Meet Our September Smart Sitting SmartStars
Fall is fully here now, in all its all yellow-leaved, Halloween-outfit-picking glory. As always, our SmartSitters are staying busy, helping families shuttle to school and filling kiddos’ days with adventure and learning. Many of our sitters continue working with families through our partnership with Bright Horizons, filling in when their regular childcare is unavailable. As we’ve been doing all year, we continue to recognize and reward these backup care babysitters through our SmartStars program, with cash bonuses and gratitude galore.
In September, several of the sitters we’ve previously introduced to you have moved up in the ranks of the SmartStars program, based on the number of hours they have worked for families in our Bright Horizons backup care program. Sabrina K., Luke W., Renee G., Shykaylia A., Sarai S., and Sharon M. have all reached our second tier, the Constellation level. Elizabeth S. has put in an impressive 300 hours so far and has reached the third, Zodiac level. We appreciate all the hard work they continue to do for our families in need!
Outstanding Achievements in SmartStar Babysitting!
For the first time this year, one of our SmartSitters reached the Galaxy level. Khiry S., who you first met on the blog in January, has worked an impressive 1,000 backup care hours through Smart Sitting’s Bright Horizons partnership this year.
As a veteran backup care sitter, Khiry sat down with us a few weeks ago to give other sitters his best tips on successfully navigating backup care jobs and how to keep families happy, even when you’ve only known them one day. He pointed out the importance of getting all the details of the routine right from the parents, while also engaging the kids and making it a fun day. Backup care sitters often hop in last-minute for unplanned disruptions to a family’s normal childcare setup, so it is extra important that they are flexible, quick to pick up the details, and always a step ahead in making the family’s kids comfortable and excited about the day. We are excited to see that Khiry gets asked back to so many of his families and are grateful for all the hard work he does for his backup care families.
Brand new SmartStars in September
Meanwhile, we all have to start somewhere. In September, two of our SmartSitters entered the ranks of the SmartStars board for the first time. These sitters are currently at the Shooting Star tier, working a minimum of 75 hours with families through Bright Horizons backup care. We are excited to introduce you to them today!
Shelby C.
I am a born and raised southern belle from Texas and came to New York City to attend NYU Tisch School of the Arts for drama. As an aspiring actor, being playful and energetic is in my nature. This translates very well into being a good caretaker. I truly enjoy childcare and find keeping children safe and entertained to be fulfilling work. My first professional childcare experience was working as a summer camp counselor at the YMCA. That was the summer I found my calling. It was an honor and an absolute pleasure doing arts and crafts, singing camp songs, and playing games with the children I worked with, aged 5-12. I enjoyed helping to transform summer camp into a place of discovery, friendship, and joy for the campers.
After that experience, I worked as a nanny for a family in Manhattan for 3 years. I started when the children were 3-years-old and 6 months old. One of the best memories from that experience was being there as their son learned to walk and talk. I am skilled with all ages; infants, toddlers, and school age. I can also care for multiple children at a time with ease. I wake up every morning with the goal of seizing the day and attempt to assist the children in my care to do the same.
Laura H.
As a high school student in New York City, I remember wanting to find a job to do after school. I applied to an after-school tutoring position at a non-profit called Breakthrough when I was 15, which ignited my passion for working with children. My community at Breakthrough encouraged me to go to Vanderbilt University to pursue teaching. I finished my undergrad with a degree in Education Studies, and I am now earning my masters in Elementary Education at Teachers College. Over the past eight years, I have served as a tutor, camp counselor, babysitter, application coach, mentor, teacher, and childcare provider. I am an expert in bedtime stories and helping homework get done. For two summers, I was the Head Counselor for my high school’s summer camp, which served girls ages 5-13. I have planned and taught 7th grade writing and art for two summers, and also completed practicums for elementary reading, math, and science. As a reading tutor and childcare provider in Nashville, I have worked with toddlers and pre-teens who have disabilities.
As a creative and empathic person, I love drawing, cooking, listening to music, or playing outside. I have a very joyful attitude towards life which has helped me thrive in this profession. Through teaching, I learn new things every day. My childcare philosophy is to help children embrace their unique qualities and to hold space for their emotions. I value handling conflicts restoratively rather than punitively. New York is home to me, and I can't wait to reconnect with families here.
Do you have what it takes to be a SmartStar?
Do you think you have what it takes to be a SmartSitter in our backup care program? Smart Sitting is a babysitting and nanny agency that only brings on the area's top talent to work with our families. Read more about working as a sitter in the backup care program here, then head over to our application to tell us why you’d be a great fit for our network. As always, we love to hear from you via our Facebook or Instagram. You can get more information from us via our newsletter, which is chock full of tips and tricks to navigate your way to an ideal hire and set you up for success in a new nanny role.