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A newsletter for Parents, Nannies and Agency Owners
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Vol. 1, No. 10 August 2000
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Deborah Smith, Editor
Parents With Nannies, Inc.
Deborah@4Nanny.com
This newsletter is distributed by subscription only. If you
wish to unsubscribe, you can find instructions at the end of
this newsletter.
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IN THIS ISSUE
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> A Note from the Editor
> An excerpt from The Anxious Parents’ Guide to Quality Childcare
by Michelle Ehrich
Screening and Interviewing
How To REALLY Check References
> Professional Compensation for the Professional Nanny
by Stephanie Breedlove, Breedlove & Associates
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"A young mind is like gelatin.
The idea is to put in lots of good stuff before it sets...!"
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Editor's Note:
Well, we've had another exciting month on the website so there
are a few new developments I'd like to tell you about.
I have been actively recruiting a select group of industry experts to
serve as advisors through our "Ask the Experts" forum and I am happy
to report that we will be welcoming some terrific people to the
4EverythingNanny.com team in the next month. One of our experts, is
Stepanie Breedlove of Breedlove and Associates and the
author of this month's article "Professional Compensation for the
Professional Nanny." You will be able to read more about Stephanie
and the others next month when we roll out our brand new Experts Page.
We are also currently taking listing submissions from Agencies, so if
you own an agency and have yet to fill out the form that will ensure
a listing on our new Agency directory, do so now. Go here to sign up.
RECEIVE A FREE T-SHIRT: Have you successfully found a job or a nanny through
our website? If so, send us your success story for use in an upcoming
newsletter and we'll send you a free 4EverythingNanny.com T-Shirt.
THE WINNER OF THE YEAR'S SUBSCRIPTION TO BRIGHTER VISION, LEARNING
ADVENTURES IS Deneane Maldonado of Miami Fl. Congratulations Deneane!
Try out the LEARNING ADVENTURES program with a free shipment of
educational books and activities that are worth over $20. Click here
to request your free shipment!
THE WINNERS OF THE "CHILDREN ARE MY PRIORITY" WALL CLOCK IS
PHYLLIS BACON OF GRAND PRAIRIE, TEXAS.
Congratulation Phyllis, we'll have your clock out to you by the
end of the week.
A NEW SWEEPSTAKES FOR AUGUST
We had such terrific feedback from our T-Shirt sweepstakes
that we've decided to give away 2 Sweatshirts this month.
To enter to win either the "Nannies Make the World a Better
Place, One Child At a Time" Sweatshirt follow the link
http://www.4nanny.com/Sweepstakes.htm. Good Luck!
RECOMMENDED SITES
ChildFun.com
http://childfun.com
Free kids crafts, parenting advice and more
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THE ANXIOUS PARENTS GUIDE TO QUALITY CHILDCARE
by Michelle Ehrich
Chapter 6: Screening and Interviewing
You are now at a turning point. Until now, we have focused
on developing the means to conduct an effective search for
quality childcare and our efforts have been fairly
self-contained. This chapter will offer you advice on
screening and interviewing a pool of applicants...
SCREENING INDIVIDUAL CANDIDATES (and DEALING WITH COMPETITION
IN THE MARKETPLACE)
When I first began to screen and interview live-in nanny
candidates by telephone, I spent the bulk of the initial
interview (immediately after the screening) discussing
Candidate Qualifications and Job Requirements in a very
factual and businesslike (yet not unfriendly) manner.
In two early instances, once when I called back a candidate
for the second interview and once when I spoke to the agency
for feedback, I learned that the candidates had since made
plans to visit another family (i.e. the face-to-face interview)
because they "just hit it off right away with the mother/family
(i.e. employer)". Then it dawned on me: even though I thought
that our position and children were the best in the world,
there was a lot of competition out there! Read that sentence
again to make sure you remember it!
This was an important lesson to be learned. I modified my
interview methods, adopting a more conversational approach
to form a personal connection with the candidate. I began to
spend more time initially talking about the personalities of
our children, our priorities in life, our perspectives on
childcare and our community etc., then gradually shifting
focus to learning more about the candidate’s qualifications.
It took a bit more time up front, but this enabled me to form
a personal connection by selling the candidates on "us" - our
family, our children, our job and our town - before I took the
time to learn more about their qualifications and assess if I
was interested in them. While the success of your efforts in
"selling the job" to a strong candidate may not be immediately
evident, your failure in this regard can be readily so.
Chapter 7: How To REALLY Check References
If you have gotten to the point where you like a candidate
or center enough to arrange for an personal face-to-face
interview, take the time to check references first. Do so
for any childcare arrangement you might be considering,
( in or out of home), even if the candidate came very highly
recommended from a close friend or relative, and even if you
are 100 percent certain that this is the right candidate for
your position. Think of the rush you feel when experiencing
love at first sight and the letdown that occurs once you see
your beloved in the light of day. References complement the
interview process by serving as a vital reality check. Keep
in mind that checking references is about as much fun as
interviewing, so you may find it necessary to remind yourself
that you have a very important and worthy goal: finding the
very best caregiver and arrangement for your child....
Human nature is such that people shy away from saying bad
things about others, especially to strangers who call from
out of the blue. When calling a reference, keep this in mind
and be gracious as you introduce yourself and explain the
purpose of your call.....The manner in which you pose your
reference questions should be informal and friendly rather
than adversarial. Be well prepared so that the conversation
is productive and you don't waste anyone's time.
To
Order the Book
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PROFESSIONAL COMPENSATION FOR THE PROFESSIONAL NANNY
The nanny industry has seen tremendous growth and change
over the past decade, as more families are choosing the
quality childcare provided by the professional nanny.
A recent article in U.S. News and World Report listed
being a nanny as one of the top ten professions in the
country. The nanny profession provides higher salaries
than any other segment of the childcare industry: daycare,
in-home licensed childcare, pre-school, and sometimes teaching.
Each of these forms of childcare is "on the books", without
exception. Why is the highest paid segment of the childcare
industry frequently paid illegally? How can a career on the
nation's top ten list come without the benefits of being legal?
There are many reasons for this, and they are largely related
to our evolving industry. Today's professional nanny is in
high demand by dual-career families. This is very different
from the limited demand created by America's elite households
in years past. When a family hires a nanny and becomes an
employer, they don't have a payroll department to turn to for
assistance with payroll and taxes. It is difficult for families
and nannies to tackle this part of the relationship, often
creating an unintentional "cash-based" salary. And, there
are still families and nannies that openly agree to an "off
the books" salary. It is difficult to be a professional
industry when much of the workforce is paid illegally.
The benefits of being legal are numerous for nannies, and they
really can't afford to be without them. As professionals,
they should expect nothing less. Let's take a closer look
at some of the benefits:
1. Employment History. Being legal creates an employment
history that is critical to daily life. If your employment is
not documented, it is as if you do not work. An employment history
is required for a car loan, a mortgage, a student loan, a credit
card application, a health insurance application, an auto insurance
application, a job application, and the list goes on… Here's an
example: Jennifer earns $2,000 per month as a nanny but is paid
illegally. She and her husband are applying for a mortgage on
their first home. They could not qualify for the mortgage without
her income. In order to qualify, Jennifer had to put her salary
"on the books" and wait 6 months before submitting a new loan
application.
2. Social Security/Medicare Benefits. For many, taking
advantage of these benefits is years away, but consider these
tax withholdings as a good investment. Here's an example:
Joan earns approximately $20,000 per year. During her career
she contributes about $38,000 to Social Security benefits.
At age 65, she will receive approximately $175,000 in Social
Security benefits during retirement, assuming she lives until
age 85. That's almost 5 times the amount she contributed during
her working years! That's a tremendous investment.
3. Unemployment Insurance. By being paid legally, employees
are entitled to receive approximately 50% of their gross salary
for up to 6 months should they lose their job due to no fault of
their own. This benefit is free to the employee, as the employer
pays the cost of the program. Here's an example: Suzan loses her
$500 per week nanny job when her family has a job-related move
across the country. Suzy receives $250 per week in unemployment
insurance benefits while she looks for a new job. Assuming it
takes her the maximum 6 months to find a new job, she will receive
$6,500 in total benefits.
Being legal is not only the law, it also provides great benefits.
Nannies should receive the benefits due to them as paid professionals.
Stephanie Breedlove, Partner
Breedlove & Associates. L.P.
Breedlove and Associates is the nation's leading provider of nanny
payroll and tax services for household employers. Their specialized
services for busy families have been chronicled in Business Week,
The Wall Street Journal and Kiplinger's.
http://www.breedloveinc.com
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Success Story
Hi I am 18 years old and just getting out of high school.
I created a resume on your web site in April. The biggest The biggest
problem I had was turning down jobs. I accepted a job
in Chicago just this last week. I will be working with
a wonderful family who I am sure I will be very happy
with. However, if it doesn't work out I know I have
other jobs waiting for me. So any ways, I just wanted
to say thank you guys for setting up this fabulous
web site and making it easy to find a job. I would
recommend this site to anyone who is looking for a nanny
or wants to be a nanny.
Charlie, New Nanny in Chicago
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I hope you have enjoyed this month's issue of Nanny Net News.
ENJOY THE REST OF YOUR SUMMER, IT'S GOING WAY TOO FAST!
See you next month.
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Did you know that Nanny Net News currently has over 400
subscribers? If you would like to submit an article to be
considered for an upcoming newsletter send your story ideas
or questions about this ezine to Deborah@4Nanny.com.
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