U of M launches online babysitter directory

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This article was published 06/11/2023 (724 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The University of Manitoba has launched a new online babysitter directory in a bid to connect student-parents with peers who both like working with children and are searching for a side hustle.

Post-secondary students who double as caregivers can now request access to an internal registry with dozens of profiles of potential nannies, along with their relevant training and experience, certifications and preferred work locations.

“I like that it’s through a more official channel — not just through word of mouth,” said Michelle Carkner, a mother of two young children who is pursuing a PhD in the department of plant science at U of M.

As far as Carkner is concerned, it would be a win-win situation if her family could find a reliable babysitter who has some flexibility within their undergraduate course load and support a fellow student looking for casual work.

Within 24 hours of the resource’s Nov. 1 launch, U of M received upwards of 100 applications from interested parents wanting to scroll through it.

Family resource co-ordinator Francene Perehinec said she started brainstorming ideas after a couple of instructors approached her office with queries about support available to their students who, at times, have brought children to lectures because they did not have alternate supervision.

Perehinec researched what other members of the U15 — a group of Canada’s major research universities — were doing to help staff and students with caregiving responsibilities, and found inspiration at the University of Toronto.

Over the last six months, Perehinec has been collaborating on a local babysitter listing with U of M’s health sciences family centre because programs in that faculty are known for their intensive course loads.

The organizers recruited 50 initial babysitters through the university’s job portal.

The university is gatekeeping the registry and double-checking all of the interested babysitters are current students, but Perehinec said the rest is up to individuals who want to access it. Parents are responsible for additional vetting and making arrangements with their selected candidate.

“I’m hopeful that it takes off. I think its intentions are strong. I think where it can go is strong, and it will only get stronger the more and more graduate students — and students in general — use it and provide robust feedback,” said Christopher Yendt, president of the graduate students association.

“I’m hopeful that it takes off. I think its intentions are strong. I think where it can go is strong, and it will only get stronger the more and more graduate students– and students in general — use it and provide robust feedback.” — Christopher Yendt, president of the graduate students association

Yendt said the “episodic nature” of graduate work can cause challenges for academics who are also guardians because their research schedules are ever-changing.

“There is this expectation that your life has to revolve around school, but if you have children, it just can’t,” Carkner said, adding she has to balance the expectations on her as a PhD student and physical inability to be on campus 24-7 because she has to care for her family.

The mother of two said she considers herself lucky her adviser is accommodating — she had a baby mid-PhD — and she was able to secure federal research funding allowing her to stay at home with her newborn in 2020.

Carkner’s children were also accepted into U of M’s on-campus daycare, which she said has made “a world of a difference.” In the past, when one of her children has a cold and cannot be dropped off, she has taken them with her to do field work.

In order to better support mothers on campus, she said U of M needs to ensure there are more safe, clean and private places where students can conveniently breastfeed.

Carkner added it would be wonderful to see dedicated financial support for undergraduate and graduate students who are pregnant and need to take a break from their studies, since they are not eligible for employment insurance and often rush their postpartum return as a result.

The university’s undergraduate students union has been advocating for more on-campus daycare seats for students and varied residence options in a bid to better support mature learners and pupils with families.

“Students aren’t going to fit a family of three or a family of four inside a dorm room. It’s just not practical,” said Liam Pittman, vice-president of advocacy for the union.

Pittman said he and his colleagues are supportive of the babysitting registry as one more resource for U of M’s diverse campus community. There is not a week that goes by during which he does not hear from a student curious about employment opportunities, he added.

Perehinec said the project and her office in and of itself, which just celebrated its one-year anniversary, reflect her employer’s philosophy on embracing equity, diversity and inclusion on its campuses.

The family resource co-ordinator added: “We hope that the directory will be well-used. We hope that it will help to reduce barriers to achieving higher education. We hope that it creates a supportive learning and working environment for student parents and university employees, and we hope that it fosters community, a sense of belonging and inclusion.”

maggie.macintosh@freepress.mb.ca