About Us

Our vision...

For children... Research has shown that children who have more than two consistent adult role models in their lives grow up to be more emotionally, academically, and socially balanced and successful than peers with fewer adults. In a society of single-parent households, grandparents who live out-of-state, teachers who are only with students for a year, coaches who are only with players for a season, etc. - it can be difficult to ensure your child is building meaningful relationships with adult role models.

Seminole Sitters recognizes the value of the time we spend with your children. As much as possible, we strive to introduce your family to as few sitters as possible, and ask our sitters to make a long-term commitment to the staff, so they can truly pour into children's lives and develop their trust and overall well-being.

For parents... We understand that leaving your children with a babysitter is not always easy, and our goal is to provide you with peace-of-mind while you're away. This means open access to your sitter's resume, references, certifications and background checks - and the freedom to interview and investigate them yourself, as well.

We also believe that healthy marriages mean healthier children, and want to encourage parents to invest time in one another, for the sake of the entire family. On Valentine's Day 2011, we kicked off our Strong Marriage Campaign, encouraging parents to spend time with each other and keep their marriages healthy and strong.

For sitters... We ask sitters to make a long-term commitment to families because we know it will bless the children and parents, but also because we know it will bless the sitters. Many on our staff are undergraduate or graduate students at the local colleges and universities, and we want to get them off the campus and into the community, in an effort to engage them with all Tallahassee has to offer. We hope to provide a safe and joyful environment for them to increase their experience working with children and send them off with a gem on their resume and a letter of recommendation in hand. Many of our "retired" sitters have continuing communication with the families they served, and we encourage these extended relationships, as it contributes to our vision for the children.

A history of Seminole Sitters...

Mary Mangan accepted her first babysitting job when she was thirteen years old, caring for a neighbor's toddler. She was among the youngest to become CPR and First Aid certified in her area, and continued to babysit long after she moved to Tallahassee in 2003 to study Developmental (Child) Psychology at Florida State University. Soon after moving to the Big Bend, Mary accepted a position as lead teacher in the four-year-old class of a local preschool.

Unfortunately, the Tallahassee preschool proved to be sub-par, and Mary realized an important need that existed in the area for dependable and trustworthy childcare. The better preschools had long waiting lists, and nearly all Tallahassee nannies were temporary because they often moved away after graduating from the local universities. She waited until her students transitioned to kindergarten, then set out on her own to see how she could help.

As her reputation as a reliable Tallahassee babysitter and nanny grew, so did her demand. She hated turning families down, so Mary compiled a list of other local sitters and passed on jobs to them; this noncompetitive attitude gained her the trust of other local sitters while ensuring that no family was left in a jam.

Upon graduating in 2007, Mary focused on expanding her business. Mary's Childcare Services was renamed and incorporated, becoming Seminole Sitters, LLC.

Seminole Sitters today...

Seminole Sitters is as revolutionary and necessary as it has ever been. It is a new kind of babysitting agency. Tallahassee babysitters commit to a long-term relationship with both Seminole Sitters and the families they serve, instead of simply being placed with families; this allows Mary to ensure the utmost level of quality.

The majority of our business comes from word-of-mouth references; we are the only award-winning babysitters in town, and we are undoubtedly the best babysitters Tallahassee has to offer. In 2010, we volunteered over 50 hours to benefit events like the Fight for Air Walk (benefiting the American Lung Association) and the Buddy Walk (benefiting the Down Syndrome Association of Tallahassee). For Christmas, we joined in giving with our families and sponsored over 50 children in the Guardian ad Litem program. We also regularly donate free babysitting for local school fundraisers and charity auctions.

Seminole Sitters is here to stay, and hopes to become a positive part of your family's history, too!

Fight for Air Walk (April 10, 2010)		Buddy Walk (September 11, 2010)