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Meal preparation & homemaking caregiver needed in California, CA
$20.00/hr offeredPosted Oct 2, 2026
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Boulder Creek, California · Santa Cruz County
Caregiver Jobs in Boulder Creek, CA
Boulder Creek has an older population, and the county IHSS registry says it lacks providers who will work in the San Lorenzo Valley. Build a free profile; the postings above update as families publish them.
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Finding in-home caregiver jobs in Boulder Creek
Boulder Creek is an unincorporated census-designated place in Santa Cruz County, so it has no city council or mayor; at the county level the Fifth District supervisor represents it. In the ACS 2020–2024 estimates it had 4,632 residents with a median age of 47.9, and 1,385 of them, 29.9%, were 65 or older. More than half of its 2,016 households (54.6%) include someone 65 or over, and in 354 of them a person 65 or older lives alone. The typical job follows from that: an older resident in a single-family house (90.6% of homes here are detached) who wants to keep living there with a few hours of help a day.
The county has said in writing where it needs people. Its IHSS Public Authority, which keeps the provider registry, lists a shortage of registry providers "willing to work in the San Lorenzo Valley or Santa Cruz Mountain communities." If you live in the 95006 ZIP code, open your profile with that fact. If you live elsewhere, say plainly how far up Highway 9 you will drive and on which days. Residents here average a 37.4-minute trip to work and only 1.0% commute by bus, so families will expect you to arrive by car, although a weekday METRO express runs up from Soquel Avenue and Front Street in Santa Cruz.
About 11.6% of Boulder Creek's labor force was unemployed, on average, between August 2025 and August 2026, according to EDD estimates, compared with 6.0% for Santa Cruz County and 5.3% for California. EDD estimates small places like this from county totals, so treat the figure as approximate. It is one reason steady local care work counts here: IHSS pays a county wage to providers who live close to their clients, and the Santa Cruz County IHSS guide explains how to enroll.
Live postings
Families looking for private caregivers near Boulder Creek, CA
Real postings from families on CaregiverConnect, matched to Boulder Creek by distance. 1 caregiver within 50 miles already have profiles here.
Showing 1 of 1 open posting within 50 miles of Boulder Creek, newest first. Family names and care-recipient details are shown after you sign in. Postings are removed from this page as soon as a family hires or closes them.
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Types of caregiver jobs
Types of caregiver jobs in Boulder Creek
Expect requests for a morning visit to help with bathing and dressing, meal preparation and medication reminders, rides down the valley to appointments, and company for a resident who lives alone. Some households want a longer weekly block so a spouse can rest. Newer caregivers usually start with errands, cooking, light housework and companionship, and add personal care after training. The registry also asks for providers with experience caring for clients with a G-tube or tracheostomy, so say so if you have it.
Senior caregiving · Personal care · Companion care · Dementia care · Respite care · Live-in · Overnight · Part-time and full-time
Pay
Caregiver pay in Boulder Creek: how much caregivers make
Public figures first, then what they mean for private work. Statistics describe employed aides across the Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA metro (Santa Cruz County); private rates on CaregiverConnect are agreed between each caregiver and family and are not tracked by any agency.
| Measure | Hourly | Source and coverage |
|---|---|---|
| Home health and personal care aides, Santa Cruz–Watsonville, CA metro (Santa Cruz County) | $16.50 median ($18.14 mean) | BLS OEWS, May 2025; 4,470 jobs; concentration 1.64× national |
| IHSS provider wage, Santa Cruz County | $20.90 | CDSS; effective January 1, 2026 |
| California minimum wage | $16.90 | effective January 1, 2026 |
Who is the employer. A family that hires you directly is your employer under California's Domestic Worker Bill of Rights. The state minimum wage ($16.90 an hour from 1 January 2026; some cities set more, for example $17.75 in the City of San Diego) is the legal floor, and a personal attendant earns overtime at 1.5× after 9 hours in a day or 45 in a week. The main exceptions are IHSS recipients and an employer's own parent, spouse or child. Source: California DIR, Domestic Worker Bill of Rights FAQ.
Boulder Creek has no wage law of its own; as an unincorporated community it falls under the state $16.90, and the UC Berkeley Labor Center inventory lists no ordinance for the area. The BLS figures are county-wide, since BLS does not publish a town this small. IHSS in Santa Cruz County has paid $20.90 since January 1, 2026, which is a sensible floor for private personal care too. Price the driving into your rate: a mountain client often means a long round trip for a short shift, so ask for a minimum visit length or mileage. Overtime under the Domestic Worker Bill of Rights starts after nine hours in a day or 45 in a week.
How to enroll as a provider in Santa Cruz County, with the office phone lines and orientation steps, is in the IHSS Santa Cruz County guide. IHSS wages for every county we cover, with effective dates, are in the IHSS pay by county guide.
How the public numbers relate to private rates, and what affects them, is covered in the caregiver pay guide.
Rules
Caregiver requirements in California, applied to Boulder Creek
A Boulder Creek family that hires you directly for non-medical help needs no license from you. Agency jobs require a listing on the state Home Care Aide Registry, which is voluntary if you work on your own. For IHSS you enroll through the county Public Authority: fill in the provider details online, view the mandatory provider videos and e-sign the forms, then schedule an in-person orientation where you bring your original Social Security card and ID, collect the Live Scan form and meet SEIU 2015. Fingerprinting carries a fee, and you need a new IHSS check even if another employer has fingerprinted you. Joining the registry is a further step, with professional references and an interview. Paid caregivers are mandated reporters under WIC section 15630. See the California requirements guide.
Local resources
Training and career resources near Boulder Creek
Training, job help and local contacts for Boulder Creek caregivers, each checked on its own website on October 16, 2026.
- IHSS Public Authority registry applicationCall (831) 454-4036 and ask for the registry application; it is mailed to you and goes back with professional references. A Public Authority social worker interviews applicants and builds referral lists matched to each recipient, including by location.
- Cabrillo College CNA programA 160-hour course (60 classroom, 100 clinical) run with the county Office of Education, with 15 places a semester. Tuition is free, and a grant reimburses program costs with receipts on completion. The one orientation for both spring 2027 sessions is November 5, 2026, 5 to 7 p.m.
- Mountain Community Resources, Felton6134 Highway 9, Felton, 831-335-6600. A Community Bridges center for San Lorenzo Valley and Scotts Valley residents, with drop-in advocacy and help enrolling in CalFresh, unemployment and Medi-Cal.
- Capitola Career Center2045 40th Avenue, Suite B, Capitola, (831) 464-6286, weekdays 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Workforce Santa Cruz County runs job search workshops and CalJOBS help here at no cost.
- Boulder Creek Branch Library13390 West Park Avenue, 831-427-7703. A place to use a computer for applications, and one of the stops on Dominican Hospital's free Mobile Wellness Clinic route.
- METRO Routes 35 and 35XThe 35X, the Santa Cruz/Boulder Creek Express, runs on weekdays; Route 35 adds weekend trips. Both pass Cavallaro Transit Center in Scotts Valley and Highlands Park. Local fare $2.00.
The area
Boulder Creek in numbers
ACS 2020–2024 counts 1,014 Boulder Creek residents aged 65 to 74, 341 aged 75 to 84 and 30 aged 85 or older. Among residents 65 and over, 22.1% report a disability. Nearly half of households (48.8%) receive Social Security and 34.1% have retirement income. Homes are mostly owner-occupied (76.5%), with a median value of $849,900 and a median gross rent of $1,907; median household income is $84,156. English dominates: 11.0% of residents speak another language at home, 4.4% Spanish. On the CDSS licensing file of May 2025, no residential care home for the elderly and no home care organization gives a 95006 address, so care here happens in private homes.
The county keeps a presence on Highway 9: the Boulder Creek Sheriff's Service Center at 13210 Central Avenue hosts the Fifth District supervisor's in-district office hours, next on October 22, 2026. For hospital work, Dominican Hospital at 1555 Soquel Drive in Santa Cruz is a general acute care hospital with 222 licensed beds (HCAI). Nearby pages: Ben Lomond, the City of Santa Cruz and the Santa Cruz County hub.
How it works
How to find private caregiver jobs in Boulder Creek (no agency)
CaregiverConnect is a marketplace, not an agency. Families post what they need, caregivers apply, and the two of you work out the arrangement directly.
- Tell us about your experience
- Set your availability and rate
- Create your account
- Browse, apply or respond
- Agree on the details
Applying to open postings and starting a new conversation are part of Caregiver Premium ($7.99/month, cancel anytime). Replying to a family who contacts you is always free. CaregiverConnect takes no cut of what you earn.
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Widen your search
Caregiver jobs near Boulder Creek
Families often post from neighbouring towns. Set your travel radius in your profile and you will appear in their searches too.
Boulder Creek is part of Santa Cruz County; the hub pages list every town and area they cover.
- Caregiver jobs in Ben Lomond, CA5 mi
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Elsewhere in Santa Cruz County: Watsonville
Guides
Useful reading
How to become a caregiver in California: requirements, HCA registry, IHSS and CNA explained · How much do caregivers make in California and Arizona? BLS, IHSS and minimum wage (2026) · Private caregiver jobs near you: how to find them without an agency · Caregiver interview preparation: questions families ask and how to answer them
Sources (checked 2026-10-16):
- California EDD, Local Area Unemployment Statistics (LAUS), sub-county places, 12-month average August 2025 to August 2026
- U.S. Census Bureau, ACS 2020–2024 5-year profiles DP02–DP05, Boulder Creek CDP (GEOID 0607652)
- U.S. Census Bureau, glossary: census designated place
- BLS OEWS May 2025, Santa Cruz-Watsonville, CA
- CDSS, IHSS wages by county
- UC Berkeley Labor Center, inventory of local minimum wage ordinances
- California DIR, minimum wage FAQ
- Santa Cruz County HSD, IHSS registry applications (San Lorenzo Valley shortage)
- Santa Cruz County HSD, enroll as an IHSS provider
- Santa Cruz County HSD, IHSS provider background check
- Cabrillo College, Certified Nursing Assistant program
- Community Bridges, Mountain Community Resources
- Workforce Santa Cruz County, career centers
- Santa Cruz Public Libraries, branches
- Santa Cruz METRO, Route 35X and Route 35
- County of Santa Cruz, Fifth District Supervisor
- CDSS Community Care Licensing open data (RCFE and HCO files, May 2025)
- HCAI facility profile, Dominican Hospital
Questions
Caregiver jobs in Boulder Creek: frequently asked questions
Is there IHSS work in Boulder Creek?
The county says so directly: its IHSS registry is short of providers willing to work in the San Lorenzo Valley and the mountain communities. Enroll as a provider first, then call (831) 454-4036 for the registry application so recipients near you can be referred.
What does IHSS pay a Boulder Creek provider?
$20.90 an hour, the Santa Cruz County rate since January 1, 2026. The rate follows the county where the client lives, so a client in Boulder Creek is paid at the Santa Cruz County rate wherever you live.
Can I get to Boulder Creek clients by bus?
Some of them. The weekday 35X express and Route 35 link the RiverFront stop in Santa Cruz and Cavallaro Transit Center in Scotts Valley with Highway 9 stops, but households away from the highway are hard to reach without a car. Check the stop list before you accept a shift.
Where can I train as a CNA from here?
Cabrillo College runs the county CNA course with the Office of Education. Places are limited to 15 a semester, so attend the November 5, 2026 orientation if you want a spring 2027 seat.
Who helps with benefits while I build up hours?
Mountain Community Resources in Felton helps valley residents apply for CalFresh, Medi-Cal and unemployment benefits, and the Capitola Career Center offers free job search workshops.
Where do Boulder Creek families post?
On the Boulder Creek family page. Requests posted there or nearby in the county appear in the listings at the top of this page.
Ready to find caregiver work in Boulder Creek?
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