Part-Time After-School Caregiver for 5-Year-Old

Hi! We are looking for a kind, reliable and experienced caregiver for our 5-year-old son, B. Our childcare schedule is a little unusual, so we are hoping to find someone whose schedule happens to work well with ours. The regular hours would be every second week during Dad’s parenting week, Monday–Thursday, from approximately 2:30 PM–4:00 PM. This works out to approximately 6 hours every second week, or around 12 hours per month during the school year. The main responsibility would be picking B up from his elementary school at approximately 2:30 PM and driving him back to Dad’s house in the Gorge Road W area. The drive from school to home is only about 5–10 minutes. Once home, we would love for you to prepare B a simple snack or give him anything left over from his lunch and then just spend some quality time with him until Dad gets home around 4:00 PM. We would like this time to be screen-free. B loves having someone actually play with him, so reading together, imaginative play, drawing, playing with toys, music, games or following whatever he is interested in that day would be perfect. A little about B B is 5 years old and is autistic and has ADHD. We want to be very open about both his strengths and the areas where he sometimes needs additional support so that whoever takes the position has a good understanding of him from the beginning. B is verbal, social, funny, curious and very engaging. He absolutely loves people and loves having someone play with him. One of his biggest strengths is how well he does one-on-one. When someone is focused on him, interacting with him and genuinely interested in what he is doing, he really thrives. Because this position is entirely one-on-one, we think it could be a great environment for him. He has a huge imagination and loves pretend play. He also absolutely loves music, singing, dancing, drums and other instruments. He enjoys books, learning, being silly and having conversations. He is quite independent with everyday things like eating, communicating his wants and needs, and using the washroom. With consistent one-on-one attention, B is generally very manageable and well behaved. He responds especially well to adults who are calm, patient, clear and engaged with him. That being said, we also want someone to be prepared for the areas that can be more challenging. Because of his autism and ADHD, B can sometimes struggle with transitions, impulsivity, staying focused, waiting and regulating his emotions. He may become frustrated when something doesn’t happen the way he expected or when he has to stop an activity he is really enjoying. He can also have a lot of energy and may need reminders and redirection. Giving B clear expectations and warnings before transitions is extremely helpful. For example, letting him know that something will be finished in five minutes rather than suddenly ending it can make a big difference. He responds much better to patience, consistency, clear boundaries and positive redirection than to someone becoming frustrated or overly reactive with him. We are not looking for someone to act as a therapist. We simply want someone who understands neurodivergent children, genuinely enjoys spending time with B and is comfortable providing a little extra patience and support when he needs it. What we’re looking for Because the position involves school pickup, you will need a valid driver’s licence and reliable transportation. We are specifically hoping to find someone who has previous experience working with autistic or neurodivergent children. A criminal record check will be required, and current First Aid/CPR certification is strongly preferred. Additional hours The only regular commitment we currently need is Monday–Thursday from approximately 2:30–4:00 PM every second week. However, there could be opportunities for additional hours if you are interested and available. We occasionally need an evening or weekend babysitter, although this is fairly rare. On Dad’s parenting weeks, if B is sick and needs to stay home from school, there may also be an opportunity for a full day of childcare if you are comfortable caring for him when he is sick and happen to be available. During the summer, B will likely attend summer camps. On some of Dad’s weeks, we may need morning childcare for a few hours followed by driving B to his summer camp. We don’t know exactly what our summer schedule will look like yet, so this is simply a possibility. None of these additional hours are required. We completely understand that someone may only be available for the regular after-school schedule, and that is perfectly fine. Pay You would be paid every Friday of the week you work. Any additional agreed-upon hours worked that week, such as babysitting, sick-day care or summer care, would be included in that week’s pay as well. Most importantly We are hoping to find someone warm, patient, dependable and consistent who genuinely enjoys spending time with B. He really thrives when he has someone’s individual attention, and we would love for his caregiver to become a familiar person he builds a relationship with and looks forward to seeing every second week. If this sounds like something that could work well with your schedule and experience, we would love to hear a little about you, your experience with children and particularly any experience you have supporting children with autism or ADHD. (Part-Time, Live-Out) For day (nanny-attendant)