•Experienced Babysitter who responsibly cares for children and encourages fun, creative activities to aid their growth. •Focused on fostering curiosity and skill development while adhering to parents' preferred routines. •Committed to maintaining a clean, secure, and organized environment.

Welcome! My name is Kat - I am pleased to make your virtual acquaintance. Please make sure and scroll to the bottom for my posted policies. My experience as a seasoned executive assistant in both New York City and Los Angeles' entertainment industries translates wonderfully into the world of childcare. An adaptive, organized and resourceful professional, who is great at anticipating needs and juggling multiple priorities simultaneously, my experience as a sitter is advanced and extensive with children starting as young as less than 2 weeks old. Via Urbansitter I have done everything from simple date night sitting to a 24-hr overnight booking with both parents out of town. Growing up in the Chicagoland area as the older sister to a younger brother and sister, I have enjoyed looking after children most of my life (I worked my first summer nanny job for a 2 year old at age 15!). Friends, family, employers and even complete strangers are always touched by my way with children. What can I say, I am a child at heart! Like children, I am imaginative, playful and always curious to learn more. I immerse myself in the arts and healthful living (cooking, especially) and am eager to share and enjoy culture with your child(ren). I respect and embrace my families' household traditions and/or approaches whether its following RIE parenting, incorporating vocab whenever possible from a second language spoken in the home or helping keep a kosher kitchen. Hiring me is about so much more than "watching" your child(ren). I will stimulate their imagination(s) and explore their interests, contributing to their curiosity and ambition. I am most proud of my results expanding children's palates, vocabulary and autonomy (from separation anxiety) to help them reach developmental goals and milestones. Thank you for your time and consideration. TDAP vaccinated 10/17 Lifeguard, CPR, first aid, AED certified 8/17 FUN FACTS ABOUT ME: -I am currently pursing TV writing on spec, but when I first joined Urbansitter I balanced babysitting with fulltime work as a Producer's Assistant working in TV and Film development and production. Sometimes my job and childcare overlap, like the time I accompanied a boss's 3 children (ages 2-7) on an 18+ hr international flight. - I graduated with a BA in Television/Radio/Film (Newhouse) and Women's Studies (College of Arts and Sciences) from Syracuse University. At SU I was involved with many organizations, including the alpha chapter of Gamma Phi Beta sorority. - In the summer of 2015 I adopted Garçon, a young bichon frise-miniature poodle mix. I was pleasantly surprised how much my work with toddlers helped me to train him. He loves children and has successfully joined me on numerous bookings, should you want a special playdate with your child(ren) and him. - I play recreational soccer in a charity league and enjoyed being a "Soccer Nanny" escorting one of my charges to his all-day soccer tournaments. - In the fall of 2013 I completed a 12-performance/month-long run of a local, independent production of the broadway musical, Urinetown: The Musical - For fun, I study musical improv, improv and sketch comedy writing at the Upright Citizens Brigade Theatres (LA and NYC). I am eager to take a class at the Groundlings Theater. - I am self-taught on the piano, ever since my early childhood when my grandmother used to pay me a dollar for every song I learned. I am currently teaching myself the ukelele. - I enjoy creative writing, dancing and photography whenever (and wherever!) inspiration strikes. I am actively working on both a screenplay and tv pilot, taking classes at the Writing Pad. - One of my favorite adventures around SoCal is whale watching: I have seen blue and gray whales --as well as dolphins and sea lions-- off of Newport Beach. - I lived for 6 months in London, traveling extensively throughout the UK and Europe, utilizing my fluency (at the time) in French whenever I could. I do have a couple of families in which French is their children's first and only language and I help them learn English. I? am currently learning Spanish via app Duolingo. - In high school I had an impressive resume of vocal and theater work. I was a member of 7 choirs, including one that toured nursing homes and convalescence centers; received honors in solo and ensemble vocal competitions; was a professional cantor in Chicago; performed in several musicals and musical reviews; was selected for the make-up and costume department for Illinois All-State Theater (The Pirates of Penzance) and attended the renowned Interlochen Arts Camp for voice. - My older brother is a Veterinarian currently at Chicago's Shedd Aquarium and Abbott Oceanarium (before that he was at the Columbus Zoo)! Growing up, he always had a menagerie of pets. - My father is an Editor at The Chicago Tribune. For most of my life he worked there as a criminal courts reporter. 2016 marked 30 years with the Trib. POLICIES, please note: - My $25/hr rate is reflective of my certifications, professional resume and experience as a "fixer nanny" or "pitch-hitter nanny" when families are traveling to LA without a nanny, parents are away on business trips, nannies are ill or otherwise unable to work and/as "Camp Kat" during school holidays, closures, vacations and for parties or daycares. - I am happy to interview/speak in advance of a booking free of charge via Facetime/Skype, phone or text. For in-person interviews I require a minimum of one hour at my hourly rate but a working interview for closer to my minimum hours (see next bullet) in duration is preferred when possible. - I ask for 4 hrs minimum for any booking. This allows me to honor first-come bookings that are shorter than my average 6-hour bookings and justify commuting expenses. - In keeping with CA employment law, I charge time and a half ($37.50) for overtime hours which are defined as any hours additional to 8 consecutive hours of work. For example, a 10 hr day would be $200 for 8 hrs + $75 for the add'l 2. - I do not consent to be filmed by any recording device, hidden or in plain sight. All cameras must be disclosed. - I ask that any/all parking fees be covered should complimentary parking not be available. - I charge mileage (#miles clocked x $0.58), in keeping with CA law for 2019, in addition to my hourly rate for any driving done under your charge (excluding my commute). - Should my commute exceed 10 mi one-way I ask that families reimburse me the CA mileage rate per additional mile round trip. I calculate the mileage in advance for parents’ approval by averaging google maps routes and always share my calculations. For example, if the average mileage to a destination is 14 miles I would charge for the additional 8 miles (4 each way) and multiply that by $0.58= $4.64 commuting fee. - I ask for advance notice of any illness in your home and reserve the right to cancel should I deem myself at risk of catching something highly serious or contagious in nature. Children that are not vaccinated must be disclosed. - Since my work day often requires that I schedule around personal commitments or other booking requests, I ask for payment in full for the time frame you reserve even if you return home early or push the booking back to a later start time, thus a shorter duration, less than 48 hours prior. This applies to reschedules. - Since I often have to turn down booking requests for an existing booking, I ask for 48 hrs notice for any and all cancellations. If your cancellation is less than 48 hrs, but more than 12 hrs I request payment for half the booking. For 12 hrs or less I ask that you provide payment in full within the week. A rescheduled booking does not exempt you from payment of a cancellation fee. - I frequently work in hotels/Airbnbs/etc. Since options are often very limited in these scenarios I ask that water, snacks - and meals if the booking falls during a meal time - be made available to me. - I am severely allergic to guinea pigs, rabbits and horses. if you have them in your home it may, unfortunately, not be a good fit. I have very mild allergies to dogs and cats, but am v. happy to work with them so long as fur on the furniture and carpeting is minimal. Pets love me.

Hi there, I’m Avalon! I am an actor and recently moved to Los Angeles from Manhattan where I attended NYU’s Grad Acting program at Tisch School of the Arts. I spent nearly a decade in Manhattan, where I first moved in 2015 to pursue my undergraduate degree at Fordham University. Soon after my arrival, I started professionally nannying around Manhattan and Brooklyn. Throughout my 10+ years of experience, I have provided for families with a variety of needs. From taking care of a newborns, to after school care, to assisting in household management, I have done it all. I have found that my artistic pursuits as well as my experience in teaching theater school-age children complement my child care work extremely well. I’m known for bringing a lot of joy and play into my time with kids. Further, intuition, imagination and creativity come naturally to me, which allows me to come up with thoughtful and creative solutions for conflict resolution and other obstacles. Feel free to contact me if you think we could be a great fit! I look forward to learning about your family, and sharing more about my experience and approach. All best, Avalon :)

Hello parents! My expertise ranges from newborns, to school aged children, and occasionally preteens. I know how to change diapers and make bottles to prepare healthy snacks and play while learning. From my experiences with children, it seems to me that children tend to easily bond with me as I am fun while providing a sense of trust and security. Family life is my passion as my own family means a lot to me. *I would gladly appreciate if you send me message first describing your needs. I can accept the job without a phone interview should we exchange messages with all the details. Ps.s. Last minute cancelations made within 6 hours of the start time would require payment for three hours of my time.