Swiss Cheese Childcare

Oakland
No longer in business
Phone:
(510) 629-1949
Email:
info [at] swisscheesechildcare.com

CLOSED

Why? COVID-19. Managing distance schooling and lack of income have humbled me. At the end of a day with my kids, I have nothing to give. 7 months in the pandemic, no end in sight has brought the conclusion: it's time to shutter SCC.

Where are sitters? Some sitters are working to be available.  Previous clients can search their email for access.  Not taking new clients.  

Could SCC Live Again? I want a world where beloved childcare is accessible, we trust each other, and have enough resources to live & thrive. As of fall 2020, that feels impossible. But if you have resources or capacity to rebirth SCC, reach out. Perhaps there is a way for SCCC to rise again.

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I was also disappointed to see that Swiss Cheese shut down due to the pandemic.  I have been using Urban Sitter as my primary backup care option since then.  The subscription fee is more expensive than Swiss Cheese ($35/month or $135/year last time I checked).  I have had success finding people with as little as 2 hours' notice.  Like other backup childcare platforms, it can be a bit of a mixed bag regarding who you get.  You can view profiles, see other parent reviews and see how many bookings each sitter has completed on the platform to help you filter and pick people.  That said, some sitters are more engaged than others.  If you are willing to try out a few people, you can indeed find some gems and then have those be the people you contact first when you need backup care in the future.  Feel free to direct message me, and I would be happy to share more or answer any questions you might have.   

Have you tried Swiss Cheese Collective? They provide “in a pinch” childcare. I have used them and have known others to use them and the sitters who came were excellent. They might be enough to cover the days when you are in the hospital. As for immediate and overnight care, I think you will have to trust your in laws. They raised your spouse right? Surely they can watch a 14 year old for a few hours. Just relax and enjoy the new baby when he or she comes! Good luck!

RE:

You might consider getting involved with Swiss Cheese Childcare, a local babysitting agency. We've booked sitters through them for our son and they're a great company. Also, for what it's worth, I don't think SitterCity and Urbansitter are scams, I know people who book sitters through them regularly. You might also try posting something on your neighborhood Nextdoor offering your services. 

RE:

Perhaps you could apply to Swiss Cheese Childcare? http://swisscheesechildcare.com/

My experience with them is as a parent - I have used them for years and am always impressed by the quality of sitters. I know that people use their sitters for all types of jobs, from typical evening sitting when parents go out, to help with morning drop off or afternoon pickups from school. Vicki the owner has been great to work with for me as a customer, I imagine she would be for the sitters too.

Hi,

I recently used Swiss Cheese childcare who are great nannies for these eventualities. Someone also reco Joanna’s to me but I have not used them so I can’t talk about my experience there.

Best.

We use Swiss Cheese Childcare for this. It's a local service that gives you access to a pool of on-call sitters for a flat placement fee. The sitters we've had have varied from solid to exceptional, and the owner tries hard to help with last minute requests.

You could try joining a gym that does yoga classes and has a crèche on-site where you can put your child eg Bladium in Alameda. That would ease you (and him) in and from there you might be able to ask the people who work in the crèche if they do babysitting or if they could recommend someone. Or ask friends? Or even do babysitting swaps with friends. I too wouldn't risk using someone who isn't recommended by someone I know. 

There is an organization called Swiss Cheese Childcare that I have tried once and they have vetted and background checked babysitters, but it's really expensive. 

Try Swiss Cheese Childcare. I have used them in the past and some of their nannies will charge a "sick child rate", meaning they will babysit sick children.

We use the Swiss Cheese Childcare collective as a fallback when neither parent can take time off to cover a sick kid. They can't always find coverage at the very last second but the owner works very hard to do so and had saved us several times when we asked at 7 pm for coverage the next morning. All the sitters have been good, too.

RE:
Daycare Backup Options (Jul 14, 2016)

Hi! Check out Swiss Cheese Childcare, http://swisscheesechildcare.com/. I have not yet used them myself, but I registered some time ago and it is my understanding that they will cover for situations like this (i.e., sick child). I can't find reference to it on their new site, but their old website made a reference to the origin of their childcare collective's name (Swiss Cheese) being that they "fill in the holes" in your regular childcare routine. ;) I have known other moms who have used them who recommended them to me and by all accounts were happy with their service. Try giving them a call to see if they can be of help in being a backup option for you.

Archived Q&A and Reviews


April 2014

RE: No family nearby - childcare for 2YO during birth?

I was recently looking into this for my family, and then our situation changed, so I don't need it anymore, but I would check out the Swiss Cheese Childcare Collective (http://swisscheesechildcare.com/). They are available on an as-needed basis, including last minute and emergency situations. Their sitters are Trustline certified, maintain current CPR certification and have passed an extensive screening process. They meet a once month for collaboration, training and discussion and have a code of ethics they all follow. I was in contact with the founder, who said that she is working on putting together a comprehensive package for this (I don't think there's info about it on their website, yet, but they definitely offer it). She said that she has provided this kind of care for second time moms and mostly she just ends up being on call, but is not actually called. Hope that helps