The Safe Nanny Handbook
Peggy Robin's
"The Safe Nanny Handbook" is a comprehensive
guide that will help you create an environment that's
safe, healthy and happy - for your child, your nanny, and
yourself. Peggy's book walks you through the steps
of evaluating your childcare needs, choosing an agency or
writing your own ads and flyers, interviewing candidates
and finally training your nanny to be a safe and efficient
caregiver. The book also includes a Sample
Employment agreement and a Sample Live-in agreement. Below
is an excerpt from "The Safe Nanny Handbook."
* Personal
Experience*
My husband and I
have had in our employ a total of nine regular caregivers
in our home during the past seven and half years, starting
from when our first child was three months old. We
have liked most of them, disliked two ( and fired both of
them promptly), and loved four of them, including the one
we have now.
We have had all
types, acquired in all the different ways. One nanny
came to us through a high-priced nanny agency. The
rest of the full-time nannies we hired independently, by
means of newspaper ads or notices posted on bulletin
boards. In the early days, we hired part-time
college students, who we recruited through the job
placement centers of various local colleges. We have
had American girls from the Midwest, the West Coast, the
East Coast, and the South. We have had foreign-born
ones as well: one Trinidadian; one Irish nanny; and our
current one, who is English. They have all been
live-out, except for one nanny, who in the process of
relocating to accept our job offer, stayed in our basement
until she could move into her own apartment (which we
found and provided for her, rent-free).
Our best nannies
have stayed for more than two years; our worst ones were
let go within weeks. One time I fired a nanny on the same
day she started work, having realized almost from the
moment that she stepped inside the door that it had been a
mistake to make her an offer.
Four of our nannies
have been far more than employees - they became friends,
and to my children each has been much like a third parent.
My children's love for their nannies has been intense,
which has meant, among other things, that it has been very
hard on them each time one of our long-term nannies has
had to say good-bye. But we have always made a point
to stay in touch, and we feel these women will always be a
part of our lives.
Our current nanny is
Kathy. We found her through what I now realize is
the most reliable source of nannies - "The Nanny
Network" (described in Chapter 3). Fiona had
many connections with nannies all over the area, and
immediately upon telling us that she would be leaving,
started spreading the word up and down the network that
her job would soon be available. A friend of a
friend led us to Kathy, who has been with us ever since.
We love her, our children love her, and we are secure in
the knowledge that our love is returned.
When you have a
nanny like this, you truly have peace of mind. When
I'm in my office working on a book, I feel not a speck of
guilt about leaving my children in another's care, because
it's clear to me that my nanny does the job every bit as
well as I do. Well, I hate to admit it, but in some
ways, maybe better! When I come home to find my girls
working so carefully and patiently with Kathy's help at an
art project I could never have organized, I find myself
feeling grateful, not guilty, for all the richness she had
added to their lives. When you have a good nanny,
your children get more of a good thing (nurturing) - not
less.
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