How To Find a Babysitter Who's Right For Your Family (from a teen sitter's perspective)
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- Written by: Lena Proctor
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I can't count how many times local moms have asked me to babysit or sought help to find a babysitter. They want to know where they can find one, who they can call and what they will have to pay.
Though I do babysit and have friends who do as well, it's not always easy for either my friends to find a job that works for them or for parents to find a babysitter who is available when they need one. Here are some tips for parents to find a babysitter that will meet their expectations:
1) Where to look for names? Here are a few ideas. Ask neighbors with teens to can give you ideas and options. Also, the Scarsdale High School youth employment service called the Y.E.S office keeps lists of students who wish to babysit and you can post a job listing with them. You can find them here: If your kids go to summer camp, another easy way to find a babysitter is by asking one of your kids' favorite counselors to sit. You will have a head start because you already know the sitter is responsible and that your child likes the counselor.
2) Timing is everything: One of the first questions to ask a prospective sitter is their availability. If you need someone for Saturday nights and they are already booked at that time, go no further and call the next number. Keep in mind that many of the babysitters are quite busy with school, "There have been times when it is neurotic how much I am relied upon," says a Scarsdale High School student. If you really like your babysitter, communicating with them and scheduling a day that works both of you is important. Sophomore Aggie Chamlin says, "I try my best to accommodate the families but it doesn't always work out. This sometimes results in them changing the date or time so that they can go out and know that their kids are happy and safe."
3) The interview: Here are some good questions to ask a potential sitter:
• Why/when did you start babysitting?
• What experience do you have?
• When are you available? Friday/Saturday nights?
• If you have younger children: what is your experience with infants?
• What training do you have in first aid or babysitting?
In terms of a teen's work experience with children, you can consider not only babysitting jobs, but work as a summer counselor too.
4) Set clear expectations ahead of time: One student who babysits said, "The bad experiences I had were mostly when one of the children were in a cranky mood and I didn't know how to deal with them, like if they had a favorite book or food..." Communicate your daily routines to your sitter and let them know the "house rules." For instance: are electronics allowed? Dessert? Is the oven allowed to be turned on for baking? Both you and the babysitter will be much more comfortable if they know what's allowed and what's not.
Also let the sitter know how much you expect them to do in addition to watching the kids. While some families ask the sitter to help bathe the children, cook dinner, dress them or clean up, others just want the sitter to keep the kids happy while the parents are out. If your babysitter is worried about making dinner while taking care of the kids, don't ask him/her to do too much more.
5) Talk to your kids about how it went after the sitter leaves: Their feedback is probably the best way to know if you should hire the sitter again. Chamlin says, "in order to guarantee that your kids have a positive and fun experience while you are out, make sure that your children like the babysitter you pick." Another Scarsdale High School student Eliza Auchincloss says, "It's a lot nicer when the kids can communicate and are able to open up to me because it makes the job way more enjoyable." When the kids feel comfortable around your babysitter, the experience is positive for everyone; you, your kids, and the babysitter.
5. Some other tips:
• Don't forget to prepare food beforehand: not only for your children but also your babysitter.
• If your potential babysitter is too young for your comfort level, ask them to bring a friend along.
• Staying out late? Give the sitter a time later than you think you'll be out; it's always better for you to come home early than late. If you are out and figure out that you will be coming home later than you told your babysitter, call and let them know.
• Even if your babysitter lives close: offer to drive home if they don't have a car. Remember that your babysitter is also someone's child!
• How much should you pay? The going rate is anywhere from $12-$15
Are you available to babysit or looking for a sitter? Post your name/number in the comments section below!
Kids Travel the Globe at Fox Meadow's Multicultural Fair
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On Tuesday January 13th, as the Fox Meadow School bells rang to mark the end of the day, backpacks and jackets flew to the sides of the room and an excited group of students from kindergarten through fifth grade made their way to the annual Multi-cultural fair. Sponsored by the PTA, parents from different cultures joined to create decorated booths surrounding the parameter of the Fox Meadow Gym. A wide swath of the globe was represented with booths from countries as diverse as Russia, Germany, Japan, South Africa, Korea, China, France, The Netherlands, and Egypt. All students participating were given a small handbook with open squares next to all of the participating countries flags. As students travelled the world by going table to table, the parents checked off the boxes and shared their culture with the kids through food and international activities.
Here’s a look at the fun:
Varsity Boys Basketball Team Puts Up A Good Fight Against Mamaroneck
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This year’s Scarsdale Raiders Varsity Basketball team seems to be off to a rough start of 2-6 (wins to losses). Although they had many strong returning players and new talent, the team was unable to prevail over the rivaled Mamaronck.
Point guard and senior Joey Katz (#1), junior Caleb Krohn (#20), junior Sam Squadron (#30), junior Michael Rolf (#15), and senior Chris Landgrebe (#35) all started off the game strong. By the end of the first quarter, the raiders were only behind by one basket. The two teams seemed to have been just about even up until halftime, when the Raiders fell slowly to the Tigers. Senior Zach Shulman may have ended the last 30 seconds with an amazing three point shot, but sadly, was too late to turn the game around.
Come support The Raiders at these upcoming games:
January 12th at New Rochelle High School against the Huguenots
January 14th at Scarsdale High School against the White Plains Tigers
January 21st at Mamaroneck High School against the Mamaroneck Tigers
Police Issue Missing Person Flyer in Search for Christine Jiwoo Kang
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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The Greenburgh Police released the following update and the flyer below concerning missing Edgemont teen Christine (Jiwoo) Kang. After surveillance video showed her boarding a Metro North train on Friday night and leaving Grand Central Terminal at Lexington Avenue, police consider her a Missing Person.
Here is the news from the police: "This department is still attempting to locate missing/endangered juvenile Christine (Ji Woo) Kang. Christine was last seen in NYC on January 2, 2015 at approximately 11:10 pm on surveillance video in the area of Lexington Ave and 43rd Street. Christine is still listed as a Missing/ Endangered Juvenile. This department is currently working with the NYPD, MTA Police and Port Authority Police to attempt to locate Christine.Anyone with any knowledge about her whereabouts should call the police at 914-989-1700."
Tense Times at Scarsdale High
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- Written by: Joanne Wallenstein
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Scarsdale High School seniors who thought that the stress level during junior year was bad were surprised to find that the first semester of their senior years could be a time of even higher anxiety. Many seniors are now hearing back from colleges where they applied either Early Action or Early Decision. While in the old days students had to hunt down the mailman to find out if they had gotten in, today, rather than receiving a thick or a thin envelope in the mail, most students are finding out their fates via email or through colleges' online application portal while a very small number of schools are still relying on "snail mail."
From my observations, students who receive good news are updating their social media pages to reflect their new status. Some tweet their acceptances, but the majority of students, if they are going to post their acceptance at all, make a change to the Facebook page. Most who find that they have been deferred, or worse, rejected, are keeping that news private.
It seems to me, that at the beginning of the college process, many students were either dishonest about their "first choice school" or just refused to tell other students where they were applying. However, now that decisions have been sent out, some bold students are publicizing their rejections. The other night, as I was scrolling through my Facebook newsfeed, I saw that someone had posted a picture of his rejection letter. As I scanned through the comments underneath the post, I saw other students make sympathetic comments like this one: "Dude I feel for you, but everything always turns out great" and, my personal favorite, "Their loss man ... but when you get in somewhere you should feel free to send that school a rejection letter". Walking around school, I constantly hear students vocalizing their condolences to others who have been rejected or deferred.
By now, I know people who have gotten accepted to their first choice school, people who have been rejected from their first choice school, people who don't yet know where they want to go, and some who have not even applied to any school yet.
Why are students and parents on edge? For Scarsdale High School students, and seniors all over the country, the term "safety school" has begun to lose its meaning. Schools that used to be seen as safe acceptances are becoming target and even reach schools for even the most qualified applicants. No surprise then that there has been a large spike in the number of schools that the average student applies to over the past 20 years.
Much of the reason for this increase is related to the creation of the CommonApp. Applying to schools through this website makes the process as easy as clicking a button; literally. The ironic part of this is that as the schools become easier to apply to, they get harder to get into. "There has been an increase in the selectivity from the top on down, so kids are trying to cover all their bases," explained Dean Oren Iosepovici of Scarsdale High School. While one might assume that this fear is handled by applying to three "definites" for every "maybe", this doesn't seem to be the case in for everyone in Scarsdale. Some kids apply to large numbers of schools just to ensure acceptances. Others are applying to as many reaches as possible to see where they will get in. Iosepovici, along with the other well-trained Scarsdale deans, make sure that each student has an even spread of safety, target and reach schools. Still, it can be hard to bring kids down to earth when fear is the root of the problem."
This week many college freshmen have been visiting SHS after having completed their first semesters away at school. They have helped to put this process into perspective for their younger peers. Justine Souchak, a returning freshman from Hampshire College said, "I think the first semester of senior year is very stressful.... it's like a curveball, you never know what's coming at you. I only applied Early Decision to one school and got in, so after that, I was done. Just know that there are so many colleges and you're going to end up where you need to be."
This article was written by SHS Seniors Megan Shelton with input from Hannah Wolloch
