I'd like to hire a 12 year old to play with my 3-1/2 year old daughter for 2-3 hours twice a month on Saturdays. I WOH 50+ hours/week and my husband is often on-call. I'd have her help when DH is on-call. I'd use the time to crank some work out (meal prep, finally get to the bottom of my paperwork abyss, laundry, etc.) so I can focus on my daughter outside of those few hours.

This particular girl could grow into a date night and/or summertime babysitter. Her responsibilities at this time would be to keep my daughter safe, play with her, and work with her/encourage her to pick up any toys/activities they use.

Have you used a mother's helper like this before? What advice do you have to make this arrangement successful? Also, what would you pay? The girl will not have any experience but will be taking the Red Cross babysitting course. They live nearby and we'll split transportation duties with her family.