“It takes a village to raise a child”
African Proverb
What is Care Shared?
Care Shared provides families with an accessible child care option where they can connect with other families based on geographical locations to exchange childcare in a way that works for them. This could be reciprocal evening time babysitting, an afternoon for a morning during the week enabling parents to work part time, or an occasional playdate at the weekends. By signing up you will be connected with families in your area. Care Shared brings families together so that they can be each other's village.
"Care shared opened the door for precious ‘me time’ which had felt so unachievable for very a long time. All the while forging lifelong friendships for both parents and kids"
Suzy Molloy
For You
1. Build a community
Our modern way of living can be lonely. With Care Shared, you can create a supportive and trusted village, and enjoy the convenience of reciprocal childcare.
2. Flexible childcare
Swap childcare with like-minded families as a cost-effective alternative to traditional childcare.
3. Work-life balance
Facilitate part-time work arrangements for families, while making sure you have enough time for yourself.
For The Children
1. Fun & Learning
Develop emotional and social skills through play dates.
2. Building Friendships
Expand skills in cooperation, sharing, and interactions with peers.
3. Broadened Perspectives
Gives children another way of seeing, thinking, and doing.
“It gave me time to get some work done and have time to myself, while the girls had a wonderful time playing with others”
Suzy Blue
How it Works
Register
Register your interest and provide relevant details to support a match.
Connect
If available a match will be made based on geographical location and age of children.
Meet
We recommend going on at least 2 play dates to see if the match is a good fit.
Family Charter
When a connection is made, both parties commit to caring for each other's children. Families sign a Family Charter, to commit to good practices in caring for each other's children such as, providing a safe space, adequate supervision, no shouting or hitting, etc.
There is no obligation to engage in a match if either party for any reason decides that it isn't a good fit, e.g. the kids don't hit it off, the ages or gender mix doesn't work, or the family members feel uncomfortable. The decision to proceed with a match lies solely with the family. Care Shared offers the opportunity to connect families only and accepts no responsibility or liability whatsoever or howsoever caused, including but not limited to, the behaviour of families. Families must conduct their own background checks, e.g. Garda vetting, reference checks, and satisfy themselves that they are happy with the match. See our Disclaimer for more information
“I felt isolated and a bit bored. Care Shared created a lot of possibilities for me as I was ready to be more than just a mom”
Nora
Our Story
The idea for Care Shared started in both Co. Clare and Co. Cork in parallel. Two mums, Sue in Clare and Emma in Cork, separately began to explore alternatives to childcare to create a practical village of support around us. Both of us worked part-time and had no family support close by. We both found families to share care with locally and could immediately see the benefit.
We want to help fast track this for more families so that they can get the support they need in a way that works for them.
“Rather than asking friends to dig us out again, or spending more money on childcare, we can have a guilt free, child free afternoon”
Emma
