RWC/Woodside Parents - How Much Do You Pay Your Babysitter?

Babysitting can be a big moneymaker, especially in Silicon Valley.

San Francisco Bay Area babysitters are the best paid in the United States, a recent Huffington Post article reported.

The average babysitter in Redwood City (94062), with between two to five years' experience, and watching one child, charges around $14.50 per hour, according to online rate calculators. This is better than the recently upped minimum wage of $10 per hour in neighboring San Jose.

That's on par with regional averages: $14 per hour for one child and $19.25 for three children, according to a new report from UrbanSitter.com. The data shows Bay Area parents who use the website pay more for childcare than parents in any of the 13 other U.S. metro areas the site serves.

“One reason for this disparity is New York has better public transportation,”UrbanSitter’s founder Lynn Perkins told 7x7. "The babysitters say that matters."

UrbanSitter, which started in San Francisco, matches parents and care providers using social networks. Over 9,200 parents and 3,100 sitters are currently using the service, according to 7x7.

UrbanSitter, along with national networks Care.com and SitterCity.com, provide profiles, reviews and suggested rates to parents selecting babysitters.

The online rate calculator on Care.com put the going rate for a sitter with any experience watching one child in Redwood City (94062) at $14.50 an hour.SitterCity.com's rate calcuator figured a babysitter between the ages of 18-21 with between two and four years of experience should be paid $15.50 an hour in Redwood City (94062). That increases to $16 per hour if the sitter is older and has more experience.

Parents - how much do you pay for babysitting in Redwood City or Woodside? How do you find your sitters? Tell us in the comment section below.

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• New Study: Average Local Apartment Unaffordable for 57% of Renters

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