Babysitting agencies in St. Louis aim to take stress out of child care

St. Louis Post-Dispatch - 2/22/2020

Feb. 21--1 of 7

Babysitter Rachel Romano, 25, helps the three Daniel children with their sticker books on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020, at the home of Chris and Ashleigh Daniel in Eureka. Romano is a babysitter with a local agency called STL Sitter that matches babysitters with families. The kids are from left: Evie Claire, 3; Decker, 3; and Mary Catherine, 2. Photo by J.B. Forbes, jforbes@post-dispatch.com

J.B. Forbes

Babysitter Rachel Romano, 25, helps Mary Catherine Daniel, 2, into her chair for lunch on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020, at the home of Chris and Ashleigh Daniel in Eureka. Romano is a babysitter with a local agency called STL Sitter that matches babysitters with families. Photo by J.B. Forbes, jforbes@post-dispatch.com

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STL Sitter takes the worry out of finding a baby sitter

STL Sitter assistant manager Kathy Dempsey, at right, takes a photo of new sitter Emma Taylor, 20, on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020 at STL Sitter in University City. STL Sitter matches families with baby sitters. Taylor had finished the interviewing process and passed the background checks to become a sitter for STL Sitter. Her photo is going to be added to the STL Sitter website. Photo by J.B. Forbes, jforbes@post-dispatch.com

J.B. Forbes

STL Sitter takes the worry out of finding a baby sitter

STL Sitter assistant manager Kathy Dempsey, at left, goes over the rules for new sitter Emma Taylor, 20, on Thursday, Feb. 20, 2020 at STL Sitter in University City. STL Sitter matches families with baby sitters. Taylor had finished the interviewing process and passed the background checks to become a sitter for STL Sitter. Photo by J.B. Forbes, jforbes@post-dispatch.com

J.B. Forbes

STL Sitter matches babysitters with parents in need

Babysitter Rachel Romano, 25, shows Decker Daniel, 3, how good his lunch is on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020, at the home of Chris and Ashleigh Daniel in Eureka. In the background is Decker's twin sister Evie Claire Daniel, 3. Romano is a babysitter with a local agency called STL Sitter that matches babysitters with families. Photo by J.B. Forbes, jforbes@post-dispatch.com

J.B. Forbes

STL Sitter matches babysitters with parents in need

Babysitter Rachel Romano, 25, plays with Mary Catherine Daniel, 2, and her race cars on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020, at the home of Chris and Ashleigh Daniel in Eureka. Romano is a babysitter with a local agency called STL Sitter that matches babysitters with families. Photo by J.B. Forbes, jforbes@post-dispatch.com

J.B. Forbes

STL Sitter matches babysitters with parents in need

Babysitter Rachel Romano, 25, has to referee when the three Daniel children all wanted to ride in the dump truck that was only big enough for one on Monday, Feb. 17, 2020, at the home of Chris and Ashleigh Daniel in Eureka. Romano is a babysitter with a local agency called STL Sitter that matches babysitters with families. The children are from left: Decker, 3; Mary Catherine, 2; and Evie Claire, 3. Photo by J.B. Forbes, jforbes@post-dispatch.com

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"I had so much help in the beginning," said Anderson, who lives in Ladue. "But after six months, the novelty wore off."

She found herself in a predicament familiar to countless parents who have to scramble to find affordable, reliable care for their children. There's not a babysitter shortage, exactly. Parents can ask for recommendations from friends or sift through thousands of profiles on job board websites like Care.com or SitterCity. And there's always the neighbor kid down the street.

But those options often fall short in two areas: convenience and quality. Virtual connections are unvetted, for both the caregiver and the family. Popular dates -- big holidays or even just Saturday nights -- can require multiple phone calls or text chains to find an available sitter. If a sitter doesn't show, the parents are stuck. If parents don't pay as promised, the sitter is stuck.

To alleviate those headaches, babysitting agencies have inserted themselves as middlemen, building up a stable of background-checked and CPR-trained sitters, establishing a consistent pricing structure and using technology to streamline scheduling.

Anderson had tapped out friends and family and had been deluged with résumés on Care.com when she heard about University City-based STL Sitter last year. She pays a $75 annual membership fee and $10 for each job she books. In exchange, she knows an experienced babysitter will show up at her door, on time, every time.

Anderson calls the agency a "sanity saver."

"It's changed my life," she said. "It's one less thing I have to worry about."

STL Sitter has mushroomed since it opened in 2015. At the end of its first year, the agency had 10 sitters and about two dozen parent members. Today, about 450 babysitters -- mostly college students -- care for the children of more than 2,000 families.

"Expectations for sitters are higher, and that's directly related to 'mom guilt,'" said founder Morgan Clark. "Our goal is to take the hard part out of the day-to-day hustle of being a parent."

She modeled the business after a similar agency she nannied for while attending Ohio State University. When she moved back to St. Louis, she worked in real estate and coached high school field hockey but kept getting asked to babysit.

"That's what gave me the confidence that there was such a need," said Clark.

Changing norms

The child care landscape has changed dramatically in the past two decades. The industry is finally catching up to the fact that most mothers work outside the home, said Caroline Westnitzer of the International Nanny Association. Fewer families live in the same place as their extended relatives. And parents' standards are higher.

"Families want an extra set of hands, a higher-caliber sitter who can help with homework, not just plop kids in front of a TV on a Friday night," said Westnitzer.

When Sharon Graff founded TLC for Kids with her sister, Stephanie, 35 years ago, parents were initially hesitant to let a third party choose who took care of their children.

"Now, people talk about having a nanny as a normal thing. Now, nannies are treated as professionals," said Graff.

TLC for Kids has expanded from St. Louis into six other cities, including four in Florida, where Sharon Graff is based. The biggest demand for the agency today, she said, comes from businesses that want a perk for their employees, offering backup care for when a child gets sick or their usual sitter has an emergency.

That practice hasn't gained a toehold in St. Louis -- yet -- but Graff sees it eventually becoming an established corporate benefit. TLC also books long-term nannies for clients, connects babysitters to hotels, convention centers and churches for special occasions, and matches sitters to families for individual jobs.

Because of the range of its services, "we cast a wide net to find sitters," Graff said, recruiting retirees as well as millennials.

STL Sitter focuses its recruitment efforts almost exclusively on college campuses, though anyone 18 or older can go through the application process. Sitters have an extensive checklist to complete: references, résumé, in-person interview, written evaluation and background check. They must own a car and become CPR certified.

Once hired, sitters post their availability. Parents request a date and receive a list of available sitters. They make their selection, and the chosen sitter receives a notification with the details of the job.

The hourly rate starts at $12 and increases based on the number of children; sometimes "surge" pricing is in effect for high-demand dates such as New Year's Eve and Valentine's Day. Parents who cancel pay a fee; sitters who don't show have their account terminated.

"The most important aspect is accountability," said Clark. "If anything happens, we step in and make it right."

The sitters are considered independent contractors, similar to Uber drivers. Parents pay them directly; they are responsible for their own taxes.

For Erin Gallagher, a junior at St. Louis University, the flexibility of the job has been the biggest perk.

Gallagher had done a lot of sitting in high school in Alabama but didn't know anyone in St. Louis when she moved here. She wanted a babysitting job she could count on but that also fit around her other commitments.

Since she started with STL Sitter almost three years ago, she has taken on semester-long jobs, watching a 5- and 7-year-old every morning before class. When she needs extra spending money, she adds weekends to her availability.

Gallagher estimates she has worked for 50 families. Because they are all members, she feels comfortable walking into the homes of people she hasn't met.

"I liked the personal aspect," she said. "It eased my mind. It eased my parents' minds."

Colleen Schrappen --314-340-8072 @cschrappen on Twitter cschrappen@post-dispatch.com

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