Nanny here. To me, it's not worth it. The page that families get to see from the background check is one page with nothing descriptive; I disputed something in my background check, so was sent the 5+ page amended file from the background check company, which I now hand out instead.

It sounds like you're a nanny, not a family. Keep in mind that families can see the checks that you purchase, but they can't see checks purchased by another family. And the subscription to list you higher in the search results or feature you... that's worse than worthless. The only families who contacted me through search have incompatible pay and job expectations, so I had already decided not to apply for their positions.

"Careless" is well-known for cheap families and desperate sitters. It is what it is.

I'd ask everyone you know. Use your list serves, and always mention your pay range.

I'm a nanny and I've had a lot of success with care.com. I have the complete background check because someone payed for it and it has helped me get jobs. As far as it being reliable, it did find a traffic ticket I had gotten 5 years ago.

Care.com is worth the money if you recognize it for what it is...a specialized craigslist. If you need to hire one person, you'll only pay for one month and you will do a ton of work weeding out and evaluating candidates. It's not a scam... It's just not an agency. However, considering an agency is 100-200x the cost, and only saves you some of the weeding out, think the agencies are the real scam!

That being said, once you find your person, pay the $200-$300 for a real background check. And, if you need emergency backup care, an agency may be your only choice.

They are already scamming vulnerable families by making them pay to have access to people who can post a free profile with them and easily attach the title "Professional Nanny" to it.

Remember: ANY AND EVERYONE w/access to the Internet can post a free profile on care.com. Even a homeless person can do so utilizing a computer at a public library computer lab.

Care needs to stop ripping off families.
If they do charge for their services, at least offer a money back guarantee, but they never will.

All they CARE about is the bottom line.
Once they collect their pricey membership fees, they could care less about the children involved.

And this is just pathetic to me.

Nope. Their background checks aren't even reliable. I won't give them a dime.

I went onto care.com today, the first time in a couple years and was surprised with the fees. Is it worth it to pay $69 for a complete background check? What about the $20 per month subscription? I don't mind paying if it's worth it.