Sitters for Scholars
Sitters for Scholars was founded in 2014 by Oksana Hradyska, a former student at Simmons University. During her time at the University, Hradyska observed many of her classmates bring their children to class because they didn’t have affordable, consistent, and reliable childcare.
In response, she offered free babysitting services and encouraged other students to volunteer. After graduation, Hradyska expanded the initiative and recruited, trained, and matched volunteer babysitters with low-income, single-parent families.
The volunteer sitters provided evening childcare while student parents attended educational classes. As a result, the program gained significant traction, and in 2018, they received an Open-Door grant from the Boston Foundation.