This coming weekend, we’re waiving the membership fee and opening Care.com to everyone. If you need care for your loved ones, pets, and home, check out the great things Care.com does - for free.

Starting Friday morning and running through Sunday night, everyone who visits Care.com can connect with local caregivers, see their full profiles, and even request background checks for free. It’s a great way to kickoff the summer care search!

Plenty of people have asked me (in person and here in the comments) if there’s a way they can see the benefits of Care.com for free. I’ve talked about many things we do - making it easy for parents to find care, listing pre-screened caregivers, and providing a service that’s safe and secure but the best way to understand how Care.com works is to use it for yourself! I’m happy to offer that experience to thousands of families across the country.

We picked the last weekend in April to be our Free Weekend on purpose, too, because we know families are now starting to look for summer care. Spring cleaning is in full swing, the kids will be out of school, and upcoming vacations mean the house and pets need looking after. For many, this is the perfect time to see how Care.com works, start contacting local caregivers, and adding to a “My Favorites” list so you have plenty of options for the next few months.

Here’s how you can get involved in the Free Weekend:

Become a Care.com Member
If you’re not already part of the best place to connect to care on the web, sign up today as a Basic Member.

Mark Your Calendar
Starting at midnight (PDT) on Friday morning, April 24, everyone will be able to not only search Care.com for nearby caregivers, but also message any caregiver on our site. If you find someone you like, you can also request a free background check.

Invite Your Friends
Already a Care.com member? Or do you know someone who could use a weekend-long membership? Make sure they know about the Free Weekend—tell them it’s happening!

Sign On and Connect
This Free Weekend is, of course, just a weekend long. On Sunday, April 26, at 11:59pm (PDT), it’s over. Our hope is that when it ends, everyone who’s visited our site will have connected with a great babysitter, nanny, and or caregiver and seen what we’re all about. So make full use of the freebie and start your summer search!

Tell your friends! And let me know what you think in the comments.