It’s 3 p.m., your son needs to go to swim lessons and your daughter has to get to soccer practice — but you and your partner don’t get off work for two more hours. How can a family of four be in multiple places at once? One option is to hire an after-school sitter or nanny.
While the main task of after-school sitters and nannies is often providing after-school transportation, they offer much more support than that, notes Stephanie Fornaro, founder of Hello, Nanny! “Duties vary, but after-school sitters and nannies are there to ensure a smooth transition until the parents return home.”
Wondering if an after-school nanny or sitter is the way to get kids from point A to point B (and if so, what it might cost you)? Here’s what to know about hiring a sitter or nanny for after-school transportation and more.
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If you’re looking to hire for after-school transportation, it’s important to remember you’re not hiring a car service. You’re hiring a caregiver. Even if you’re hiring an after-school sitter or nanny primarily for school and activity pickup and drop-off, they will be expected to ensure your kids are both safe and cared for.
Additional duties of after-school nannies and babysitters
Each family is different, but in addition to providing after-school transportation, here’s what else you may want your your sitter or nanny to take on, per Fornaro and Theresa Bertuzzi, co-owner and founder at Tiny Hoppers:
- Child care at home until you are off work.
- Transportation to and from activities.
- Snack or meal prep for kids.
- Homework help or tutoring.
- Errands or grocery shopping.
- Dinner prep for the family.
- Light house cleaning.
- Packing and unpacking backpacks.
- Preparing lunches for the next day.
Keep in mind, though, the more you expect the caregiver to do, the more you can expect to pay.
When her youngest child entered the pre-k, Amy Katz, a mom of three in Cranford, New Jersey, switched her full-time nanny to an after-school caregiver only.
“She was responsible for taking our kids to practices, playdates, etc.,” Katz notes. “But she also then took on new tasks, such as doing our laundry and making our whole family dinner. It was so helpful, and we kept her hourly rate the same, even though there was less hands-on time with the kids.”
If you’re looking to hire for after-school transportation, you’re not hiring a car service. You’re hiring a caregiver.
How much does after-school transportation cost?
Here are the cost factors to consider when setting up your budget to cover transportation for kids.
Determine the going rate for after-school caregiving in your city
If you’re going to hire a nanny or sitter to drive your kids around, you’ll want to check out the average proposed rates for after-school caregivers in your area to get a sense of how much you’ll likely pay. Rates “can vary significantly based on the local market,” Fornaro notes.
Based on data from the Care.com Cost of Care Calculator, U.S. caregivers who provide after-school transportation are asking for an average hourly pay rate of $16.89, as of September 2024.
Of course, the average asking rate might look different in New York City than it does in Jackson, Mississippi, or even from one neighborhood to the next. So it can be helpful to ask around in your parenting network or use tools like the Cost of Care calculator to see what rates are like where you live.
Current posted after-school transportation rates in top U.S. cities*
| City, State | Hourly Rate |
| Seattle, Washington | $23.11/hr |
| Brooklyn, New York | $20.73/hr |
| San Diego, California | $19.37/hr |
| Denver, Colorado | $19.93/hr |
| Washington, D.C. | $17.77/hr |
| Portland, Oregon | $18.80/hr |
| Miami, Florida | $20.10/hr |
| Chicago, Illinois | $17.28/hr |
| Atlanta, Georgia | $18.48/hr |
| Phoenix, Arizona | $18.61/hr |
| Philadelphia, Pennsylvania | $16.53/hr |
| Charlotte, North Carolina | $17.44/hr |
| Houston, Texas | $17.05/hr |
| Orlando, Florida | $17.21/hr |
| San Antonio, Texas | $14.61/hr |
Other factors that may affect cost
Knowing the average proposed rate for hiring a caregiver in your area provides a ballpark figure, but it’s just that: an average. The rate you’ll actually end up paying can move up or down from there, depending on a wide range of factors.
Per Fornaro, these include:
- The caregiver’s level of experience.
- Any extra credentials or trainings.
- The number of children.
- The total hours worked.
- The specific duties required (such as driving or meal preparation).
- Gas and mileage reimbursement.
What are other transportation-related costs?
If you’re hiring a caregiver to drive your kids, there are also a few transportation-related costs to consider, above and beyond whatever you end up paying the caregiver. These include:
Gas or mileage reimbursement
When transporting kids is a primary responsibility of the after-school nanny or sitter, many families reimburse for gas, using the federal mileage reimbursement rate, which is 67 cents per mile in 2024.
That’s how it worked for Christina Pillsbury. When she drove children around as an after-school nanny in Chicago, families gave her the federal mileage reimbursement rate on top of her standard hourly rate to offset the costs of using her own car.
When transporting kids is a primary responsibility of the after-school nanny or sitter, many families reimburse for gas, using the federal mileage reimbursement rate, which is 67 cents per mile in 2024.
Insurance
If you hire an after-school nanny or sitter to regularly drive your children to and from school and activities, you might want to consider subsidizing your caregiver’s car or health insurance to compensate for the added risk all that extra driving entails.
Even if you plan to offer up your own family’s vehicle for the sitter or nanny to use — including just in case of an emergency — be sure to add their name to your policy and verify they’re covered in the event of an accident.
Nanny taxes
If you expect to pay your after-school nanny or sitter more than $2,700 during the calendar year, you’ll likely need to pay nanny taxes on their behalf.
These taxes are an additional cost on top of what the nanny or sitter is being paid hourly, and so families might want to include them — and any payroll services you might want to use to calculate them for you — when weighing the costs of after-school transportation.
Safety precautions when hiring after-school transportation
It goes without saying that with driving kids around comes massive responsibility — and because of that, you want to take every precaution when hiring someone for after-school transportation.
“First, you should verify that the caregiver has a valid driver’s license and a clean driving record,” notes Fornaro. “It’s also crucial to ensure the caregiver has adequate automobile insurance coverage. You should also request references and thoroughly vet the person’s responsibility and trustworthiness — this may include a test drive together.”
It’s also important to make sure caregivers are familiar with how to properly use booster seats or car seats.
“Lastly, conduct comprehensive background checks, as well as a review of the caregiver’s social media presence to gain insight into their judgment and decision-making,” Fornaro says. “Most importantly, if the caregiver is providing after-school transportation, run a Motor Vehicle Report (MVR) to ensure that they have a clear driving history.”
What else do I need to know?
It’s a big decision to hire someone to pick up child from school, but it’s a choice that can come with many benefits. Once you and your sitter or nanny have agreed upon a rate for after-school transportation or any other duties, write it down. Putting it all in a babysitter contract or nanny contract can help ensure everyone is clear on what to expect of them and how much pay will be given in exchange.