One of the challenges parents face with a young child is finding time to get out and enjoy themselves. While some may have a family member or friend willing to look after their son or daughter on a Saturday night, others face the challenge of finding someone they can trust their kids with.

That’s where Simply Sitting comes in. Established in December 2011, Simply Sitting serves to help families find a reliable babysitter for either a one-time visit or as part of a long-term service.

The company, founded by Ginny Hager, an alumna with a degree in communications, has grown to include cities across North Carolina, offering a service to parents looking for extra help.

Hager first began babysitting when she was 13 and came to enjoy taking care of children.

“I came from a really large family so it sort of fell into my lap babysitting my cousins and sisters,” Hager said.

Hager continued to take babysitting jobs into college as a source of extra income, but stopped after graduation, when she took a job as a local real estate agent. However, she continued to help network other babysitters in the area. After a few years, Hager decided that this provided a unique career opportunity and started Simply Sitting.

Though her new business is not directly related to her degree, Hager said that her background has provided useful skills.

“I definitely think a lot of the courses I took in communications and the different ways of email marketing and communicating have helped,” Hager said.

Since its founding, Hager has found her past experiences and relationships have been the source of much of the company’s growth.

“It’s really just been word-of-mouth, friends and connections,” Hager said. “People have visited my website and Facebook page.”

On the site, both families and sitters can sign up to take part in the service. For families, Hager hopes to help assuage fears of leaving a child with a stranger.

In order to achieve this, babysitters that become part of the Simply Sitting network are subjected to a full screening process, which includes a background check, references and a personal interview. It is Hager’s personal involvement with the babysitters that she said helps her stand out from other services.

“I use personal referrals,” Hager said. “I know all the babysitters in my network.”

Beyond just knowing all of the sitters, Hager provides other methods to increase the personal connection to customers. The Simply Sitting Facebook page is frequently updated with parenting advice and articles, such as common flu myths and how to get kids interested in reading. The website also offers a monthly newsletter.

Now that Hager has made connections across the state, she plans to focus on increasing the number of families in the service. Hager said she also plans to expand the workforce by hiring additional employees, as she is currently the only official employee of Simply Sitting.

“Right now the goal is to stay in North Carolina,” Hager said. “This year is dedicated to doing more advertising with schools and daycares and stuff like that. It’s only been a year, so I have high hopes.”

Though there’s still a lot of work ahead, Hager is confident that she will be able to develop Simply Sitting into a definitive service in North Carolina, thanks to her passion for taking care of children and connecting families with trustworthy babysitters.

For more on Simply Sitting or to become part of their network, visit simplysitting.net.