1. Public & Collaborative Services: Case Study
Baby-Sitting Co-ops
https://www.babysitterexchange.com
Available in multiple cities and neighborhoods but an example of local coops and how
they are formed is through A Child Grows in Brooklyn Meet up Group.
Description
Baby-Sitting/ Child Care Co-ops are services based on exchanging care with families
close to you. The Co-op is a group of moms who agree to trade baby-sitting hours on a
point basis. These co-ops usually have 10-15 moms who live in the same neighborhood,
area or building. Unlike a one on one babysitting sitting swap, members are not
obligated to return sits to a particular member. Parents may fulfill and request sits
according to their own schedules.
Citizen Role
The citizen acts as both the user and the provider of the service. When you request a
sitter, you spend points, but when you sit for another mom, you earn points. It is up to
the citizens to both form and maintain the group.
Degrees of Involvement
With most of the systems within the Co-op sitting, the child goes to the sitter’s home.
Each co op have various tracking systems. Some use poker chips, movie tickets or
Monopoly money. Others have a point system where, for example, a sitter banks one
point an hour a child, with a sliding scale for more children, and a volunteer secretary
keeps track of who owes points and who is owed.
Co ops allow extra points for more engagement and more participation such as :
- picking up a child
- preparing a meal
- being late or sitting after midnight
- car pooling
- running errands
Caring for Elderly and Children: Rosalind, Kara, Jennifer

2. Public & Collaborative Services: Case Study
In some co-ops, the secretary arranges the sits. In others, parents make calls
independently. Occasionally clubs may limit the number of points a member has or owes
to encourage participation.
- Cancelation penalty: This penalty will be charged if a member cancels a service
request that someone else has already accepted.
- Re-assignment penalty: This penalty will be charged if a member requests to
re-assign a service request that they have already accepted.
- Allow Negative Tokens: no. If this is "Yes" community members can continue to
request help even when they do not have enough tokens to pay for it.
Public Role
None
Service Diagram
Enabling Systems
The system is open to be defined by each particular co op. On a case to case basis
different co ops share different services. They vary between; baby sitting, car pooling,
errands, home repairs, house-sitting, meal preparation, miscellaneous service, people
pick up, pet service, tutoring and yard work. The baby-sitting can be extended to much
more errands and tasks surrounding home and children. The idea is to help each other
out as much as possible and be able to get help in return. However it is not based on a
peer to peer owing system. The points can go travel within the circle. If someone cancel
the sitting the mother in need can find new help through the online platform and the sitter
will lose points (or other currency).
Caring for Elderly and Children: Rosalind, Kara, Jennifer

3. Public & Collaborative Services: Case Study
Role of Digital Environment
There is a basic website where each group can register within the neighborhood and
where members can request to be able to participate. Each group form their own rules
and decide on the currency. The logistic coordination can happen either through an
external assistant our through this website. The digital site enables the members not
only to share their system but to be accessible to other mothers in the area looking for
the same services.
Background / History
Started in the early 2000’s as a way to help families with low budgets as a service to
help each other in every-day tasks. It is originally modeled after Garden Hills Baby
sitting co-op in Atlanta, but broaden to make it relevant to an even larger group. They
use the site for errands car-pooling and tutoring as well and it does not always have to
relate back to the kids. The system is build up on trust – the most important factor for
any successful community as well as ease-of-use and connection to other members of
the groups.
Caring for Elderly and Children: Rosalind, Kara, Jennifer