Frequently asked questions
Curated Care
What is Curated Care?
Curated Care is a vetted online marketplace that connects “Kid Expert” babysitters, teachers, tutors & party entertainers with families via website & app. Curated Care provides families with tools to find, message, book & pay “Kid Experts” directly, for one-off or recurring babysitting, at-home lessons, parties & more.
How does it work?
Once you create your family profile, head to “Find Kid Experts” to search profiles. Add great options to your go-to “team” of sitters. Your team members will display as options to add to your booking requests. When you need a sitter, head to “book a session", input your booking criteria and add multiple Kid Experts to the request to cast a wide net in one click. The first to accept gets the gig and you'll be notified via text and app alert! Services include babysitting, after-school pickup, private lessons, party entertainment & more. Instantly message and book Kid Experts for a specific date and time. All payments go through our secure platform (no cash or Venmo).
Check out this quick video to preview how booking works!
Who are Kid Experts?
Kid Experts are fun, inspiring, engaging babysitters who possess degrees and artistic abilities: artists, musicians, teachers, tutors and generally awesome humans you want around your kiddo. They are talented and skilled professionals who care for and engage your children with activities in art, science, music, sports, language, theater and more. They’ll cover all your babysitting needs while sharing their skills and talents during that time.
What credentials do Kid Experts have?
Kid Experts have professional experience in a classroom, camp, or group setting and have experience in childcare. They all have unique talents they can incorporate into sessions and are inspiring, fun, and creative people!
Are Kid Experts background checked?
Kid Experts pay an onboarding fee to set up and activate their profiles, similar to families. This fee includes an extensive background check by Sterling Talent Solutions, at no extra cost to families. If a Kid Expert has completed a background check, you’ll see a “background check completed” icon clearly listed on their profile. This background check looks into state and federal sex offender registries and county, state, and federal criminal databases. It also verifies social security numbers, as well as last known residences. You can verify the status of each Kid Expert’s background check in their profiles on our site. Learn more here.
Are Kid Experts available for recurring schedules?
Yep! Many Kid Experts are available for regular schedules. While the goal of the platform is to provide fams with all the tools to find, message and book folks directly, we also offer a Part-Time Sitter Concierge Service.
With Concierge, for $149, we’ll gather information from you regarding your family and booking needs to create a job listing to share with vetted, active Kid Experts on the Curated Care website & app. We’ll share your listing via our app community feed, within an email campaign, and through personal email outreach to active Kid Experts on the platform who we think fit the bill. Additionally we’ll share your listing with new Kid Expert candidates, currently finishing their vetting & sign up process in order to maximize your search. This service aims to help take care of the leg work of putting feelers out yourself. With concierge we aim to share 3 candidates with you within a week of your search
How do I see Kid Expert availability?
When you input a booking request, you’ll see an availability wheel to the right of each Kid Expert’s photo; it will tell you the likelihood that a particular Kid Expert is available for your session by listing ‘excellent’, ‘good’, soso’, or ‘no’. Our system will also recommend Kid Experts that are not on your team but are likely to accept your booking. Feel free to include those Kid Experts in your booking request in order to get it filled faster.
How do I contact Kid Experts?
You can message Kid Experts directly from their profiles! Click the message icon to be redirected to our secure message center. Message on the go when you download the Curated Care app for ios or android. Message in the app as easily as texting with the added security and support of utilizing the platform’s message center.
Do you have any tips for getting my requests fulfilled?
- Add 15+ options to your “team”. By adding folks to your team it means they will display as available options when you input a booking request.
- Send booking requests to 10+ people, a few days in advance when you can.
- Include a message in your booking request to help Kid Experts plan for your session.
- Complete your profile picture and bio to help Kid Experts feel safer accepting your booking request.
- Kid Experts work with many families and tend to prioritize bookings that are 3+ hours in length, so tweak the times when possible if your request is going unfulfilled.
What does it cost to join Curated Care?
Sign up for free to check out Kid Expert profiles and add your favorites to your team. When you’re ready to book, pay a one-time $55 fee that provides you with access to full Kid Expert profiles and enables online booking, messaging and payment.
Are there recurring subscription fees?
Nope. While similar sites charge annual or monthly subscription fees, you only pay us when you need us. Curated Care applies a service fee of 4.5% per session ($4.50 minimum), which helps cover credit card processing fees and ongoing customer support to families and Kid Experts. Note Amex users will see a 4.7% or $4.75 minimum service fee.
What are the rates per session?
Each Kid Expert sets their own hourly rates. For babysitting, rates typically range between $25 to $30. For private lessons, parties, or anything else you can dream up, rates start at $50.
How do I book a specialty session/private lesson?
Use the enrichment tab + keyword search to identify Kid Experts who offer specialty skills that fit your needs. Click on profiles and use the message icon to copy/paste a blurb about what you are seeking to connect and put feelers out. Once you find a fit, send booking requests their way to lock in your schedule
How do I pay Kid Experts?
Payment goes through the website or app to make transactions between families and Kid Experts as simple and reliable as possible (no cash and no Venmo). After a session, Kid Experts confirm the hours worked and any additional fees, and you receive an invoice prompting payment. Families have 24 hours after a session to review the invoice, after which they are automatically charged for the service. All transactions are securely processed through Stripe payments.
Are there additional fees?
Kid Experts may charge additional fees for materials, multiple children, or special circumstances. Additional fees must be agreed upon, over the message center on our site, before a scheduled session and should also be listed on Kid Expert profiles under “additional rate information”.
Do I always need to book and pay on the site?
Yes – it’s an important part of our community. By booking and paying through the site or app, Curated Care creates a safe and professional experience for families and Kid Experts. Booking through the platform ensures that our team is on hand to support your family with any questions, concerns, or additional needs that arise. You’re also protected under our Terms of Service and cancellation and refund policies. We can’t offer these safeguards and support if reservations are not booked directly through Curated Care.
What if I’m in a pinch and need someone last minute?
You can send a booking request to multiple Kid Experts at the same time. Once someone accepts, the job is considered filled and the other requests are automatically canceled. For last minute needs, we suggest sending your request to 10-15 Kid Experts minimally to increase the odds that you connect with someone great and available.
What if I need to cancel a booking? Is there a fee?
Simply select “Bookings” on the main menu and find the date and time you’d like to cancel. Select “Details,” followed by “Cancel.” Curated Care as a platform does not charge fams a fee for cancellations but many individual Kid Experts create their own cancellation policy as a provider on Curated Care and include this within their profile. Many families offer to compensate Kid Experts for half of the session since they have prioritized that day and time for them.
What if I have been overcharged?
If you receive an invoice with an error, simply send a message through the site to your Kid Expert with the correct information and amount. Your card will not be charged provided this communication occurs within 24 hours of receiving the invoice. For your protection and to eliminate miscommunication, remember to use our site’s message center for all conversations.
My scheduled Kid Expert had a conflict and had to cancel last minute. What do I do?
Last minute cancellations are rare but extenuating circumstances can happen. If a Kid Expert has a last minute cancellation, simply cancel the booking, reenter a new booking into the system and send to all of your team members. Use the “suggested Kid Experts” section in the booking process to add a few new team options with likely availability for your session. For last minute requests the more Kid Experts you include the better.
What do the star ratings mean?
Families can rate and review the Kid Experts they’ve booked, and Kid Experts can also privately rate families. Kid Experts provide a premium service, and Curated Care allows them to be selective about who they work with. It also encourages professionalism from all parties.
Is Curated Care available in my area?
Currently, Curated Care is available in New York City, Los Angeles and the Hamptons, but there are plans to expand to all major metro areas in the United States! If we aren’t yet available in your area, simply register on the site and we’ll notify you once we’ve arrived in your neighborhood.
How do I deactivate my account?
Simply email us at hello@curatedcare.com with the request. Be sure to include your full name and the email address associated with the account, and we’ll send you a confirmation.
What should you do if you have a concern about a session?
The best way to address a concern is directly with the Family or Kid Expert. Families and Kid Experts engage & book directly through the platform so questions or concerns involving a Family and Kid Expert should be addressed between these two parties, utilizing messaging or transparent ratings/reviews after sessions.
Can my account be removed or suspended?
Curated Care is an open marketplace. We provide tools to help people connect. All community members are responsible for engaging respectfully & professionally.
Per terms & conditions with regards to profile termination, Curated Care may, at its sole discretion, for any reason or no reason, without notice terminate or suspend your access to the Site. If your account has been terminated by Curated Care, you may not re-register without written consent from Curated Care. No refunds will be granted.
Help! The FAQ’s didn’t address my question!
Let us help! Please send us an email at hello@curatedcare.com and we’ll respond within 24 hours.