Grandma’s Babysitting Club offers innovative child care solutions in the region

Trying to find a last-minute or emergency babysitter in the Region of Waterloo can be difficult and frustrating — in fact, the entire process of finding child care has become a near-herculean task.

But one Kitchener grandmother is offering an innovative solution to help families struggling to find adequate and temporary care.

Maria Bott Martin ran Airborne Trampoline in Cambridge for 25 years before retiring. Her love of children led to her opening a child-care center of her own, which unfortunately closed because of the pandemic.

Martin told The Mike Farwell Show her passion for kids remained and she noticed a need for temporary, in-home care within the community.

“I’m a grandma. I have a great understanding of children. I have the time and I do not need a regular job. So, I decided I was going to become a grandma offering my services to parents on a basis when they needed me. So, it wasn’t a regular thing.”

She got the word out and soon amassed a decent client list that became too much for one person to handle. So, she began recruiting other grandmas and launched Grandma’s Babysitting Club.

Since launching earlier this year, she’s added six other “grandmas” to the club, offering in-home child care with the demand continuing to grow.

With the club’s success, Martin is already looking ahead to her next venture.

“I would like to open a location for emergency drop-off for children. It’s not a daycare. It is something for parents who have nobody and need to go out of town or to the hospital or something.”

For the time being, Martin continues to recruit new “grandmas” interested in providing care.