Posts Tagged ‘Nannies’

Have You Had A Current Flu Shot?

Thursday, February 4th, 2010

Some recent articles suggest that nannies who have had their H1N1 flu shot are finding jobs much faster than those that have not had it.  While in some cases it may be true, the real advantage is to protect the Nanny.  As we are all aware, children are more prone to catching a cold or flu than an adult.  Once a child has the flu and passes it on to their nanny the problems are significant for everyone involved.  It is not just the child and their household that is affected, but the nannies household can be affected too.  If the nanny gets sick and misses work it can be devastating, as most nannies do not get paid if they are not at work.  Of course the family will have its own problems filling in for the nanny when they too need to be at work. 

The bottom line is for both nannies and families to make sure that they are all up to date on their shots to prevent serious issues from arising.

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Summer Fun

Sunday, June 7th, 2009

The inviting summer sun wakes you early with a burning desire to take the kids out of the house and spend a day enjoying the sunshine. You packed a giant picnic basket filled with healthy lunches and snacks but you keep thinking that you forgot something. Here is a quick list of items recommended by some of our nannies.

  • Water - no matter how much water you think you will need, on hot days you can dehydrate very quickly. Bring several refillable bottles so you can save the planet while saving yourself.
  • Sunscreen – even if you are going to the park and not the beach the sun is just as powerful as it peaks through the trees.
  • Change of clothes – even afternoon outings can be cut short by minor spills or water gun fights. They don’t call some of today’s water guns “Super Soakers” for nothing.
  • Light jackets - while not planned, sometimes your afternoon fun can extend into a cool evening.
  • Garbage bags – bringing a banana is good. Shoving the peel under the seat is not good, nor is tossing it out the window. Why waste time looking for a receptacle when you can bring your own.
  • First Aid Kit – kids will be kids and having fun at the park or beach means running, jumping and scraping something.
  • Books – even kids run out of steam sometimes and having a book to read or have read to them for some down time can be very relaxing.
  • Games – have some planned activities or games to get things started otherwise you will hear; “this is boring, there is nothing to do here”.
  • Games for the car – depending on the length of the drive, kids get bored easily.
  • Water – did I already mention “water”? Yes it is that important to be listed twice.

Have fun!

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Happy Holiday

Wednesday, December 24th, 2008

We would like to take this opportunity to thank all of our clients, nannies, housekeepers, chefs, managers and all of the other many wonderful people that have helped us grow this past year. 

Dedicated Domestics wishes all of you a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.

Best Wishes,

Eloisa and Jeff Nelson

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So you want to hire a Nanny? Now what?

Thursday, November 6th, 2008

The first step is to decide what your real needs are.  Be realistic in what you are looking for.  Most household employees are looking for full time work.  Some will be willing to work for two days with one family and three days with another, while others prefer to work full time for one family.  The more challenging the schedule the more difficult it will be to find someone to fill your position.  It is customary for nannies to request higher salaries to work odd hours, just like any other field.  Sometimes, we have found that a family can hire a full time nanny for only slightly more than an odd schedule might cost.  It really does pay to think through your needs carefully since hiring around a standard schedule can give you greater flexibility at home, increase you selection of nannies and sometimes even save you some money.  

Besides the schedule you should consider what you need the person to do. 

·         Do you just need someone to watch your children or do they need tutoring skills to be able to help with the homework? 

·         While most nannies will help with light housekeeping, they will not scrub you bathroom.  If deep cleaning is what you really need, you may want to find a good housekeeper.  And while some housekeepers will keep an eye on older kids occasionally, I am sure you do not want someone with chemicals on their hands from scrubbing the toilet to start changing a diaper.

·        Does the nanny need to drive the kids anywhere or to run errands?

·        Will they need to use their own car or will you provide a car?

·        Have you planned on a mileage allowance, insurance or both?

·        Do any of the children have special needs that a nanny should be prepared for?

·        Are you a stay at home mom that just needs extra help or are you planning to be out of the house and need a full charge nanny?

·        Does the nanny need a passport to travel with the family?

·        Will the nanny need to be flexible for overnight stays?

 

As you can see, there are many questions to think about before hiring someone.  The above is just a short list of common questions.  The more you think through what you are looking for in a nanny or housekeeper the easier it will be to find the right person for you.   Give us a call at Dedicated Domestics and we will be glad to review your needs and help point you in the right direction.

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Part time salaries can be more than full time?

Saturday, June 21st, 2008

First remember that most but not all household employees are looking for full time work.  Some will be willing to work for two days with one family and three days with another, while others prefer to work full time for one family.  The more challenging the schedule the more difficult it will be to find someone to fill your position.  Just like any other field, it is customary for nannies to request a premium or higher salary to work odd hours.  Sometimes, we have found that a family can hire a full time nanny for only slightly more than an odd schedule might cost.  It really does pay to think through your needs carefully since hiring around a standard schedule can give you greater flexibility at home, increase your selection of nannies and sometimes even save you some money.   For example at Dedicated Domestics we had a request from a family for an almost full time nanny to work 8 hours per day on Mondays and Thursdays and 6 hours per day on Tuesdays and Wednesdays and 4 hours on Friday.  Due to the two six and one 4 hour days, the nanny knew she could not fill in her week with another job so she requested a premium of just $3.00 an hour more to compensate for the odd schedule.  Based on her experience and what the family was expecting her to do, the nanny would have charged $600.00 for a standard 40 hour work week which is $15.00 per hour.  The schedule that the family wanted worked out to 32 hours at $18.00 (with the $3.00 premium) or $574.00 per week.  After we spoke with both the nanny and the family, they agreed on $600.00 a week for a simple 40 hour schedule.  For just $26.00 per week more the family now has extra help and flexibility when they need it and the nanny is more comfortable with the full time salary.  It is good to remember that while the cost of gas has gone up dramatically over the past year a small increase in a full time schedule will cover the higher prices.  But, when a part-time employee is working only 4 hours with one family and then commutes to another family for 4 more hours the gas cost doubles and will represent a larger part of their salary.  The agency you work with should be able to steer you in the right direction so you get the best value for your money.

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Child Care Safety

Tuesday, February 26th, 2008

By now most of you have read the front page story that appeared in “The Orange County Register” last Friday, February 22, 2008.  For those who haven’t read the article, it talked about the recent death of a 6-month old infant and the previous death of another child in the same Laguna Hills house where the owner was operating a Day-care facility.  When stories like this develop, questions begin to rise about all types of child-care including nannies and babysitters.  Personally, we feel the more questions the better.  Parents should not entrust their children to the care of anyone unless they have been thoroughly screened and you feel comfortable that every precaution is being taken to protect your children.    Remember that accidents will happen whether someone else is watching your child or you are watching them yourself.  But, many accidents can be prevented or at least the severity reduced if parents and caregivers followed basic safety guidelines.  This is why at Dedicated Domestics we make time to meet every applicant personally and take so many precautions to find the most qualified caregivers available. We also insist that every nanny, babysitter, mother’s helper and caregiver take an approved CPR class before starting work.  Not every agency insists on certification and for some the courses are not nationally recognized. 

The biggest issue with the day-care facility mentioned in the article, was that it had several complaints over the years and families did not take the time to check them out.  We all assume the government agencies are doing their jobs, but there isn’t enough time or manpower for them to follow up on every facility.  Whether you choose to hire a nanny or use a day-care center, remember the safety of your child is at stake and if you are not comfortable don’t leave your child.  In the case of the day-care facility they had 20 prior complaints and still nothing was done.  If you have the luxury of being able to afford a nanny, then you can take action immediately if you believe the situation calls for it. 

Dedicated Domestics is a modern company with old fashioned ethics.  Just as we will not work with an applicant that we would not feel comfortable hiring ourselves to help our family, we also would not expect the families that we work with to leave their children with anyone they do not feel comfortable with.

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Nannies, Babysitters, Mothers Helpers, Oh My!

Wednesday, January 16th, 2008

With so many titles how does a Mom know who to pick for what?  Over the years many people doing similar jobs have been labeled with so many different job titles that even the industry has difficulty making a distinction between some positions.   All of the positions involving the care of children can and often is referred to as simply “child caregivers”.  But most families will request the services of a Babysitter or Nanny.  The two titles are so intertwined that most families, caregivers and even agencies have been using the terms interchangeably. 

In general a Babysitter is a person that is hired for a temporary situation, like having someone watch your child on Saturday night so you can go out.  Whereas, a Nanny is the title used most frequently when wanting to hire a person for full or part time child care so you might go back to work.  The title Mothers’ helper is much easier to understand since as the name implies, it usually will refer to a person who is helping mom take care of her kids while she is around.  Many times “stay at home moms” with multiple children have found that a little extra help can be very useful.  While occasionally a Mothers’ helper might watch the children for short periods of time, their job is mainly to provide additional support for a mom.  Mothers’ helpers tend to be entry level positions or positions for a person that prefers not to have all of the responsibility themselves. 

Another title that is often overlooked in the United States but is still very important around the world is a Governess.  Generally, a Governess will be equivalent to a private teacher.  They will usually have the added responsibility of etiquette training as well. 

While Nannies remain the most flexible of titles the important part is determining what your family needs and not being as concerned with the title.  While some Nannies are college educated with teaching credentials others may barely speak English but have many years of experience handling young children.  It is important to remember that a Nanny is not a replacement for a Mom.  A Nanny with teaching credentials might be perfect for helping with homework or for home schooling but they generally will not help with housekeeping too.  Then there are some Nannies that have little formal education but have a wonderful way with kids.  Some Nannies may also specialize in newborn or infant care.  While other Nannies will prepare dinners for the whole family but may not be able to drive. 

There are way too many possible areas that a Nanny can help a family with to list here.  The most important item of course is peace of mind.  Whatever your needs are, never hire anyone that you do not feel comfortable with.  Since you and your family will be working closely with the caregiver and you will entrust them with the care of your son or daughter, you need to know that you can trust and rely on the person you choose above all else.

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Welcome!

Wednesday, January 9th, 2008

Dedicated Domestics NannyWelcome to Dedicated Domestics Weblog.

As our agency has grown we want to share our knowledge of the in-home staffing industry with all of you.  Families hiring for the first time and professional Estate Managers seeking additional staff all want to find the best candidates that will fit their individual needs.  Of course, candidates are also looking to match up their skills with a family that will respect them and treat them fairly.  By working with an agency that takes the time to understand the individual needs of both parties, the quality of care and the length of service are dramatically improved.  The right care can give you and your family the peace of mind that you need to tackle life’s other little obstacles.

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