Seminole Sitters is a locally-owned, award-winning childcare agency serving Tallahassee and the surrounding areas. Our sitters are 18+ years old, CPR / First Aid certified, and have had years of childcare experience prior to joining Seminole Sitters. They have passed thorough and extensive interviews and background checks.
We also occasionally offer Junior Sitters; these are exceptional high school students with a driver’s license and babysitting experience. They have been vetted and certified like the older sitters, and have been certified through a “Better Babysitting” course. You can book them at a discounted rate as our thanks for providing them an opportunity to gain more child care experience.
Seminole Sitters reserves the right to remove clients from our service if, in our sole discretion, removal is in the best interest of the sitter or Seminole Sitters. This handbook does not in any way obligate you to use our services.
Customary Expectations for Sitters:
The primary responsibility of our sitters is childcare; no housework may be required of them beyond cleaning up after themselves and the children. Sitters are expected to devote their full attention to your children. However, they should leave your home as clean as they found it and will creatively involve children in games to make clean-up time fun. Sitters are able to cook for your children, bathe them, and perform any other tasks specific to their immediate care.
Your sitter may transport your children in a vehicle you provide or her own. If you wish for her to transport your children, it is your responsibility to install any car seats, verify that her driver’s license and vehicle registration are valid, ascertain that her insurance is current and has acceptable coverage, and determine whether vehicle maintenance and cleanliness meet your expectations. If the sitter uses her own vehicle, you should directly reimburse her for miles driven according to the IRS standard mileage rate; Seminole Sitters is happy to help calculate this reimbursement.
Sitters are not permitted to bring others to your home, including other children, without your written permission. If you choose to allow your sitter to bring a helper or other individual, please be aware that these individuals are not affiliated with Seminole Sitters and have not been vetted, background checked, or approved by us.
Sitters should not spends time on the phone, Internet, or watch television while the children are awake. Please communicate your specific expectations directly to your sitter. It is customary to request she only pick up phone calls from Seminole Sitters, you, or a caller you have asked her to intercept. It is also customary to ask she not open the door unless you have asked her to accept a delivery or other expected visitor.
Your instructions will be followed as long as they don’t conflict with company policy or the law. Leave a written schedule or general guidelines for your child’s care. If a sitter is uncomfortable with a request, she should speak openly with you and try to find a compromise.
If your sitter becomes ill or an emergency arises just prior to your appointment, she will contact Seminole Sitters immediately. If one is available, a substitute sitter may be offered as back-up. Unfortunately, we cannot guarantee back-up, but working with our service offers much better chances of having a last-minute substitute sitter.
Children should be treated with courtesy, respect, and patience. Discipline should be administered according to age and understanding level. Infants, toddlers, and very young children should be redirected to an appropriate activity. Older children may be asked to step away from the activity or environment where tensions were occuring (typically one minute per year of age, never to exceed 10 minutes) and the child will not be left unattended. If a child’s behavior becomes a persistent concern, the sitter may make Seminole Sitters aware of the situation and address it with the parents in an effort to resolve it together. A child should never be subjected to physical punishment or shaming, frightening, or humiliating methods, or any type of verbal abuse, threats, derogatory remarks, or deprivation of a meal. Children should never be punished for bathroom/toilet accidents.
Sitters should plan for their own meals and not presume to help themselves to food from your home.
If you would like to have a “nanny cam” in your home, notifying Seminole Sitters or your sitter is optional. However, if it records audio, Florida law requires that your sitter be notified.
We appreciate your feedback! If your sitter is doing something you love, tell her! If you have a concern, bring it to her attention with kindness. If your concern is not addressed to your satisfaction, reach out to us. We hope you'll have experiences that exceed your expectations; please let us know either way! If you choose to tip your stellar sitters, it's up to you! It's not our expectation or requirement, but we are grateful when it happens. Tips should be given directly to your sitter.
Families’ Policies & Pricing:
A consultation with a representative of Seminole Sitters (“enrollment meeting”) must be scheduled before a sitter may care for your children. There is a one-time consultation fee of $50, which includes a complementary introductory membership for four months.
After your introductory membership expires, you will be automatically enrolled in our Monthly Membership at $20, which will renew each month using the payment information on file. If you prefer a different membership, please contact us to switch to our Six-Month Membership for $100 (one month free!) or our Annual Membership for $180 (three months free!). All memberships provide a $2/hour discount on the hourly rate. Memberships automatically renew at the end of their term, and ongoing membership is required in order to book sitters at the discounted rate. Memberships are nonrefundable and must be canceled before your next billing date. You can cancel your membership by clicking "Terminate" under your My Info tab or sending us an email.
Our base rate (without membership) is $22/hour for one child and $3/hour for each additional child; one sitter will care for a maximum of six children (or up to four children if any child is under 12 months old or not yet independently walking). This and all rates are subject to change; we announce adjusted rates with notice through our newsletter and on our website.
Though our sitters have been thoroughly vetted, you have every right to interview her, run your own background checks, and request references. There is a $22 charge to interview a sitter for up to one hour ($33 on premium days); members receive a discounted rate of $20 ($30 on premium days). This fee compensates the sitter for her time. If you would prefer to use a sitter other than one you’ve had previously, please let us know. If you are satisfied with your sitter, she will be sent to you as often as possible to ensure you have someone who knows your household routine and with whom your child is comfortable and feels safe. Families must be aware that this is a goal, not a guarantee; your primary sitter may occasionally be unavailable, and an alternative offered.
The more notice you are able to provide when requesting an appointment, the more likely we are able to offer a familiar sitter (as she may not be booked by others yet). Having a recurring schedule makes it easier to offer a regular sitter. Sitters are typically able to confirm and share their availability one semester at a time. We are closed Sundays.
The Parent Portal will accept requests with at least 48 hours’ notice. In the event you are unable to find an available sitter using the Parent Portal, please e-mail your request to info@SeminoleSitters.com. A $40 rush fee will apply to any requests received within 48 hours of the requested start time.
You’re welcome to discuss schedules and plans with your Seminole Sitter, but an appointment is not confirmed until it is on the schedule. Be sure to book through the Parent Portal or by e-mailing us. As a responsible client, please do not jeopardize your sitter’s position or asperse her integrity by requesting she work for you “under the table.” If you ask a sitter to work directly for you, you will no longer receive services from Seminole Sitters. We work with honest sitters; they do tell us.
Each week on Tuesday, the card on file will be charged for all appointments booked the following week. Once payment has been made, it is nonrefundable. Any unused balance will be credited back to your account and can be used for future babysitting or gifted to others. If you prefer to mail a check or use your financial institution’s Online Bill Pay service, you can prepay the amount of your choosing and we will use that credit instead of the card on file.
Unless you’ve noted otherwise when booking, your sitter will expect to care for all of your children and the nonrefundable charge will reflect this. Your sitter is paid for the full time scheduled, even if she is relieved early. There is a two-hour minimum charge for each appointment (three-hour minimum on premium days).
If you would like for your sitter to care for other children, please contact us before the appointment. Their parents will also need to complete this paperwork, per our insurance policy. We’re happy to split the bill between multiple families.
At the end of each appointment, your sitter will ask you to sign her Appointment Log, agreeing to the times worked and how many children were present. (If only some of your children were cared for, you do not have to pay as if all were present as long as we were notified before we charged for the appointment.) If you wish to tip your sitter, please tip her directly at the end of the appointment.
We understand that life happens and traffic or another delay may keep you from returning home as planned. Please reach out to your sitter as soon as you know you may be delayed. If you are 15 or 30 minutes late, we’ll use any account credit or charge the card on file for the difference. If you are more than 30 minutes late and your sitter did not agree to stay longer, we’ll use any account credit or charge the card on file for the difference and add 20% gratuity for your sitter. If you refuse to sign her Appointment Log to avoid this policy, we’ll understand it to be a refusal of future services. We want to demonstrate respect and appreciation for our sitters’ time.
On premium days, the rate increases by 50%. This enables Seminole Sitters to pay our sitters time-and-a-half on days that are often in high demand or would otherwise mean low sitter availability. Premium days are: New Year’s Eve, New Year’s Day, Valentine’s Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving Day as well as the Wednesday preceding it and Friday following it, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, and all Florida State home football games. The rate increase applies to the entire 24 hours on these days.
Families residing outside Leon County will be charged an additional $20 per appointment. This fee is waived when the appointment takes place within Leon County. If your sitter travels a long distance to serve you (e.g., Monticello, Thomasville, Panama City, Destin), you will also directly pay her a travel stipend before she leaves, calculated according to the IRS standard mileage rate.
The debit or credit card on file must be current at all times; service will be suspended immediately if we cannot process payment. Payment is due immediately for any outstanding balance. There is $25 late fee if payment isn’t made within 14 days. For every additional 30 days that payment is overdue, a $5 late fee may be added. We will first try to reach you via e-mail to collect on a debt; however, we may charge the card on file at any time for the amount owed plus applicable fees.
Cancellations should be made with as much notice as possible so we might find other work for your sitter. If you are unable to cancel online, you may e-mail us or contact your sitter. If payment for the appointment has already been processed, any outstanding balance after fees will remain as a credit on your account which can be used toward future babysitting or gifted to others; payments are nonrefundable. The fee for canceling with fewer than 36 hours’ notice for any reason is equivalent to the charge for two hours; your sitter will be paid for two hours. If the cancellation is made within two hours of the scheduled start, you will be charged for the full time scheduled.
We will only provide care if everyone in your household has been healthy and free of infectious illnesses for at least 24 hours. This includes fever, vomiting, diarrhea, green/yellow nasal discharge, pink eye or other signs of eye infection or conjunctivitis (such as red eyes and/or drainage from the eyes), head lice (including all nits), questionable rash, skin infection, boil-like wounds, symptoms of childhood illness (scarlet fever, measles, mumps, chicken pox, whooping cough, RSV, hand foot & mouth disease, etc.), or any symptoms of COVID-19. Sitters practice regular hand washing habits to reduce the spread of germs and illness and should encourage your children to do the same. If a medical professional has said your child is no longer infectious but still recovering, please provide a note from your child’s provider and let your sitter know so she may be sensitive to your child’s needs.
It is your responsibility to inform Seminole Sitters if you have pets, as some sitters may be allergic to or uncomfortable with some pets.
If a parent or any other person is prohibited by a restraining order or custody arrangement from picking up or having contact with a child under our care, a copy of these legal documents must be on file with Seminole Sitters. If someone other than you will relieve the sitter, please let her know before you leave.
Indemnity Agreement:
I hereby agree to indemnify, defend, and hold harmless Seminole Sitters, LLC, and its subsidiaries and affiliates, and their respective officers, directors, agents, employees, subcontractors, successors, and assigns from and against any and all actions, cost, suits, demands, claims, damages, losses, and liabilities (including reasonable attorney’s fees) of any type or kind whatsoever arising out of or caused by my child or children being under the supervision of a Seminole Sitters childcare provider.
Safety of Children and Sitters:
I will always leave my phone numbers, home address, and a local emergency contact so the sitter may reach me if any questions or emergencies arise. If I am in a location where my phone must be silenced, I will also leave the name and number of the venue, as well as any applicable seating information, so I may be paged through the venue.
Medical Release and General Information
I hereby give permission for any and all medical attention necessary to be administered to my children in the event of an accident, injury, sickness, or other ailment under the direction of medical professionals until such time as I may be contacted. This care may be given under whatever conditions are necessary to preserve the life, limb, or well-being of the children named above. I hereby assume the responsibility for the payment of any such treatment.
If I wish for medicine to be administered to my children, I will leave a signed and dated note for my sitter each day they are to receive medicine. This signed and dated note will include the name of the child(ren) receiving medicine, the name of the medicine, the proper dosage, and the times it is to be administered, as well as the name of the prescribing physician.
