Jasmine Lane and her team at Babysitting Logistics are the backup plan when there is no backup plan
When a parent gets called into work or school is canceled, most will start dialing a short list for childcare — a neighbor, a relative or maybe a college student who babysits between classes.
But when that list nets no help — that’s when Jasmine Lane’s telephone rings.
At 36, the founder of Babysitting Logistics has built a business around the moments when parenting plans fall apart. Her service operates around the clock. She and her staff of vetted caregivers respond to everything from last-minute emergencies to scheduled childcare visits that can stretch overnight — or even across state lines.
“We’re flexible,” Lane said, even if “you need us just one time.”
Unlike many nanny agencies that require yearlong commitments from families, Babysitting Logistics responds to families juggling unpredictable lives. Lane prefers seven to 10 days notice when possible but she usually can accommodate urgent requests — like a sick child or parents suddenly called to work.
Babysitters have long been an essential leg of support for parents raising children. But it’s a role often filled by teenagers or college students working a few hours at a time, although the demand has grown as dual income families have become the norm.
Lane — in the midst of the pandemic in 2021 — seized an opening to start a company that takes babysitting to another level. She was working for the Alliance for Infants and Toddlers at the time. Six months after launching her own company, she took a leap of faith and quit her job.
“I’ve always had a passion for children, even from a young age,” she said. “I was always watching somebody’s kid — in church and things like that. Growing up, I would put flyers in the community for babysitting.”
In the company she has built, her caregivers meet parents wherever they are. They pick children up from school, shuttle them to soccer practice and stay late into the night — overnight, if necessary. She and other members of her staff have traveled with families and their children.
Carla Dittrich, 35, of South Fayette, brought a Babysitting Logistics worker along with her family for a wedding in Charleston, S.C. She and her husband, Paul, needed someone who could help watch their two young children while they attended the event.
“She kept the kids entertained while we were getting ready and doing pictures,” Dittrich said, “and took them home from the wedding when it was past their bedtime.”
‘They’re just someone we can rely on’
Babysitting Logistics has become a familiar part of nonprofit community events in and around the city where childcare can make or break the attendance.
Organizations that serve women and families in the Pittsburgh region regularly hire Lane’s team to provide on-site childcare during meetings, trainings and galas. At those events, she sets up a childcare space for the children of participants so that parents don’t have to choose between showing up or staying home, Lane explained.
“Most of the parents say they might not have even come to an event had it not been for us having childcare on site,” said Natasha Tull, a program director at Pittsburgh Scholar House.
Since 2023, Tull has relied on Babysitting Logistics to provide support for her organization. She learned of the company through the Brown Mamas network, where Lane’s company was already providing childcare for events.
“The services she provides makes it really easy for parents to drop their kids off on location with us,” Tull said.
While parents step into workshops or classes or attend galas, Lane’s team transforms nearby rooms into high-energy play zones — complete with arts and crafts, games and a commercial-sized bounce house designed to fit indoors.
Tull said she’s also reassured knowing the childcare staff is vetted with professional certifications, including CPR.
Before partnering with Babysitter Logistics, her organization often relied on volunteer students from Carlow University’s early childhood education program.
“What Babysitting Logistics brings is consistency in their care and how they show up,” Tull said. “They’re just someone we can rely on.”