: the toddler who will not go down, the allergy plan you have to read properly, the moment you have to decide whether to call 911 or call the parents. You can read the entire curriculum before you spend anything.
What we will and will not say
We publish real prices, including our competitors’. The comparison table on the certification page lists every figure we could verify, read off each provider’s own page.
We call it a certificate of completion. Because that is what it is — and what every other babysitting credential is, including the Red Cross.
We do not claim accreditation. No accrediting body exists for babysitting training. Any provider implying otherwise is stretching it.
We never publish an individual’s score. The standard is public. Your mark is yours.
We do not use the word licence. There is no such thing as a babysitting licence anywhere in the United States.
Get in touch
Questions, corrections, or a price in our comparison table that has changed? Tell us and we will fix it.