Overview

This is a super special family based in Santa Monica (Collegiate Streets), and they have the most incredible two girls, ages 2 and 4. If you enjoy rallying small, giggly children who love to wear a lot of dresses and one needs coaxing to put on sunscreen and the other one needs coaxing not to put sunscreen in her eyeball, this job is for you. Both children definitely also need support in NOT stealing sips of your morning coffee. They love being silly and they LOVE stories (one loves terrifyingly scary stories, the other is terrified of tiny specks that look like they *might* be a tiny "ladybug), they love making forts and building with blocks, and they are both huge fans of bunny rabbits. The position starts in September and will run through mid-June 2025. Yay? Yes? Apply today!

The Ideal Sitter for this Job

The ideal candidate is warm and kind and flexible and patient. The 2-year-old is generally very flexible and will be flexible when you explain something to her, though she's also a bit sneaky. The 4-year-old can be a rule follower or can be quite stubborn. If she's in a stubborn state, it's helpful to offer games to help cajole her and/or offer explanations for her. She learns through storytelling, so if you are a natural storyteller, you will go far with her! The girls are also very creative and love arts and crafts, painting, music, dancing, movement in general, playing games, and dress up. If you have any common interests, this would be great. If you have other interests that you'd like to share with them, I'm sure they'll be excited about that as well!

Schedule

The core schedule is Monday through Friday, 8:15 AM - 4:15 PM, and there is some flexibility! The role begins in September 2024 and will end the beginning/middle of June 2025. The position will continue in September 2025 if interested, with a slightly different/later working schedule. Additionally: if you are looking to move to Los Angeles and would want a live in situation temporarily to help support your move, there is an option for live in in the beginning if you're interested!

About the Children

girl, age 4 - She's super duper smart and curious. She is confusing because she seems like a total grown up sometimes and other times, she seems like she's 4. She's currently into The Wizard of Oz and she likes to wear all her dresses every day, plus sparkly shoes and headbands on headbands on braids on clips. She loooooves stories and hearing all different sorts of stories, the spookier the better. She's also a big snuggler and she also loves building forts and castles and playing school, and going to school, and glitter tattoos and doing art projects and painting and play doh. girl, age 2 - She's super verbal and she loves her milky. She is very expressive and is great at explaining what she's feeling and what her needs are, and she's also very reasonable and adaptable when the current situation is explained to her. She is VERY funny, like a dry, serious sense of humor, that has her parents and sister in stitches. She loves play doh and art projects and dancing and singing, and running. She is very mischievous and sometimes if you tell her not to run away, she will turn back to you and say, "HA HA HA" and then proceed to run away. She's ridiculously adorable and super fun to be around. She's terrified of robots and tiny bugs. She's allergic to eggs and also has sensitive skin that can become over dry sometimes (excema).

Responsibilities

Arrive at 8:15 AM. Put on a pot of coffee and empty the dishwasher. Wake up the kiddos and help them get dressed and make them a little breakfast, brush teeth, put on sunscreen, and head out the door a few minutes before 9 AM to walk 2 blocks and drop the 4-year-old off at school. She's typically in school M-R 9-1:45 and F 9-12. After school drop off, spend some sweet quality time with the 2-year-old. Walk to the playground or the duck pond, get a morning snack together with her, stop by the supermarket, or maybe a music class or other local activity. Come back home for a bit and give the 2-year-old a little solo play time in her room, during which time you can pop some laundry in (2x/wk) and prep lunch. Enjoy lunch together (mom and dad will join occasionally if they're working from home), and then bring 2-year-old to pick up the 4-year-old from school around 1:25 PM. After school, hang in the side yard for a bit some days and then head back home. Put the 2-year-old down for her nap around 3 PM, have a little chill time with the 4-year-old, and then head out around 4:15 PM.

Additional Information

This is a super sweet and loving family, and they will be highly interested in the professional development of the caregiver with whom they work. Whatever your personal and professional goals are, the family is very happy to support you each step of the way, and also be flexible if you have things that come up within your schedule (an audition for example, or whatever the case may be). This position with its current schedule will go through early/mid-June 2025. After that, the family will be abroad during the summer, and they're happy to work with you to find a different summer position if you're looking, and then you could return on a slightly different (later) schedule the following September if it's something you're looking for. The parents are great communicators and there's also lots of flexibility; so happy to work through whatever scenario is ideal for you and both parties! One more thing: if you are looking to move to Los Angeles and would want to live in temporarily while you find another place to live, this is an option as well.