When you search on Poppynz you see a list of helpers near you, each with a photo, a short bio, their services with hourly rates, the distance from your home, and a Vetted badge. That’s a lot of information in a small card. Here’s how to read it.
The photo and the bio
The photo is a real photo of the helper, checked against their government ID by a member of our team. It should look like a person you’d open the door to, not a headshot from a studio. The bio is written by the helper. Read it for specifics: which ages they’ve looked after, whether they mention a certificate, how they describe what they enjoy. A bio that names things (“I’ve done after-school pick-ups for two families for three years”) tells you more than one that promises things (“reliable, caring, flexible”).
Services and rates
Each service a helper offers has its own hourly rate in CAD, set by the helper. A profile might list childcare at $28, tutoring at $32 and meal prep at $26. If a helper offers something unusual, it appears as a custom service with its own line. What you pay is the rate plus a 5% Poppynz service fee, and you see the total before you agree to anything. There are no subscriptions or minimums.
A rate well below everyone nearby isn’t a bargain, it’s a question. Ask it kindly. Often the answer is “I’m new and building reviews,” which is fine.
Distance
Helpers are matched by distance from your postal code, not by city name, so someone across a municipal boundary can be closer than someone in “your” city. Distance matters more than people expect. A helper twelve minutes away can do a last-minute evening. A helper forty minutes away, however lovely, mostly can’t.
The Vetted badge and its date
The badge means three things have been submitted and read by a person on our team: government photo ID, an enhanced criminal record check, and a Vulnerable Sector Check, both fetched through our partner Credibled. Families never see the documents themselves. What you see is the badge and the date it was last reviewed.
- Vetted with a recent date: the checks are in and were read by an admin.
- Major-domo: a helper with a sustained record here, completed agreements and a clean review history.
- Optional credentials such as first aid, ECE or PSW, verified when the helper uploads them.
Checks are renewed every two years. If you want to understand what the VSC does and doesn’t cover, we wrote it up in this article.
What to ask in your first message
Messaging on Poppynz is end-to-end encrypted, and a helper can only see your profile once you’ve completed the short family safety check. Keep the first message concrete. Five questions that get useful answers:
- Availability. “Are you free Tuesdays and Thursdays from 3:30 to 6?” beats “What’s your availability?”
- Experience with your situation. Twins, a toddler with a peanut allergy, a grade 4 reader who hates reading. Say it and ask.
- How they’d handle a specific moment. Bedtime refusal, a scraped knee, a homework meltdown. You’re listening for calm, not a script.
- References. Helpers aren’t required to give them, but many will offer a family they’ve worked with here.
- A short first booking. Two hours while you’re home. It answers more than any message can.
The profile tells you what we checked. The first booking tells you whether your kids run to the door.
