So just who are these sitter “scouts”?

The story of SitterScout began in 2008 when I was trying to find sitters for the holiday events on my calendar. After making my 5th phone call, with no luck, I thought there had to be a better way. Calling a sitter, leaving a message and waiting for a return call felt so 1990s! I thought: “Wouldn’t it be great if I could go online, see all my sitters at once and have the internet do the work for me?”

There’d be no more waiting, and no more sitter social-awkwardness. Should I call sitter #2 before I heard back from sitter #1, just in case? What if they both accepted? Yikes!

I was sure this service must exist somewhere online. I scoured the web to find it— to no avail – and thus the idea for SitterScout was born. It started with the simple idea of providing an easy way to schedule my own sitters, but my friends quickly realized there was more to the story.

In my neighborhood, other parents were the best source of finding great sitters and were willing to share, so I decided to incorporate this networking right into SitterScout. I trusted certain friends and knew that if they liked a sitter, I would as well. Now parents can meet more babysitters through their network of friends and through their babysitters, too, giving them more options than ever when they need them. Best of all, it removes the uncertainty of trying an unknown sitter.

Like many of you, I lead a hectic life as a mom to two busy kids who are growing up way too quickly for my liking – Liam, who amazes me with his endless curiosity and fun outlook on life, and Meredith, who inspires me with her confidence and sense of adventure. I’m lucky to be married to a man who constantly cheers me on. You can find me up late at night folding large piles of laundry that I should have gotten to earlier in the day.

In late 2009, my friend Katie Boland came aboard as our Scout Master, dedicated to matching parents with great babysitters and helping sitters find more opportunities to earn money doing what they love. Katie has a unique point of view and a passion for helping to connect sitters with the best opportunities. Growing up, Katie was a very active sitter in her neighborhood. She worked as a nanny in college and later became a teacher. Her insights into what’s important to sitters have been invaluable!

Katie is mother to two active kiddos. Her sparkly daughter Liddy keeps her on her toes and warms her heart with her infectious smile. Son John entertains her with his silly antics and love for pepperoni pizza (with the pepperoni pulled off, of course!) Katie has a very tall husband by her side, who shares in all the fun and craziness of life. Katie sometimes finds herself obsessing over Facebook and often adds too many items to her already crowded To Do lists.

Katie and I hope that if you’re a parent, we can take the hassle out of finding a babysitter and help you get out when you need to. If you’re a sitter, we hope we can make your life easier and keep your babysitting calendar full!

So just who are these sitter “scouts”?

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