Village ~ Resources
Your guide to understanding the village app
Experience
Seamless Community Babysitting
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Experience
Seamless Community Babysitting
Village App is a modern take on an age-old idea: parents helping parents.
Here’s how the app makes it easy to organise babysitting in your trusted network.
How it works
1
Village App is a community-based babysitting exchange platform designed to make casual, trusted childcare easy and accessible.
2
Instead of paying in cash, members earn and spend points within their trusted group
— creating a modern, fair, and mutually supportive way to manage babysitting needs.
3
This is not a public babysitting marketplace.
Village App operates as a closed-loop system — where friendship, trust, and connection are the foundation.
4
Members typically know each other already (or are just 1–2 degrees of separation apart),
creating a high-trust environment more akin to a WhatsApp parenting group than a commercial service.
5
The app is inspired by the original model used by the founders in-laws and their friends: a spreadsheet, a calling tree, and a shared understanding of fairness, safety, and mutual support.
6
Village App brings that model to life for today’s parents, powered by technology but rooted in timeless values.
The Experience for Parents
A First-Person Flow
As a parent, here’s how I use Village App:
1
If I need a babysitter next Friday night, I simply create a babysitting request inside the app, entering the date, time, and a short note.
2
That request is instantly shared with everyone in my Hub — the trusted circle of parents I’ve joined or created.
3
Anyone in my Hub can accept the gig and earn points in return for helping out.
4
If no one responds straight away, I can send a DM to a few members and ask personally.
The tone is casual and familiar — like messaging a friend in a WhatsApp group — but with all the requests and points tracked in one place.
If no one in my Hub is available that night, I know early on and can plan accordingly. It’s transparent, respectful of everyone’s time, and built on real relationships.
Integrated Calendar Support
To make things even easier, I can connect my Google, Outlook, or iPhone calendar to the app.
This way, the app knows when I’m planning something — like a date night — and can check who in my Hub is also available.
Even better, it can suggest:
“It looks like three members are free next Saturday between 5 and 10 PM. Want to book your date night then?”
It’s like having a personal assistant for your social life, powered by real people you trust.
Emotional & Lifestyle Value
Guilt-free time off knowing you're not spending money, but participating in a give-and-take system
Built-in social trust (you’re not hiring strangers — you're part of a trusted network)
Friendship and community – much like informal groups like “Yummy Mummy’s” or “Dad Bod Squad” on WhatsApp, connections are strengthened through mutual support
More quality time for self-care, couple time, or errands — without childcare costs
The Family Unit: Shared Accounts
Village App is designed around family units.
Bookings, points, and sessions apply to the household as a whole.
How It Works:
One Shared Points Balance per household
Either parent (or designated caregiver) can:
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Book a babysitter
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Accept a babysitting request
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View session history and points balance
This setup mirrors real-life use — one parent might manage bookings while the other does the babysitting, or they may alternate based on availability.
Family Profile Includes:
Primary Caregiver: Name, email, and phone contact
Secondary Caregiver (Optional): For shared logins or notifications
Children’s Info: Names and ages for context within the Hub
This shared structure ensures flexibility while maintaining accountability and ease of use.
App Functionality
Invite-only or approval-based group onboarding
Request babysitting with date, time, and notes
Calendar syncing (Google, Outlook, iOS)
Smart scheduling suggestions based on Hub availability
Babysitting session logging (start and end times)
Double confirmation from both parties at session end
Secure in-app group messaging and direct messages
Notifications for gigs or low balance Points dashboard with full activity history
Admin tools for group creators to manage members, limits, and rules
Per 15-minute block | Time | Points |
|---|---|---|
per 15-minute block after | midnight | 3 pts |
per 15-minute block between | 10:00 PM and midnight | 2 pts |
per 15-minute block before | 10:00 PM | 1 pts |
Time is always rounded up to the next 15-minute block
(e.g. 16 mins = 30 mins unless agreed otherwise)
Can Point Balances Go Negative?
Yes — but up to -10 points by default (adjustable). This lets families book care even if they haven’t babysat recently.
Low-point users receive nudges:
“You’re in the red — take a gig to stay balanced!”
High-point users (e.g. 70+ points) receive prompts:
“Time for a night out? You’ve earned it.”
App Settings to Manage This
Arrears Limit:
Default limit set to -10 points; adjustable by group admins.
Warning Thresholds:
If a user drops below 0 or nears the arrears limit, they receive a gentle reminder: “You’re currently in the red. Why not take a gig to top up your balance?”
Priority Visibility:
The app may surface available gigs more prominently to users with low balances to help them earn back points quickly.
Optional Soft Freeze:
If a user hits -10 points and hasn’t babysat in a certain timeframe (e.g. 4 weeks), the app may temporarily restrict new booking requests until they earn back points — with a notification to the group admin.
Summary of Point Use Realities
(With time-based point multipliers applied)
Time Range | Duration | Point Breakdown | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|
6:30 – 2:00 AM | 7.5 hrs | 14 × 1 pt + 8 × 2 pt + 8 × 3 pt | 50 pts |
6:30 – 12:30 AM | 6 hrs | 14 × 1 pt + 8 × 2 pt + 2 × 3 pt | 36 pts |
6:30 – 11:30 PM | 5 hrs | 14 × 1 pt (pre-10PM) + 8 × 2 pt (10–12) | 30 pts |
6:30 – 10:00 PM | 3.5 hrs | 14 × 15-min blocks × 1 pt | 14 pts |
Starting Balance Recommendation: 100 Points per Family
Why 100 pts?
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Allows for 2–3 longer nights out before needing to babysit in return
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Encourages early adoption and comfort with the system
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Creates liquidity in each Hub — more opportunities, fewer bottlenecks
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Helps offset occasional imbalance in usage across different families
Suggestion
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Starting balance: 100 points per family unit
→
Arrears limit: -10 points
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Let admins adjust based on Hub behaviour
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App tracks total system points and warns if liquidity runs low
House Rules & Best Practice (Onboarding / FAQ Ready)
Based on the original in-law model, here are suggested expectations for all Hubs:
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Strictly no alcohol while babysitting
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Strictly no guests (unless agreed in advance)
→
Parents provide:
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Tea, coffee, and biscuits
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Bedtime instructions, allergy info, access to Wi-Fi/TV
→
Sitters should remain focused — they can relax, but they’re on duty
These norms help create a culture of trust, even when not everyone knows each other well.
Your Place in the Hub
Your Place in the Hub
Lean on your friends, and their friends, to build a safe, trusted network.
Overall Potential
Expansion into additional trust-based exchanges:
Dog Sitter, House Sitter, Meal Swaps, School Runs,
Borrow Gear (lawn mowers, trailers, etc)
Other potentials:
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Paid, vetted sitters for when the Hub can't help
Premium plans with advanced features (e.g. availability filters, reputation scores, AI assist)
Marketplace add-ons (e.g. CPR training, verified background checks)
Partnerships with community centres, schools, or employers to support families
our goal Rebuild the village through tech-powered community care
