Designed for ages 1-12

Book in-home sessions with rigorously vetted education and childcare specialists in NYC.

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    Highly-qualified educators
    A team of dedicated early childhood experts brings the best learning & instructional experience to your child
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    Research-based Dearest curriculum
    Our educators use fun and developmentally appropriate content designed specifically for your child
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    Social and emotional development
    Dearest educators work with young learners to develop a growth mindset and deep love of learning

Community of teachers, education specialists, and care providers

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    Carefully selected through our rigorous 7-step screening process, including in-person interviews and practical assessments
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    Proven track record of quality teaching
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    Background and reference checked
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    Less than 3% of applicants pass our screening process to become Dearest educators
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Columbia Teachers CollegeHunter CollegeBank Street CollegeJulliard CollegeStandfordCornell University

Here’s how it works!

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1. Select an educator

Review the profiles of our vetted, top-tier educators and select the best fit for your family.

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2. Book your first session

Use the educator’s calendar of availability to send a booking request. You can also message them anytime.

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3. Set up regular sessions

Share learning goals with your educator, book recurring sessions, and enjoy seeing your child’s progress!

Meet the very best

Meet our incredible team of educators available for in-home sessions in NYC!

Interested in learning more? Email us at

Tell us what you are looking for and we’ll

match you with the best fit for your family!

What NYC Parents are Saying
“Gabrielle was smart, kind, and incredibly attentive to our little one. As new parents, we were anxious about leaving our daughter, but Gabrielle's professionalism put us right at ease. She clicked immediately with my child, and they jumped right into books and play. Highly recommended!” - Marie
“Every single person we've hired using Dearest has been fantastic. I love that they are experienced, intelligent, and are excited about helping my kids learn through fun activities.” - Jessica
“Dearest is a game changer. I have learned so much from our educators and coordinators about how best to support my son's development. They helped him set the grounds for thriving in the top G&T program in the city.” - Carl
“I love Dearest. Dearest has the highest-quality babysitters in NYC. The value of having a teacher for a sitter was evident from the very first session. We spend a lot on schools and toys, and it only makes sense not to compromise on the person who spends so much time with my kids.” - Louis
“Vanessa is always on time and knows how to interact with my 4.5 and 2.5-year-old. My kids are always looking forward to the sessions with her because they are fun and her activity ideas are very creative. They learn so much!” - Margaux
“Gabrielle was smart, kind, and incredibly attentive to our little one. As new parents, we were anxious about leaving our daughter, but Gabrielle's professionalism put us right at ease. She clicked immediately with my child, and they jumped right into books and play. Highly recommended!” - Marie
“Every single person we've hired using Dearest has been fantastic. I love that they are experienced, intelligent, and are excited about helping my kids learn through fun activities.” - Jessica

Frequently Asked Questions

Once you find the best fit for your child, send them a booking request by clicking “book” on the right-hand side of their profile. When the educator accepts your booking request, your credit card will be charged and you’ll receive a confirmation via text which will also include your online learning link. The educator will reach out to you to discuss the areas of focus. At the conclusion of each session, you’ll receive a learning report that details the content covered and your child’s progress.

After you’ve selected an educator and a timeslot on their calendar, check the “Book Recurring Sessions” option at the bottom of the pop-up and click “Next.” You’ll then be able to select the days of the week you wish to book the educator for. Please note that the times of each session will remain constant for all recurring sessions.

You and your family can expect a high-quality, developmentally appropriate learning experience that is personalized to your child's unique academic needs, warm and professional educators, and in-depth learning reports to help you stay involved and on-top of your child’s social-emotional development and education.

We have an extensive and rigorous screening process when onboarding our educators, designed to identify top talent who have experience in both childcare and education.

Our seven step vetting process includes: resume screening, online assessments, phone interview, in-person interview, in-person practical tests, two reference checks, and a background check. Only 3% of applicants have made it through our rigorous process and all educators are college graduates, many with advanced degrees.

Due to the amount of time each educator spends preparing and planning for each session, we do not refund sessions cancelled within 24 hours of a session. However, if you wish to reschedule or cancel a session prior to 24 hours before the session, you can do so at no extra charge by logging in to Dearest and clicking on “Bookings”on the top-right side of the page, selecting the session you want to reschedule, and then clicking “Reschedule.”

We work to ensure that all educators are prompt for every session. If, however, the educator is late, they will either stay later to make up the missed time or offer a few other dates and times for a make-up class. If the educator does not show up, Dearest will refund you or schedule your little one for new session (with a different educator) at no cost.

We strive to provide the absolute best online learning experience. If you were unhappy with your Dearest session, please email us at hello@dearest.io and let us know about the session. We address every customer complains on a case by case basis.

An 8% processing fee is applied to all Dearest sessions. This processing fee covers credit card system fees and other direct costs associated with the booking.

In-person tutoring with Dearest educators typically ranges between $70 and $120 per hour. Our childcare services (which include hands-on educational activities and a session report) are between $30 and $40 per hour, with a 3-hour minimum. We are proud to offer one of the most competitive rates for the level of experience and qualifications of the providers. An 8% processing fee is added to all sessions. This processing fee covers credit card system fees and other direct costs associated with the booking.