As a nanny, I've only had positive experiences with Smart Sitting. They go above and beyond to make sure families are matched with the appropriate nanny and are quickly available to help in any situation. I've found consistent work and support through the website and staff. Everything is streamlined and very efficient! read more

Been with this agency for some time. They're strong in the way they provide customer service to their families. That's likely top-tier. There are also tons of opportunities, they keep growing! They're weak in the sense that they seem to be strapped for cash and offer super low rates to temp/one-off nanny's. You can expect that if someone is comfortable with the following rates, they really needed the money. I really needed the money myself before. For example: temp postings are $20/hr, max $21/hr for the care of 3 children... I found out that the price they're charging businesses/corporations that use their backup services is something like $40/hr....I asked why it was necessary to take a 50% commission and they said it was required to keep the business afloat essentially. To me it sounds like their business model is upside down, similar to Uber taking the majority of drivers' pay. For this reason, I've stopped taking jobs with them. It's extremely difficult to land even an interview for the higher paying part-time, full-time roles. I keep the temp job emails on for if times get really rough because as I said, if a nanny/sitter is willing to accept this low of pay, you can expect that they (myself included) really needed the money. I recommend smaller boutique agencies that I'm also a part of to my friends that ask. They have a pay scale depending on the number and age of the kids, guaranteed meals for longer jobs, and guaranteed rides home for jobs ending late. Common sense stuff. Leaving this review not to be petty, but because I wish I knew before I went through the trouble of reference checking. read more

For the love of God do not work here and do not sign up for nanny services here. These people do not care about you or your family. They are unorganized unprofessional and they discriminate severely against black families and workers. When I was seeking services with them they would make changes to my sitter without notice. The sitters that I did have were great people but they were so stressed about the work environment and stated to me on several occasions that they feel the company doesn't communicate well with them or completely disregards worker consideration. I have moved to NannyCity and would high recommend them. Do not waste your time with this disgusting company. The entire Smart Sitter team should be disgusted with themselves for how they treat their Nannie's and their families. read more

as a nanny for over 20 years I have worked with many families and agencies. I have never had an agency single handedly prevent me from securing a much needed position and even worse prevent a family from hiring their ideal nanny. they put money above all else. how can they claim to care about children , families and nannies when money is the most important thing to them??? Their fees are outrageous! they think they are dealing with nothing but HNW families and forget most hardworking people simply cannot afford to pay their exorbitant 20% of the Nannie's annual income fee! READ THE FINE PRINT FAMILIES. They put in minimal work, the nanny is the one who secures herself the job but Smart Sitting wants to cash in big time and they have the disgusting nerve to say if families are unwilling to pay their fees then they are simply unwilling to value their nanny's. they make it so either hardworking nanny's don't get hired or get offered a lot less than their hard work earns them. Dont waste your time with this money hungry agency. My experience from the very beginning with them was terrible as they are very disorganized and unprofessional and the last straw was receiving a great offer that Smart Sitting sabotaged. read more

I have had only positive experiences with Smartsitting. Over the past few years we have used them on a number of occasions -- several needs.

As a new Nanny/Manny of the Smartstitting family I have say that I'm honestly impressed and grateful for how much I feel apart of the family and looked out for as a Nanny/Manny. They perfectly walk the line between personable and professional(as a quality nanny agency should). Thank you Fiona, Kirstyn, Aria, Ellen, Collin, Susie and the rest of the Smartstitting family, y'all have truly made my experience wonderful. read more

Bait & Switch The review by "Anonomoys S." on August 25th is spot on - they bait and switch you with featured nannies/sitters on their website with great credentials and profiles and then send you individual "meh" candidates. Tried their services last year with a part-time nanny after a Skype interview and thought she would be great. Turns out, she wasn't a great fit and wasn't able to get my then 5 month old to really take a bottle and drink her usual quantity of milk. My poor LO wasn't getting the amount of nourishment she needed when she was with the sitter. She also committed the cardinal sin of tossing out breast milk. Definitely does not put a mother at ease. Just tried their services again on the hopes that we'd really connect with a part-time nanny and was completely underwhelmed to not even go through an interview. Hello people, you call yourselves "smart" sitters yet you're referring me to a nanny that has most experience with older children, yeah...that's going to go great with my baby. Also, what ever happened to the freedom of choice - at least send your best 2-3 candidates so I can figure out who would be the best fit for my family. SERIOUSLY, DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME HERE. read more

Smartsitting is the best nanny agency out there! Everyone I speak with is kind, attentive and proactive. They genuinely care about you, and ensure they find the best placement for you and the family. Compared to other agencies I've worked with, they go above and beyond! read more

I have had only positive experiences with Smartsitting. Over the past few years we have used them on a number of occasions -- several times to find some short-term help for our two girls, and once this past summer to find a long term after school nanny. Not only are we thrilled with Kristin (our nanny) but every single candidate we've ever interviewed or met through smartsitting has been absolutely stellar. Compared to craigslist or word of mouth its impossible to beat. The candidates have all very bright and enthusiastic, and very eager to spend time with our girls. I cannot recommend them enough, and I've been remiss in taking as long as I have to recognize them on yelp. They are wholeheartedly deserving of a 5 star rating. read more

I had an interview with them, they told me they will let me know once they "check" my application. 2 weeks later still no one contacted me. After I emailed to them, they told me I wasn't the right fit. Which I found it funny since: 1st it's up to families to see that ; 2nd I have 10 years full time experience; 3rd I am student and bilingual; 4th I have experience cooking for high profile family and lastly I have an amazing reference. You can see girls that are working there are youngish and like sorority type agency. Sitters, look another agencies. I've been contacted from 3 different agencies who are more than willing to find me the right family due to all my qualifications. read more

I have used SmartSitting a few times over the last couple years when traveling to NYC. I recommend you do not book this service. They have issues with no-show sitters, very poor management of problems when they occur, no emergency number if something happens during off-hours with a sitter, and a policy of believing the sitter over the client. The quality of the service has declined steadily, from good to very poor. This last time, they confirmed the sitter with me, but not with the sitter which resulted in a no-show. They have no emergency phone number, but did respond to emails and send a replacement for 1 hour, followed by the original sitter for the next two hours. It was chaotic for my kids and the sitter who finally did show up did not follow my instructions and tried to put my children to bed when she decided they were ready, despite me telling her they did not need to go to bed while I was gone. My kids were very stressed by the experience and I cancelled the next day's care, missing my work meetings. SmartSitting responded by defending the sitter and insisting I pay for the late, inadequate service instead of stepping up themselves to cover the cost. While they waived their fees, part of it was done as a "credit to my account" as if I would ever return and use the service again. A no-show sitter is unfortunate, but I can see how it would happen. A low-quality sitter, lack of emergency number, and sitter-is-right (instead of customer-is-right) policy is unacceptable. read more

I am truly DISAPPOINTED with Smartsitting!!! Smartsitting has always gave me the run around. After years of working with Smartsitting and never getting placed with any temps or permanent jobs, I decided to work with Smartsitting once more to see if anything has changed. Also I always found the employees to be very friendly. However, after being interviewed, Smartsitting sent out emails for temp positions and I saw one that was the right fit. The family needed someone to start the very next day.The jobs location was in Far Rockaway in Queens, and I was almost sure that I could make it to that location. However, when I mapped it out, it was too far and I contacted Smartsitting right away and explained that it would be better if I did except this position rather than take it and be late, or no show. Smartsitting contacted me a week later and said that I wasn't a good fit for the company because I canceled the booking????? It was as if they demanded me to do something and I didn't do it, and it pissed them off. I apologized for the canceled booking but what was I to do???? I was unaware that I couldn't cancel once I booked a temp. Which the interviewer said she told me, but she didn't. I have the entire conversation recorded in my phone.This will be my last time working with this agency!!! I'm a very hard working nanny and to be penalized for a one time mistake. UNBELIEVABLE!!! NOT TO MENTION I HATE THEIR WHOLE PAYROLE SYSTEM. DON'T WORK FOR SMARTSITTING!!!! There are other great nanny agencies in the city. read more

I am speaking from a nanny's perspective, but I've only been with the agency since March, and the whole team has been extremely kind, attentive and helpful! They constantly send me reminders, emails of new positions and also check back in with me regularly after interviews, or one time engagements. They truly care about everyone in their system and make sure you're well taken care of. Most other agencies only work with so called "career nannies" with unrealistic expectations, but smartsitting is very realistic about the day to day process of finding and maintaining a good position with a family. I only work temporary jobs at this point, but they've been nothing short of amazing finding me those type of jobs, and I couldn't be happier! read more

Smartsitting is a disgrace. After an extensive interview process, a $35 background check fee, plus a 4-hour profile set-up, I was told that I would be approved once all three of my references spoke with the agency over the phone. After alleged "phone tag" went on for 2 weeks, I reached out to all of my references to be told that they had all called the agency several times, while also leaving messages. I received an email from the agency claiming they STILL needed to speak with one reference over the phone, when I know all three of them called and left messages. Just ONE day later, the agency emailed me stating that I was denied acceptance because "they only accept 6% of applicants and run a competitive agency" which, was never once said to me during any of the extensive interviews. Smartsitting is a scam--I highly recommend sticking to Care and/or Sittercity and communicating directly with family members seeking childcare. The agency is extremely unorganized, incompetent, and shameful. I've wasted over one month of finding work due to the agencies incompetence and lack of communication. I truly hope this review urges someone to reconsider "working" with Smartsitting! read more

In the beginning everything was good. However, as soon as I said I was interested in weekend jobs, I haven't heard anything back but they bombard my email and texts with temp jobs. Majority of the temp jobs are in Jersey City. I live in Brooklyn and I am a full time student. I have applied to every single weekend job on the website and I haven't heard a thing back. I find it hard to believe that not one family I applied to found an interest in my profile and they email you back with a bunch of excuses read more

Very easy to work with from the initial meeting to scheduling future dates. Our sitter was qualified, calm and fun! I highly recommend this company ;) read more

Awesome company, awesome sitter!! I was only coming to NYC for a few days and wanted one date night! I was referred to SmartSitting by a friend and was a little hesitant since it would be someone I had never met in a city I don't know very well. But they made me feel very comfortable! We had Sara and she was so nice, happy, and cheerful. She took right to my son and he loved her energy! She was very east to work with and very understanding. She met all of our needs, and was easy to communicate with! When I asked if she could stay a little longer, so gladly obliged. Thank you again for setting her up with us. We had an awesome night out on the town thanks you to guys and Sara! read more

Mothers and Parents! Smart Sitting is not impressive. They dont test the cognitive ability of these nannies to see how they would apply they skills to real life situations. In my experience I was overwhelmed with UNDER QUALIFIED applicants they sent to take care of my children. Which didn't seem to be right since I was offering a very good salary and wanted someone who be an awesome Full in Charge Nanny with an education. I was looking essentially for someone who would be an awesome fit with my family, because whoever is taking care of your children, essentially becomes part of your family, right? They instead sent women who, bless them, didn't have good communications skills or experience or from what i could tell didn't even have a high school education. And this is an issue! How am i to trust you with my child 50 hours a week if you cant tell me whats going on? The women they sent looked like the type of nannies of would be on the phone all day while your children are forced to play by themselves in the park :-( Does anyone have a suggestion on a better agency? read more

Smartsitting was our saving grace when moving to New York with a toddler and an infant. Their sitters and staff are so amazing, and you set your price before you start interviewing. read more

scam agency. here's how they operate: they post dream jobs on sittercity and care that may or may not exist to get you to come into their closet size agency run by ex sitters. they then ask you to pay $35 for a bogus background check ( it's less than 1 paragraph long and, according to my law enforcement cousin, doesn't seem legit) and ask you to create a profile on their website telling you when you apply to jobs the parents will see your application and contact them to interview you. complete lies. they decide which applications they send to parents and they send their favorites and ignore others. i applied to over 30 jobs and received zero response then found out this is how they operate. kirstyn van patten then calls you to tell you they care about you so much and they're working so hard to place you but they have so many sitters and not enough positions.....but then you see them trying to recruit more sitters on sittercity and care. they have a financial incentive to do this. they don't care about placing, just recruiting. they'll tell you so many lies. i signed with another agency and was employed within one week. look elsewhere. they're the epitome of a scam agency. read more

As a former sitter for Smartsitting, I am disappointed in the way that they conduct their business. After the family I was working for let me go, I was hoping that I would be able to rely on the agency that had placed me to find me a new position - I was so wrong. Not only did they not help me, they took me off their website and out of their agency WITHOUT LETTING ME KNOW. I never received an email or phone call or any indication that I could no longer work with them. Even though the family that dismissed me provided an excellent reference and I found employment, it would've been nice to know that I was no longer welcome at Smartsitting - or better yet, it would've been great for them to find me another position that was a better fit. I suggest sittercity.com or care.com for finding caregivers as these young girls clearly don't know how to operate their business. read more

We have been with Smartsitting for over seven years and they truly rescued our family when I was finding the transition from a full time sitter to an after school sitter complicated and unsuccessful. My daughter who was 5 when we started with them and is now 13 has developed wonderful, warm long lasting relationships with her sitters, they are more like older sisters to her! She has developed excellent homework habits with them, and they were always supportive to our daughter and us when hard times hit -with the stroke of my mother and my own short time illness. Smart sitting has brought tremendous stability to our family, as my husband and I both work. Their intelligence, creativity and warmth has made everything so less complicated on a daily basis. When a great job opportunity pulled our last sitter away our daughter at 12 thought she was too old for a sitter- but now we are back because we have felt life without their support and it's less fun for all three of us!!Our daughter now says she wants a Smartsitting sitter because they are smart, fun and "not my parents!". And at 13 that makes sense, we are lucky they also provide excellent guidance when a child needs an ear. Once again wonderful and reliable Dara and Suzie sent us thee candidates that made it so hard to choose between because we were so impressed with the kindness, and professionalism of all three. We feel very, very lucky to be in the Smart Sitting Family, Thank you Dara and Suzie and our sitters who have strengthened our family through the many years! read more

I'm so terribly disappointed with this service. After thousands of dollars spent and problems with several sitters they sent to our family, they aren't willing to help out or take any responsibility when things don't go as planned. We have had one disappointing experience after another. I wouldn't recommend this service to anyone. They are incredibly responsive when things are running smoothly, but sadly not when issues arise. read more

It's unfortunate that the reviews/reviewers can't be differentiated between employees and customers as experiences often differ from the various perspectives. Today is my first experience utilising a SmartSitter sitter as a customer for my infant child and I have to say that from the minute I contacted them a couple of weeks ago I have experienced only the utmost level of professionalism - both from the team in the office and the sitter that arrived today (arriving early and my child instantly took a liking to her). I have spent the day listening to my child chatter away and laugh while being read to and engaged by the sitter. To keep an 8 month old that engaged for so long.... well it takes a certain person. I also had an opportunity to chat with my child's carer a while and she seems like a very educated and lovely person. Very articulate - and sweet - exactly the kind of person my child loves to spend time with. I have used care.com and sittercity.com and the problem with those sites - while maybe effective for some - is you have to sift through so many under qualified candidates. I had a position recently posted where I received approximately 150 applications for (advertised on both sites) and only 1 person was actually qualified. With SmartSitter I didn't have to go through the torture of sifting through so many applications. They did the hard work for me. You pay for that of course via placement fees but frankly if I am going to have in-home care for my child I want it to be the highest quality I can afford. SmartSitter are flexible and offer me a service that is perfect for me. I hope going forward to continue to receive this level of service - nothing I have seen so far would suggest I would get anything less than expert sitters and professionalism across the board. Just a note on the negative reviews - they all seem to center around the operation internally of the business. As a customer that was transparent to me in my dealings with the company. I didn't get a sense at all about any internal issues - not until I read these reviews. They have only been professional in how they have addressed me and selection for a carer. As of now I absolutely rate this company 5 stars and say if you are in NYC definitely give them a try. Thanks SmartSitter for making my day that much easier. read more

I have worked within the network for a few years now and I think they have grown a great deal. With that said, I believe the team plays favorites in terms of sitters and choose only those sitters they want to give jobs to and who they choose to respond to via email. I also believe and have experienced certain team members choosing the family over their own vetted sitter (me). It's a good network to be apart of, but I suggest always staying on the good side of the SS team as this will depend on if you receive interviews, temp jobs, and responses via email. read more

I can't recommend SmartSitting enough. I am a first-time mom and I was very nervous about leaving my infant son with a babysitter when I had to return to work part-time when my baby was just four weeks old. A work colleague recommended SmartSitting to me. When I contacted the company, they got back to me right away and set up a time to chat about what I needed and to gauge the price point with which I would be most comfortable. After my chat, my amazing client director, Kirstyn, sent over a slate of babysitters for consideration. All were background-checked, had infant experience and (as per my request) were infant CPR trained. I chose a sitter (Katie B.) based on the excellent client references SmartSitting provided me and we set up a half-day trial. It went so smoothly. Katie was warm, attentive and really eager to learn my son's schedule. When I left the home, she kept me updated with texts and photos of them playing and enjoying storytime. We worked with Katie for two months before I returned to work fulltime and arranged permanent childcare. She was so professional and wonderful with my child, and SmartSitting made the process so easy and smooth that it totally alleviated the anxiety of leaving him for the first time and allowed me to (somewhat!) enjoy returning to work. It can be so confusing trying to navigate care in NYC, so take the hassle out of the equation and give these folks a call. They are my #1 choice for sitters for my little guy. read more

I had an amazing experience using SmartSitting. I was looking to transition out of my job, and had been a nanny in the past. I contacted several agencies, but SmartSitting was the one that was the one that was really on top of their game! I was interviewed by them, and quickly placed with a family, and they couldn't have been nicer! They're such a lovely bunch of young women, and I felt like they were looking out for my best interest and helping me to find the best job fit for my situation. I have been placed with a wonderful family, thanks to Emily at SmartSitting! Emily was really on top of her work, and a pleasure to communicate with. I was also in contact with several other staff members, and they were all wonderful. Not only would I suggest this agency for people seeking work, but I would also very highly recommend it to friends who are looking for childcare. They're very thorough with everything they do, and most importantly, very, nice and friendly! read more