Southern/Central
Childcare & elder care in St. Catherine
CareLink connects St. Catherine families with verified caregivers for every stage of life — babysitters and nannies, after-school cover, full-time placements, and elder or patient care. Every caregiver is JCF Police Certificate verified, ID-checked against her face, reference-checked by telephone, and interviewed by us.
0 verified caregivers currently in St. Catherine
Care in St. Catherine
Parish capital: Spanish Town
Portmore functions largely as a commuter city: a very large share of working parents there cross the causeway into Kingston each morning and come back in the evening. Spanish Town is the parish capital and a commercial centre in its own right, and Old Harbour has grown quickly.
The commute is the whole problem here. A parent leaving Portmore at 6am and getting home at 7pm needs cover at both ends of the day, not just after school — and that early start is the single hardest thing to staff.
Portmore's earliest residents have aged in place, so we increasingly see adult children arranging daytime companion care for a parent while the household is at work in Kingston.
Communities we cover: Portmore · Greater Portmore · Spanish Town · Old Harbour · Braeton · Waterford · St. John's · Bridgeport · Angels · Linstead
Ways CareLink helps in St. Catherine
Babysitters & nannies →
One-off sitting, after-school cover, and recurring nannies across St. Catherine. Standard rates $650–$900/hr.
Elder & patient care →
Companion care, live-in support, and post-hospital recovery from the same personally-vetted caregivers.
Household helpers →
Live-in or live-out helpers and nanny-helpers who blend childcare with light household support in St. Catherine.
Full-time placements →
A managed hire for a full-time live-out or live-in nanny — we shortlist, verify, and match.
Post a job →
Tell St. Catherine caregivers what you need and let verified applicants come to you.
Care rates in St. Catherine (JMD/hour)
| Type of care | Hourly rate |
|---|---|
| Standard (school-age) | $650–$900 |
| Premium (newborn / special needs / ECE) | $1,000–$1,500 |
| Urgent (under 2 hr notice) | +20% surcharge |
See the full parish-by-parish rate guide. Anything below J$425/hr is below Jamaica's national minimum wage.
Babysitters by town in St. Catherine
Common questions — St. Catherine
Can a caregiver cover the early Portmore commute?
That early start is the most common request we get in St. Catherine and also the hardest to fill, because it usually means the caregiver has to be in your home before 6am. It is far easier with a caregiver who already lives in Portmore or Braeton than one travelling in, and it may point toward a live-in arrangement. Tell us the actual times you need covered and we will be straight with you about what is realistic.
How much does childcare cost in St. Catherine?
Standard babysitting in St. Catherine runs $650–$900 JMD per hour for one or two children aged 3+. Premium rates ($1,000–$1,500/hr) apply for newborns, special needs, ECE-credentialed caregivers, or overnight care. You pay your caregiver directly — CareLink takes no percentage of her rate.
Do you offer elder and patient care in St. Catherine?
Yes. The same four-step verification we built for childcare — JCF Police Certificate, AI document review, reference checks, and ID verification — applies to our companion, live-in, and post-hospital caregivers in St. Catherine. See /elder-care for details.
How are St. Catherine caregivers verified?
Every CareLink caregiver in St. Catherine uploads a current JCF Police Certificate, which we verify with AI vision plus manual review. Caregivers also have their government ID checked against their face, their references personally telephoned by us, and an interview before they are presented to any family.
Why CareLink for St. Catherine families?
Local trust
Every caregiver is ID-checked, Police-Certificate verified, reference-checked and interviewed by us.
Verified Police Certificate
We collect and AI-verify every caregiver's JCF Police Record.
Pay how Jamaica pays
bank transfer, Lynk, cash, or PayPal — and confirmations on WhatsApp.