Find Trusted Child Care Providers Near Me in Santa Cruz, CA

Hiring someone on Care.com to provide child care services will cost an average of $22.94 per hour as of February 2025. This rate may vary depending on the experience each child care provider has, how many kids you will need them to watch, the age of your children, and whether you need part-time or full-time child care.

Care.com currently has 324 child care providers near you in Santa Cruz, CA. You can search for caregivers by their distance from Santa Cruz, CA and by hourly pay rate. Then you can compare their experience, specific services they offer and what age groups of kids they specialize in caring for. You can also read reviews from other families in Santa Cruz, CA that have worked with the child care providers you're interested in.

You want to find a child care provider that will get along with your kids, but also follows many of the same parenting ideas you have. Structure your questions around how your kids behave in certain situations and what the provider thinks is the best action to take. And because there are plenty of activities to do in Santa Cruz, CA, you should ask questions about the fun things each child care provider would do to keep your kids happy and entertained. Finally, ask each provider about their past child care experience, references from other families in Santa Cruz, CA and if they are certified in first aid and CPR.

Different child care providers are willing to offer support in different ways. For example, some can provide after-school transportation and others can help with light housework and cleaning. The first step to finding the right type of child care is to outline what you'd like from a candidate before starting your child care search. Think about how much you are willing to pay, the level of experience you wish them to have, if you want them to have any first-aid certifications, and if you need them to handle additional duties beyond taking care of your kids. After this is completed, create an account on Care.com and answer a few questions to find child care providers near you that match your needs. You can then either post a job that can be seen by our extensive pool of caretakers, or search for child care providers on Care.com based on years of experience, hourly rate, availability, distance from your area, etc. After you have selected your candidates, you can schedule interviews, check references, request additional background checks, and hire the child care provider that best meets the needs of your family.