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Work Hard, Play ... Never?

CHICAGO, Aug. 21 /PRNewswire/ -- It's 7 P.M. -- do you know where the working parents are? Nowadays they're still in the office, pulling double-shifts, working extra hours and picking up new jobs so they can pick up the tabs (and mortgages, car payments, grocery bills ...) that have inevitably increased due to the nation's difficult economy. While moms and dads are forced to make ends meet, affordable child care becomes the saving grace (and Holy Grail) for working parents, now more than ever. Sittercity.com, America's largest and most trusted online source for care providers, recently conducted a survey using its database of hundreds of thousands of parents and sitters nationwide and found shocking statistics on how the state of the economy truly impacts families across the country when it comes to work habits and child care.

Sittercity members cite economic woes as the catalyst for the following changes in their daily lives:

    -- 42 percent of parents are working additional hours at their current job
    -- 27 percent of stay-at-home parents are now going back to work
    -- Eight percent of working parents have taken on a second job

"We often run surveys among our members to ensure we have a continual understanding of their challenges and needs," said Genevieve Thiers, founder and CEO of Sittercity.com. "This particular survey shines a bright spotlight on the struggles of working parents and, because it's simply impossible for parents to be in two places at once, also reminds us how crucial it is for today's families to find affordable child care options that don't have them digging deep into their pockets."

While local nanny agencies charge anywhere from $400 to $2,500 to search for a nanny, a Sittercity.com membership, which enables parents to search through a database of hundreds of thousands of local nannies and sitters, is a fraction of the cost and allows over-worked parents to use an inexpensive, reliable child care alternative to ensure their children are well cared for while they're spending those extra hours at work.

To interview a parent from the Sittercity survey, contact any of the following participants:

    -- Erin Mondrowski, Long Grove, IL, 847.438.6743, webfeet-flygirl@att.net,
       Stay-at-home mom going back to work due to economy and husband's
       "start-up" business
    -- Karen Jones, Scottsdale, AZ, 580.340.0173, kj1971@gmail.com
       Stay-at-home mom going back to work after 10 years due to economy
    -- Julie A. Miller, Colorado Springs, CO, 719.637.1881,
       jamiller7@comcast.net
       Working mom who is now taking on a part time job as well due to economy

In addition to providing affordable child care for working parents on the consumer level, Sittercity also enables companies and corporations to make child care accessible and affordable to their employees through Sittercity's Corporate Program. Sittercity's Corporate Program is an innovative employee benefit that gives employees free instant access to Sittercity's nationwide database of babysitters, nannies, petsitters, senior care providers, housesitters and tutors through a uniquely branded website portal created for each individual company. The Corporate Program, now going into its third year, has gained incredible popularity and serves companies including MasterCard, FOX,Avon, Monster Worldwide and many more.

    To Interview a company utilizing Sittercity's Corporate Program, contact:

    -- AVON Products, Inc., Kizzy Maitland, Manager, Diversity Solutions,
       212.282.7546
    -- Children's Healthcare of Atlanta, Wytaria Henley, Program Manager,
       Work Life, 404.785.7232, wytaria.henley@choa.org

    For more information on Sittercity, visit http://www.sittercity.com.

About Sittercity.com

Sittercity.com(R), the inventor of online caregiving, is America's largest and most trusted online source for child care, pet care, senior care, housesitting, housekeeping and tutoring. As a network of hundreds of thousands of caregivers nationwide, Sittercity helps families and individuals find the perfect in-home care provider quickly, easily and safely by using the company's four-step screening process, which includes checking references, reading caregiver reviews, conducting interviews and utilizing free access to background checks. Sitter profiles also come with photos, experience, training, safety skills, availability calendars, reviews and more. Registration for sitters is free, and care seekers pay as little as $8 per month for a membership, which gives them unlimited ability to post jobs, and search, contact and hire sitters in their areas. A true pioneer in its field, Sittercity.com has been featured by hundreds of media outlets, from the Today Show to the Big Idea with Donny Deutsch to the Wall Street Journal. Sittercity has also received twelve national awards, including a U.S. Small Business Administration award in 2006 from President Bush, and three international awards, including first place in the prestigious UPS "Out of the Box" Small Business contest. For more information, visit the company Web site at http://www.sittercity.com.

SOURCE Sittercity.com

Tags: ,CPR,MLM,SVY,CHI,IL-Sittercity.com

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Work Hard, Play ... Never?