It's one of the biggest challenges a partent faces -- finding the right person to take care of your kids when you can't be at home.

There's no easy way to find good child care. It takes time, a personal relationsip, and a critical eye. But there are some new, high-tech methods, that can save parents a lot of time and worry.

"You're just trying to do the best thing for your kid," says mother Kim Hagstette.

She has two little ones, 4-year-old Macy and 1-year-old Levi. Kim works from home, so she's around to take care of her kids. She even brings them along on certain business meetings. But she says that's getting old.

"So either we're going to meetings, and when they're sleeping I'm on the computer trying to get some work done. So I just realized, you know, it would be really nice to have someone dedicated to come into the house and just play with them. Just spend one-on-one time with my son and daughter and just play with them, but we're just having a really hard time finding that person."

Kim's in the same situation as tens of thousands of Portland area parents. Parents who, more often, are turning to the internet to find good child care.

Eric Westrom-KTVB

There are dozens of sites offering just that, but Rhiannon Martin with Childcare Resource and Referral of Multnomah County says it's difficult to figure out which ones are the best.

"People don't know where to look," Martin says. "They don't know what questions to ask."

Martin suggests parents go directly to the State of Oregon.

For referrals, including available child care providers, the tate operates a Web site that includes a listing, by zip code, of licensed providers who have had complete background checks.

You can find the database on-line at: Oregonchildcare.org You can also call for a referral, or for information about a provider. The service is toll-free, at 1-800-342-6712.

Many parents are using Craigslist, but as Kim found out, it can cause a lot of problems.

"Now Craigslist is so much more popular I can't imagine how many hits I would get. It would just be overwhelming," Kim says. "So then you're doing things like, well, how well do they spell?"

So Kim turned to a newer site, called urbanMamas.com. It allows users to post requests for child care, and get responses from providers in the Portland/Vancouver area. But since the site is new, it can sometimes take days to get responses.

And Martin warns, private sites don't give parents all the information they might need.

"Just make sure that you're still investigating the providers," Martin says. "Make sure that you are asking them any question that you can think of. That you're paying close attention to your gut. If you walk into their home are you comfortable? Is your child comfortable?"

Kim worries about her choice.

"You're opening up your home to somebody, and you don't know ... just your mind goes some really crazy places when you're giving your child and your home to someone."

The State of Oregon also has a complaint database, where parents can write in and disclose problems with child care providers they've used in the past. You can search the database at: This link, or you can call toll-free at 1-800-556-6616.