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How do I pay my helping hand? Can I pay cash?In an attempt to document all financial information, we utilize Venmo, Paypal, and Cash App. No cash transactions will be accepted.
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Do you have a flat rate?No, prices depend on a child’s grade level/age, tutor/babysitter preferences (ie language precedence), additional services, and accommodations.
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Do babysitters/tutors cook for children?We provide culinary services for additional costs. Allergies and any nutritional concerns are to be clarified prior to any babysitting session that will involve cooking. Contact your babysitter to discuss rates.
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Do you provide babysitting overnight?No. Our latest babysitting shift extends until 1 AM.
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Do you have any promotions?After 10 hours of tutoring/babysitting, you get a free hour of Helping Hand goodness.
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Can you provide transportation?We provide transportation to and from school and extracurricular activities for additional costs. Contact your babysitter to discuss rates.
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Do you care for animals as well?We do not center our services around animal care. However, if animal services are required throughout a babysitting session, an additional fee will be applied to the final bill.
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Can tutors videochat?We provide online tutoring sessions for students ranging in ages via Skype.
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How do I contact my helping hand?We provide emails to reach each tutor/babysitter. As time progresses and you become comfortable with your Helping Hand, you can stay in contact via personal text messages or phone calls.
SAFETY
Helping Hand strives to ensure safety. No matter what, families are our top priority. Each caregiver must go through an extensive process in order to become an official Helping Hand. Upon receiving applications, we check for verifiable recommendations and public records.
Recommendations: Upon reading letters from community members, we contact these recommenders, ensuring their credibility and validating their positions. In certain cases, we may discuss the content of the recommendation letter, addressing follow-up questions. If any questionable information pertaining to either the applicant or recommender is revealed, we will immediately contact the individual in question. Purposeful false information regarding the applicant’s experiences or the recommender’s profession/title may lead to denial.
Records: Background checks are vital regarding the application process. We especially look into any criminal records or motor vehicle records, checking for any questionable behavior or potential red flags. If the applicant has engaged in any suspicious conduct, we will contact them regarding the record. Following an interview, if it can be concluded that the applicant is either dangerous or poses as a threat, their application will be immediately denied.
Additional Checks: If families request for Helping Hands to drive their child, it is ensured that the caregiver has had at least one year of prior experience with a valid driver’s license with no accident history. Moreover, if families indicate that their child has specific allergies, it is ensured that the caregiver is certified to administer an EpiPen®.