When Meaghan Franks talks about babysitting, she is not talking about a child sitting on the couch with an iPad.

She is talking about a soccer ball in the backyard, a game of hide-and-seek in the house, a kid going to a local sports game and a Division I athlete becoming more than just someone watching the clock.

“We took the sitting out of babysitting,” Franks said. “There’s no sitting here. It’s jump, run, skip, off.”

That idea is now coming to San Diego.

Sport Sitters, a mobile platform that connects families with vetted female Division I student-athletes for active childcare, is set to launch in San Diego on May 1. The expansion follows the app’s growth across Arizona, where it operates at all four Division I schools, and comes after demand from athletes and families with ties between Phoenix and Southern California.

Franks, the founder of Sport Sitters, said the push toward San Diego began with an athlete who used the platform in Phoenix over the summer and wanted to continue once she returned to school in San Diego.

“Now we’re finally ready to allow for that expansion,” Franks said. “There’s obviously a lot of people that go from California to Phoenix and Phoenix to Southern California, and that has allowed our family network to grow on both sides.”

The app works differently from traditional babysitting services. Families submit a booking request, and then available athletes in the area can accept it based on their own schedules. For athletes balancing practices, classes, travel and competition, that flexibility is the point.

Franks said Sport Sitters was created after she noticed that early NIL (Name, Image and Likeness) opportunities were not reaching athletes equally.

“A lot of the brand partnerships were happening with revenue teams, which were like football, basketball and baseball,” Franks said. “It seemed like a lot of the non-rev sports, and also some of the female student-athletes … felt like they weren’t getting as many opportunities.”

Grand Canyon freshman women’s soccer midfielder Rosalyn Wisniew-Colwell said the platform gave her something a typical job could not. Before joining Sport Sitters, she worked a 9-to-5 job while playing soccer and going to school.

“It was really difficult for me with the busy soccer schedule that we have, obviously, and with academics,” Wisniew-Colwell said. “I just really loved the flexibility.”

She said Sport Sitters eventually allowed her to leave that job because she could earn enough to support herself around her athletic schedule.

“It’s hard for an athlete to work a 9-to-5 job, and I would know because I did it,” Wisniew-Colwell said.

For many athletes, the appeal goes beyond money. She said Sport Sitters offers a different kind of NIL opportunity; one that does not depend on follower counts or constant social media posting.

“I would rather, honestly, be working hands-on with kids in the next generation than being on social media to try to gain a following so that I can get brand deals,” Wisniew-Colwell said.

That hands-on piece is what San Diego State freshman women’s soccer forward Briahna Gieger is looking forward to most. Gieger, who has signed on to work through the platform once it launches in San Diego, said she heard about Sport Sitters through a friend at GCU.

“I thought it was a good idea, because I love babysitting,” Gieger said.

She said the platform feels more realistic for college athletes than a normal job because athletes can work around their own availability.

“It makes it more flexible and easier for us, and not stress us out much,” Gieger said.

Franks notes that flexibility is tied directly to what athletes already bring into their homes in discipline, leadership and energy. She said athletes are being hired for who they are in their communities, making the model a natural fit for NIL.

“They can leverage their NIL to go be a role model and use their position as a community figure to earn and positively influence at the same time,” Franks said. “It’s not just to earn to show off a brand.”

Parents are also buying into that difference.

San Diego parent Gabi Albright has been waiting for Sport Sitters to arrive locally after learning about the platform from Franks. With two young children, she said the idea immediately stood out.

“It’s so hard to find good babysitters,” Albright said. “So I love the idea of it being athletes or student-athletes. They’re obviously so responsible and driven and incredible role models.”

Albright described the service as something more than childcare.

“To me, it’s kind of a premium service,” Albright said. “You’re not just getting a babysitter. You’re getting a role model.”

She said the platform’s network gives her confidence as a parent, especially when the same athlete isn’t available every time.

“With something like Sport Sitters, you’re going to trust anyone in that network,” Albright said. “These are all D-I athletes. They’re all extremely responsible, they’re all going to be high energy, they’re all going to be fantastic with kids.”

The connections can also stretch past the home. Franks said families often begin attending games and meets after their children bond with athletes through the app.

“All of a sudden, they’re bringing the posters and they’re screaming their Sport Sitter’s names,” Franks said.

Gieger hopes that it can happen in San Diego, too.

“I can interact with people in the community and make relationships,” Gieger said. “Maybe they will want to come to my games and support and just basically a little fan base.”

Wisniew-Colwell has already seen that happen. She said families and kids have come out to games, creating a stronger connection between athletes and the communities around their schools.

“The kids want to support you, the families want to support you,” Wisniew-Colwell said. “It’s a really great experience to feel that connectedness and the growing community.”

As Sport Sitters prepares to enter San Diego, Franks said success will not be measured only by bookings or revenue. 

“I care about the connection and the influence,” Franks said. “The motivation here is 100% offering student-athletes flexible work when they need it … and also allowing children to be around great people.”