Are there any babysitting laws in California?

Question

Are there any babysitting laws in California, like a certain age, or a license? Or any other laws? I need to know what these laws are!!!

Answer 1

There are no babysitting law per se, but there are Criminal, and Welfare and Institution codes that pertain the performace of babysitting duties.  For instance, it would be against the Welfare and Institution Code to have an eight-year-old watch two toddlers.

Generally speaking you cannot leave a minor (defined in this purpose by the State of California as any person under 14 years old) in the charge of other minors.  Granted, this happens all the time from my experience, but technically you can be legally responsible.  My best advice would be use common sense ...

There is no state certification agency for babysitters ... even for babysitting agencies there are no requirements as to whom they hire.  Most agencies do, however, screen their employees, but to what degree they do this depends completely on their own policies and procedures.  What you would need to do is find out from the individual companies their hiring and background process, and ask for references ... if you're thinking about choosing a particular babysitter ask to talk with some of the families the babysitter has worked for the past.  

When it comes to children you can never be too careful.