“I never got in trouble at work, but it was literally unsustainable,” Ms. Wilson said. “I just wanted to make a company that was for the arts, by the arts, with the arts, with the artist as the help. So I made a list of everything I wanted in a perfect job.”

After hearing colleagues at Morgan Stanley lament the dearth of good sitters, Ms. Wilson approached her boss, who helped her launch Sitters Studio.

…Television and surfing the Internet are strongly discouraged and, for the most part, prohibited. Both Ms. Darin and Ms. Wilson make sure their sitters know how best to play to their own artistic strengths, but are also prepared with back-up plans.

…They employ more performing artists than visual artists, which reflects the demographic in New York and also the owners’ interests. Ms. Wilson explained that the makeup is reversed in her hometown of Chicago, where she operates a second Sitters Studio, managing 30 to 40 artisitters remotely.

Part of that is recognizing that the artisitters need support in their efforts to become professional artists. Ms. Wilson’s Sitters Studio has three studios in its new office on West 30th Street, and some of the sitters use them to run their own theater companies, or just to warm up before auditions.

Ms. Wilson joked that artistic baby-sitting is a natural fit for New York City, where young artists looking for work can hook up with a clientele base in search of credentialed, creative sitters.

By LAURA HEDLI
Wall Street Journal
December 29, 2011

Because every parent knows that a good babysitter is hard to find. One that will have a Friday or Saturday night free in the first place. One that won’t call or text – last minute – to say she’s sick, can’t make it, is still waiting for the bus and won’t be there for at least another half hour. One experienced enough to handle a baby and keep an older kid in check. Then if he or she does come, I find myself kissing the kids goodbye and hoping, just hoping, that they won’t burn down the home while we’re out. And then, while we’re out, I’m stuck checking my cell phone for missed calls and answering texts with such statements as, “Yes, 6 ounces of formula” or “No, he does have a bedtime, 9pm,” and hoping that they’re not watching another movie like Snakes on A Plane like he did once with one particular babysitter. Sigh.

Enter Sitters Studio, a relatively new babysitting service that is expanding from New York into Chicago. Pick the babysitter that best matches your children’s ages, activity levels and interests and Sitters Studio will send them your way. For out of town guests, they’ll be happy to send a sitter to your hotel!

All sitters are artists-in-training by profession (a.k.a. in local art college students), have childcare experience and have undergone a rigorous qualification process; some sitters even specialize in multiples and early infant care. Best of all, each sitter arrives with a tote full of artistic toys and craft supplies – especially useful for out of town guest staying in hotels who haven’t brought along a toy chest.

Posted on October 24, 2011 by tiramisumom
Chicago Like Local
http://chicagolikealocal.com/2011/10/24/chicago-babysitters-for-out-of-towners/#more-1781

Click here to read more: http://www.nyreport.com/node/81801

Gather: Cup, Water, Masking tape
Directions: Tape a finish line to the floor or sidewalk and give your toddler a cup that is nearly full of water. The challenge is to walk to the line, spilling as little as possible.
… Also try these extra challenges:
• Increase the challenge by holding a cup of water in each hand.
• Walk around an obstacle with the cup of water.
• Compare by carrying an empty cup and talk about the difference.
• Walk together holding cups of water.

Siobhan is a theater singer/actress in opera and musical theatre and a voice teacher from Baltimore, Maryland. She moved to New York 5 years ago to further pursue her singing/teaching. She has a B.M.A. from the University of Michigan in Voice performance and History (with high honors) and an M.M. from Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore. Siobhan has extensive experience with newborns and has taught at Montessori. She is also on faculty at the American Musical and Dramatic Academy and Turtle Bay Music School. She loves singing to children and helping them to develop their own voices.

Katherine is a professional musical theater performer and voice, piano, and theater arts teacher who adores working with children. She graduated from Plymouth State University with a BA in Music Theater Performance. Katherine has toured the country and the world performing with Sesame Street Live, Disney Cruise Lines, and others, and has been delighting children the world over. Katherine is profoundly dedicated to bringing the joys and practical gifts of music, dance, and theater arts to kids!

She finally landed a full-time job, working as an executive assistant at Morgan Stanley. Lucky to have a boss that let her attend auditions and rehearsals during the work day, she tried to achieve a balance. But the stress of leading a double life was getting to her. “Sometimes, I was rehearsing from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., but always checking in with the office,” Wilson recalled.
During a rehearsal break, her light-bulb moment struck. “I decided to start the company that I wished I worked for,” she said. “I wanted people to have completely flexible schedules and create a community of artists to support each other.”

That company is Sitters Studio. Today, Sitters Studio has offices in Union Square and Chicago. Wilson’s “artisitters” are all college-educated artists, musicians and actors with extensive childcare experience. Sitters Studio provides 24-hour service to families, hotels, corporate meeting planners and can even accompany families on vacation. Sitters submit their schedules online and Wilson’s team of four full-timers match them up with babysitting jobs.

“This is a great pairing,” she said. “I know parents need good sitters. All the executives I worked for were always complaining about how hard it was to find a good babysitter.”
Determined to succeed despite her lack of business experience, Wilson asked her former boss to review her business plan. She also brainstormed with marketing executives at the brokerage. “Key players at the company would ask me really tough questions.”

In April 2006, Wilson built a website and started looking for sitters. “I went to all my friends who were babysitting and said ‘I have this hairbrained idea. If it works can I call you?”
Soon after Wilson launched the website, UrbanBaby.com posted a story about Sitters Studio. “One morning, I logged on and we had 800 visitors,” Wilson recalled. “By the end of the day, there were thousands of visitors.”

Business increased enough for her to quit her day job in April 2007. Today, about 100 artists and actors work for Sitters Studio, which she said will post revenues of about $1 million this year.

The company streamlines the process by booking jobs online or over the phone. Clients pay via credit card. “The majority of our residential customers are repeat users who use us about twice a month,” said Wilson. Luxury hotels including the Ritz Carlton and the Mandarin Oriental also call on Sitter Studio sitters for guests traveling with kids.
Rates vary depending on the job, but most sitters earn about $18 an hour in Chicago and $22 an hour in NYC. They also rely on tips. If they pass various tests on learning and development, they can make more per hour, Wilson said.

If clients balk at the price, she explains that Sitter Studio is “very different than finding a local high school kid” to babysit. “We are an agency,” she said. “We are insured. We do background checks and require sitters to have a college degree.” Sitters Studio sitters are also trained in CPR.

Voice teacher Siobhan Kolker is an actor and singer who teaches voice at the college level. During the school year, she works on Saturday nights, but during the summer, she is more available to babysit. “They (Sitters Studio) give us a lot of benefits, including a discounted membership at a gym,” said Kolker.

“I love to work with children and it’s a fun way for me to earn some extra money,” said Kolker who had five assignments the week we spoke.

“It’s so flexible. If I want to, I can go on vacation with a family,” said Kolker, who sings to her charges and helps them write songs, usually about themselves. She said she loves Wilson’s vision for the business. “I’m impressed by how they’ve been growing this small business,” she said. “There is a real mission to encourage (creative) play time. Kids are doing something creative.”

By Jane Applegate President & CEO
The Applegate Group Inc., The Great Ideas Network

July 25th, 2011

Marilyn is a Chicago-born singer and actress as well as an Illinois certified early childhood teacher. She is currently working on recording her first vocal album and performs at venues across the Chicago Metropolitan area. Marilyn earned her Master’s of Education in instructional leadership with a specialty in early childhood education from the University of Illinois-Chicago. She also holds a Bachelor of Arts in sociology with a minor in Spanish from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign. Marilyn’s goal is to promote creative expression by generating projects and collaborations in music and theatre and to inspire families to incorporate the arts in every activity imaginable.