On the search for a great St. Louis Nanny?

When hiring a Nanny……....originally run by STLFamillyLife

written by: Patti Mueller

www.nannymall.com

Asked by Lisa with STLFamilyLife: 1.)When a parent interviews a nanny, what are the basic questions a parent should ask?

Nannies are a wonderful addition to a family for several reasons so when your family is searching for a new Nanny lots of questions should be asked!

This is just a very small sampling:

• What is your experience working with children? (were you a Nanny, work at a daycare, have a home based daycare? Etc…)
• How old were the children you cared for?
• Do you have any formal early childcare development or childcare training?
• Are you CPR and First Aid certified? Are you willing to become certified?
• Why are you a Nanny and what type of position are you looking for?
• Will you follow our house rules and will you speak up when something is bothering you?
• What is your definition of “open communication?”
• Do you have future plans (school, marriage, children) that would put a limit on how long you expect to be a Nanny?
• What is your salary range?
• What is your availability date?
• And many, many more!
  

2.) What's the difference between a nanny and a babysitter? What is expected of a nanny that's not of a traditional babysitter?

The difference is really quite simple.

A Nanny is a professional childcare employee. Nannies have years and years of childcare experience on their resume along with impeccable references. All Nannies that work through an Agency have been cleared with clean backgrounds and are required to be CPR certified. They usually have a degree in Childcare or a similar field and more often than not, they have made “Nannying” their career.

Nannies are employees; just like any other employee they receive benefits: paid vacations, paid personal days, un-paid personal days, sometimes help with health insurance, and by state and federal law taxes should be taken out of their weekly salary. (There are GREAT tax breaks/benefits to the family when employing a Nanny!)

Too, Nannies always appreciate finding a family to stay with for a number of years as it can be difficult on both parties to jump from family to family each year. It’s not unheard of for a Nanny to have made the commitment to a family for 5-6 years!

Nanny’s normal duties are not limited to childcare but also include cleaning up of the kitchen, play areas, children’s rooms and their laundry. They are also in charge of play dates, occasional doctor appointments, and child related errands.

A sitter is someone who is usually younger, still in school and looking to make a few extra dollars a week for social expenses. Typically sitters are not dedicated to just one family and will not work many hours a week, the norm is 2-6 times a month with any given family…and only with families that are located within their own neighborhood.--Nannies will drive up to an hour each way to their respective families!--

3.) How does a parent find a nanny to match his/her parenting style?

This could be as simple as outlining exactly what the family desires in a childcare employee and making sure your expected criteria is matched through the first question and answer interview. -The thorough process of a good Agency will begin by matching 90-100% criteria between the family’s application and the Nanny’s application before even sending the portfolios over for family to view.-

What are the questions that should be asked in the interview process to ensure a great match with the children?

• What do children like best about you?

• How do you comfort children? How do you deal with separation anxiety?
• How do you discipline children?
• What are some of the rules you've followed in other households that you think worked well? Which rules haven't worked for you?
• Would you be willing to follow my rules and disciplining/comforting strategies even if they're different from yours?
• What will my child be doing on any given day?
• What are your favorite activities to do with a child the age of mine?

4.) How do you tell if a nanny isn't working out for the family?

There is always a period of adjustment which can last a few short days or a couple of weeks. There will be times when the family may feel a little overwhelmed and same for the Nanny but should you start to see these warning signs, it may be time to find a new Nanny:

• Nanny begins to call off one or more days a week.
• She asks if she can come in later or leave earlier.
• The children act different around her perhaps because she isn’t dedicating as much time with them or has distanced herself from them.
• There is less communication between Nanny and family.
• Chores that are in the normal description of duties aren’t completed.
• Your neighbors have noticed the children aren’t outside as much, and/or play dates have dwindled.
• Where she may have come over for the occasional weekend to keep the children, she’s now stating she’s unavailable.
• You find the browser on your computer has been opened to Nanny Job sites.
• There are many other warning signs but those are the top few. --A true professional Nanny will discuss her concerns with the family before it gets uncomfortable.--

NannyMall, LLC is a local Full Service Nanny Placement Agency and below answers some questions regularly asked by families.

Why should families use a Nanny Agency such as NannyMall, LLC?

The use of an Agency cuts down your time spent looking for qualified childcare. A dedicated Agency such as ours will take the time to discuss your needs, learn your specified criteria desired in your new Nanny, and spend time going over your family application, making sure nothing is overlooked or forgotten.
All Agencies should, and ours will, match criteria between both the family app and the Nanny app, cutting out the Nannies families wouldn't even consider. Agencies also contact Nanny's references, do background checks, and make sure they are CPR Certified within 30 days of hire by a family.

--Also a big question: isn’t hiring a Nanny more expensive than daycare? The short answer is no. For more information about this topic please visit our website, www.nannymall.com

What is NannyMall’s role?
We provide excellent services to families in need of experienced childcare. We are here to walk you through the process of hiring the very best Nanny for your family. The family has unbiased people, our Placement Coordinators, to discuss each Nanny's portfolio should the decision become difficult.

What criteria do you look for when recruiting Nannies?

When searching for a Nanny, the qualifications we look for are:

· experience

· sweet, healthy disposition towards children

· impeccable references from previous families

· willingness to work within family guidelines

· clean background/driving record

· dependable car with enough space to seat children safely

· desire to stay with a family for at least a year or more

How do families benefit when using your Agency?

• We have a knowledgeable staff to help guide them.
• We know the ins and outs of hiring a Nanny.
• We perform the interviews, backgrounds, reference checks.
• We work side by side with Household Tax specialists. (Who can teach the family how to pay Nanny legally and help save on their taxes!)
• We provide a Family-Nanny Agreement form that takes out the guess work of writing an Agreement on your own.
• Most importantly our Nanny Placement Agency is here to help and encourage you through the entire process so that the very best Nanny is found for your children.

You may contact NannyMall, LLC and learn more about our services by going to our website: www.nannymall.com , calling 314 769 MALL (6255) or emailing us: info@nannymall.com .

Thank you and we wish you all the success in finding your “gold star Nanny!”

NannyMall Raffle! Awesome Gift Certificates!

Would you like to get away but not go very far and not pay more than
a few dollars?
NannyMall, llc is raffling 2 Gift Certificates good for 1 night each
(2 nights total) stay at The IrishInn!
The Irish Inn is located in southern Ozark, IL, just a couple hours drive from St. Louis, MO. These 2 certificates are worth $300 and have no expiration date! A portion of the proceeds is going to the charity: Shepard's Hands of STL They welcome children and your dog
(or leave both w/the Nanny)!

In the morning sit down with the Innkeepers and have an incredible Irish breakfast. It's simply wonderful; we know because we've been there!
*more information about the Inn on our website*

• Raffle tickets are just One Dollar ($1.00) each and ALL US residents are welcome to purchase!
• You can buy 1 or 100!
• Raffle begins Aug 16th, 2010 and ends Sept 30, 2010. Winner will be chosen by Random.org
• Raffle tickets can be purchased through PayPal or via postal mail.
• You will receive your virtual ticket(s) by email after payment has been received.
• Winner will be notified via email and phone.
  

Please go to: NannyMall Raffle Page for more information and to purchase your tickets!

Nature's Simple Blends Organic Baby Food

An in depth talk with Katie Dowd, creator of Nature's Simple Blends
Written by: Glenda Propst of RegardingNannies.com
*After you read the great article, please see information below about the Give Away sponsored by RegardingNannies!

When you think of Organic baby food with no additives or preservatives it sounds simple but if it's so simple, why isn't organic baby food easier to find?
There is a good reason so few companies offer these products. The process of becoming USDA Certified Organic is labor intensive, difficult and often frustrating.

• You must find a supplier that follows all of the USDA National Organic Program (NOP) guidelines.
  
• There is a mountain of paperwork, specialized training, specified production facilities and inspections from multiple government agencies.

Because this process is so daunting, most companies just give up before achieving the organic certification.
While the certification process is not enjoyable for companies seeking USDA Certified Organic status, it’s great news for consumers. You can be confident that the quality of your food is superior, from the farm all the way to your freezer.

Today I am talking with Katie Johnson Dowd, the creator of Nature's Simple Blends Organic Baby Food. As the mother of 4 Katie knows the importance of offering your children the best and most nutritious foods available. I asked Katie some questions about what set her on this path to opening her own organic baby food company and here are her answers.

Did you make your own baby food with all 4 of your boys?
I made some of the older boys baby food, but I supplemented with the store bought stuff. They weren't real happy when I did that. When the twins were born, I made everything. I started testing different blends that you could not get at the store. I experimented with blends like spinach and broccoli.

When did you decide that it was best to make organic baby food?
I started reading a little bit about organic about 8 yrs ago, but the produce was pretty scarce, so our family went completely organic about 3 yrs ago, when the twins started eating baby food and the produce was more readily available.

What made you decide to make organic baby food for your children?
I started doing research on organic baby food and found that there are not many options out there. There is one brand that you can get at the grocery store, but a lot of things had been recalled for botulism. And with the suggestion of my sister Donna, I knew that I could offer a much safer, tastier and healthier method to feed the little ones for the St. Louis area.

Did you see changes in your children when you starting feeding them organic foods? I didn't see any changes in my kids because of organic per say, but I felt better because I knew that my kids were eating food with out chemicals. I think that the benefits will be seen in the long run.

Why do you think organic is important?
I think that organic is important because we get so many chemicals in our bodies from so many places, like our houses, the air, the water, medicine etc., the last thing that we need is to get it from our food. Why put chemicals, hormones, additives and preservatives in our bodies when we don't fully know what they will do or how they will effect us in the future. I refuse to put my family at risk from the things that I can control.

What else do you want to share with us about your business and why is organic worth it?
With our baby food at Nature's Simple Blends, when the product is Apples and Pears, that is what you get. Nothing else is added!! The ingredients for each product are listed right on our website so that you can see for yourself exactly what goes into them.

Our blends are steamed soft, then pureed, then flash frozen to maintain the highest nutritional content. The store brands are heated to extremely high temperatures for canning and then much of the nutritional content is lost. We have over 35 different blends of fruits and vegetables to introduce the little ones into the world of solid food.

We take every precaution to make sure that our parents receive the best product available. Another perk to Nature's Simple Blends is that we hand deliver to your door.
Today's moms are very busy. We thought that this door to door delivery method would make feeding their little ones safe, healthy,organic baby food more convenient.

Is organic baby food only for babies?
No, it's not just for babies. It's also for people on a soft solid diet like the elderly and people who have had weight loss surgery. I have even had some interest from someone who was a body builder who needed some extra calories to add to his oatmeal at breakfast. I have found that there are times in everyones’ lives when they need to be on a soft food or pureed food diet for one reason or another. Our blends taste so good that even the grown ups enjoy them.

Katie is the mom of 4 little boys: Shannon age 8, Karter age 6, Aiden age 3, Jace, age 3 (twins)

NannyMall will have a Registration Page on their website, NannyMall.com, that families can enter to win one of two great cases of Organic Baby Food. The contest will begin July 15th, watch for additional information on KSDK's Channel 5 show, Mom's Like Me at 7pm July 15th. Ends Aug 15th, 2010 and winners will be chosen by Random.org and is sponsored by RegardingNannies.com!
Glenda says: If you visit RegardingNannies.com, leave a comment on RegardingNannies' blog and if you are a winner of the Give Away, you will win something extra!

10 ways for Nanny to feel welcome in your home.

Nannies are people, not superheros........sounds like a "duh" statement I know, but did you know there are people who think Nannies are impervious to "normal, everyday life" because they are employed to work with children.......you know, the children that may have gotten an early call on their life to throw a tantrum at every "no?"

While "she" may be a "hero" in our eyes from time to time because she got Trevor to eat his broccoli or got Elle to clean up her toys without a promise of a treat, she's just doing her job.......but let me re-phrase, she sees it more than "just a job." Nanny chose to watch your children. She wants to help your children learn & grow. She wants to help you by helping them.

So here are 10 ways you can make your new Nanny feel welcome ---because she chose your family just as much as you chose her.

1. Make or buy a "welcome home" card. Even if she's not a live-in Nanny, she will be employed within your home, so a welcome home card is totally fitting. If children are of age to help, perhaps have them make it.

2. Find out what foods/snacks she likes and stock your pantry/fridge with her favorites.

3. Introduce her to your extended family so when you are talking with her about them, she knows of whom you are referring and will feel attached to the conversation.

4. Share with her your favorite lunch spots and offer to pay for her lunch a couple of times a month, she will feel included in "your life."

5. Encourage her to join a Nanny Support Group. They are essential in Nanny's life as it offers an outlet to speak with other professional Nannies about the daily experiences.

6. Show her you value her by remembering her birthday and anniversaries. Have the children make cards and/or presents.

7. Immediately include her in parenting decisions so she's always on the same page, you will gain her gratitude.

8. Speak to her as you would a good friend. She will always remain the professional and not take advantage of your kind words.

9. When you see your Nanny stepping out and really going above and beyond, reward her for it.

10. Always, always, always, talk with her about your concerns away from the children. She will be very thankful for your decision to do so.

Most of all.......let her know what a huge help she is to you and your family!

A brief and insightful talk with Glenda Propst, Nanny extraordinaire!

NannyMall, llc talks with Glenda Propst about changes in the Nanny Industry

Agency: When you did you begin your Nanny profession?

Glenda: In 1984 I was a live in nanny, worked a 12 hour day and 1/2 day on Saturday. I cared for a newborn, 12 and 14 year old. My responsibilities were mostly caring for the baby, the baby’s laundry, activities, grocery shopping , supervising the teenagers and transporting them where they needed to go. I had 2 weeks vacation, one week of my choice and one of theirs, health insurance and grossed $250 a week.

Agency: Flash forward 15 years into your career and please share the duties, wages and benefits.

Glenda: Fifteen years into my career I worked about 40 hours a week, I was provided a car, reimbursed for mileage, and even though my work agreement stated 2 weeks of vacation I usually ended up getting about 6 weeks vacation. I can't really remember how much my salary was at this point but I want to say it was about $12 an hour. At this point I had a 2 year old and she kept me busy and on the run all day long. I picked the older child up after school and supervised homework etc.

I am still with the same family and my job changed dramatically as my kids got older. Now I work about 25 hours a week and about 8 of those I work from home doing things for the mom on the computer. My duties are less child care related and more household manager related. The parents and I have a very good relationship and we ebb and flow with each other. My hours are 7:30-5:30 but on my long days I will often work from home until about 9 or 10, and then run errands on way to work and be there for the kids when they get home from school to transport them to music lessons, playdates, supervise homework or just hang out with them.

Flexible hours are not something that I recommend but if my boss asks me to stay later and get dinner for the kids, I am always willing to do that. My employers have always been so respectful of me and always allowed me to have a life beyond my job.

When you choose to stay with a family long term, you have to be willing to go with the flow of the changes in your work schedule and the changes in what your family needs most. Now beyond laundry my duties are grocery shopping , errands, and organizing family photos. Getting the photos off the camera and getting them uploaded to an online site and burned to disc.

Photos are very important to my employers and in the digital age with 3 cameras in the family in addition a DVD recorder, it takes a lot of time to make sure these important documents are taken care of. I also research camps and classes for my younger charge and try to encourage her creativity by planning lots of fun art projects and activities.

My employers have always made a point of compensating me. In the past I have talked to nannies who say that their salary caps out but my employers are very good to me and make sure that I am compensated the same as I would be if I had left them and started over with a new family.

One thing that I will say is that I think employers realize that nannies are not maids or housekeepers. Nannies care for children, and maids mop floors. If you want someone to take care of and nurture your child, hire a nanny. If you want someone to take care of your house hire a maid. If you hire one person to do 2 jobs they will do one thing well and one thing not so well and you should only want the best for your child.

Agency: Where do you see the Nanny industry headed in the next decade?

Glenda: In the next decade I think we will start to see the impact the generation of children raised by nannies has had. I think that people will finally start to view nannies more as professionals and realize that the women in this profession are educated, articulate and passionate about what they do. There have been so many misconceptions about nannies over the years via books, movies and media and I hope that some of the public education will start to pay off.


Glenda Propst has been a professional nanny for 25 years.
She is a founding board member of INA. She was the 1991 INA Nanny of the Year and was one of the 3 Co Founders of the now defunct National Association of Nannies.After working as a Child Care Center Director for 9 years she attended the St. Louis Child Day Care Associations Nanny Training Program and has worked with 2 local families. The first for 8 years and the second for 17 years. She is a member of The Regarding Nannies Development Team with Alice Shaffer and Kellie Geres.


Thank you Glenda, for your wisdom and constant support! The Nanny Industry wouldn't be where is it without you!

Thank you all who supported the BabyKid Expo on 4/10!

The BabyKid Expo was a great success! There were nearly 3000 people who attended and the best part was, there were approx. 280 that received info about our services!
Thanks to all of you that came by and registered and took time to talk with us about our services, we look forward to working with you! We also met some really great potential Nannies! :-)

We're hopeful you check this blog often because there will be some great savings posted from time to time! And/or find us on Facebook @ NannyMall St Louis

The really big news is: Paula S. entered and won the Family Membership to the St. Louis ZOO and she won a 40$ gift certificate she can use towards our services! Yay Paula!

NannyMall Nannies really helped pull this off and we're so appreciative!

Nanny and Health Insurance - Do they really need it?

I turned on the news this morning as I always do just to have "background noise" and they (Today Show) were in the middle of am interview with a Nanny that saved her charge from a house fire.

There she sat in a wheelchair, R hand and both feet burned and wrapped. Child she saved sitting there along side of her, tearful but thankfully okay, and the Dad/her Employer there too, humbled by her actions.

The interviewer said a couple of things that made me cringe:

#1 "The firefighters estimated the fire to be 400 degrees, you didn't have shoes on, you went in anyway and saved him (boy)."

#2 "You don't have insurance so you're not sure how you are going to pay your hospital bills."
Nanny agreed, doesn't have insurance and not sure what she's going to do.

Dad/Employer stated that he's lost his home and that since Nanny is now part of the family, he has to find a home suitable for his family and Nanny.
Commendable....however Nanny has no insurance and cannot work because she cannot walk nor use her R hand. Had Employer picked up a cheap policy, even maybe a policy for Hospitalization, Nanny's burden would be lightened.

So the question is: Should Nannies have health insurance provided by their Employers?

The resounding answer is YES.

If you are a Nanny and are in a FT/PT permanent position, insurance should be negotiated with your Employer before signing the Agreement.
If you're comfortable with using the internet and you need insurance quotes to have a starting point, you can google "health ins quotes." It's not recommended to fill out a webpage with all your info to wait for a quote...they'll just bug you, find a link that you can get it immediately.
Or go here: http://www.eisenbergassociates.com/

Take your quote info to your Employer, talk with them, hopefully they're open to paying the entire monthly bill, if not, then get them to agree with paying for 3/4 or 1/2 of the monthly invoice.

Give them the whole picture.........you are there for their child(ren), if you fall ill or have a debilitating accident, who's going to help their family, who's going to help you?

NannyMall is committed to all Nannies and their well-being. Nannies play an intricate role in family's lives, let's give them the respect and insurance they deserve.

In Our Own Words

Why should families use a Nanny Agency? Doesn't it cost too much? What is the Agency's role? How do families benefit when using an Agency? Why can't families just use an inexpensive online Nanny locator?


Why should families use a Nanny Agency?
The use of an Agency cuts down your time spent looking for childcare. A dedicated Agency will take the time to learn your needs, spend time going over your family application, making sure nothing is overlooked or forgotten.

Agencies should and will match criteria between both the family app and the Nanny app, cutting out the Nannies families wouldn't even consider. Agencies contact Nanny's references, eliminating "phone tag" for the families.

Doesn't it cost too much?
Some Agencies charge Registration and then a flat Agency Placement Fee only after Nanny is hired. NannyMall's Fees can be found on the website. (NannyMall charges a flat fee)

Though most Agencies charge a Registration Fee and a percentage of the Nanny's Annual Gross once placement is confirmed. For example: Nanny's Annual Gross Pay is $28,000. That's a placement fee of $2800. (plus Registration)

The fees we are discussing are for permanent placement; the fees for On-call Nannies are relatively inexpensive! They can range from $12 to $25 per on-call placement.

What is the Agency's role?
Agencies are to provide excellent services to families in need of experienced childcare. They are there to walk you through the process of hiring the very best Nanny for your family. The family has unbiased people, aka the agency, to discuss each Nanny's portfolio should the decision become difficult. i.e. we're your sounding board! :-)


How do families benefit when using an Agency?
1. They have a knowledgeable staff to help guide them.
2. They know the ins and outs of hiring a Nanny.
3. They perform the interviews, backgrounds, reference checks.
4. They work side by side with Household Tax specialists. (who can teach the family how to pay Nanny legally AND help save on their taxes!)
5. They provide forms that help smooth out the hiring. (less confusion when there's a family-nanny agreement in place)
6. Most importantly your Nanny Placement Agency is there to help and encourage you through
the entire process so that the very best Nanny is found for your children.

Why can't families just use an inexpensive online Nanny locator?
They can....but there are many Agencies that would discourage that process and here are a couple of reasons why: Agencies screen potential Nannies with many methods: application, face to face interviews, reference cks, background checks, personal character references, etc.... Should any of those come up as a negative, Nanny isn't used within the Agency.

Some of these Nannies that have been turned away from an Agency will turn to an online Nanny placement service. And there's a real good chance they won't tell you why they were turned away from an Agency, nor is it probable the family will even know to ask if Nanny did apply with an Agency and then ask why she isn't with said Agency.

So a local Agency is your first defense in making sure Nanny is who she says she is and really has the experience she says she has.
These are the people that are coming into your home every week and spending time with your precious children and they should be who they say they are. Plain and simple.

Also, I'm not one to use a cliche' but, you get what you pay for......who do you turn to when "hired from the internet Nanny" decides to bail for the day or week or worse yet, totally? Do you have a backup plan/person to take over?
When you use an Agency, the Agency first makes sure Nanny is on the up an up and not only that, they also have meticulously weeded out the "not for us Nanny" and have given you only the best of the best. Not to mention....should the best of the best not feel well one day, Agency has backup Nannies that can be called out to help!

A call to your local Agency is the first step a family should take when hiring childcare.
Although, it is true that you can find great help online....Agencies just make it easier.

These are but a handful of Why's w/the questions answered....written in Our Own Words.

NannyMall is local to St. Louis and St. Charles, MO and offers many services to meet your childcare needs.

Insurance Rates---Until they raise yours, you don't think about it.

Blogging isn't a strong suit of mine. I have plenty to say all the time but that doesn't mean it has to go into print.
Today I have 2.5 million things on my plate, addressing mail that came in was one of them.
As I looked through the typical junk mail, BUY ME BUY ME! and the bills, I saw an envelope
from our ins co, GHP. Okay, cool, probably just a "this is not a bill" notice.
I opened it and stopped in my tracks......my daughter's ins rate went from $136 a month to $285 a month beginning April 1, 2010. I don't know what the exact percentage is but I do know it's OVER a 100% increase!
---Please if you are an Ins Rep do not contact me for a new policy, we have a rep in our family. Thank you.---
Anyway, I half listen to the news, people are reporting their rates go up, in-fact I heard them state that some rates go up "as much as 60%," hello.........how about over 100%?!
So I will be on the hunt for a different ins company effective today....after I complete the other 2.5 million things on my plate. ( I think it really bothers me because I have told client after client, nanny after nanny, "go to GHP, they have great rates.......")

This also affects the Nanny industry. Say a family hires a Nanny for 2 years. They offer to pay for her insurance and they work in out in their budget so everyone is happy. The first year is fine but the renewal notice comes, it's going to raise to an uncomfortable amount, family has a few choices: Tell Nanny they can no longer offer the coverage - Tell Nanny she has to kick in the difference - Start the search for new insurance all over again.
All three of those scenarios aren't ideal.

I'm hopeful the insurance companies realize what they are doing and just stop it.

Nannies, please take this Survey!

The International Nanny Assoc. wants to hear from you!

Please complete this survey...it'll take just a few minutes of your time!

Thank you!

http://guest.cvent.com/SURVEYS/Welcome.aspx?s=4d4d1f8f-dc63-44c8-ba1e-ec9a88d72a2d

Contest for NannyMall Nannies presented by: Glenda Propst of RegardingNannies

Glenda Propst of RegardingNannies is offering a free INA membership to one of our Nannies!

Glenda writes:
As a professional nanny that has worked in the St. Louis area for 25 years I have great respect for what NannyMall is trying bring to the nannies and families that go through their agency.

One of the most important aspects of being a nanny is having other nannies that can be there to support you when things get tough or challenging.

Beyond my amazing nanny friends, one of the most important things to me as a professional nanny has been my involvement in the nanny industry on a national level.

Some of my best friends are nannies but very few of them live in St. Louis. I was able to develop these connections through my involvement first in INA and then in NAN and now again in INA.

I wish that all nannies could have that opportunity to connect with their profession on a bigger scale. It is such an important part of growing as a professional.

In keeping with idea I am going to give one of the NannyMall nannies a membership to INA for one year.

To enter: write a paragraph or two about your Childcare Philosophy and email it to: info@nannymall.com - The entries will be forwarded to Glenda anonymously and she will chose a winner by March 3rd, 2010. Happy writing!

Awesome Nanny Support Group Meeting!

NannyMall's Nanny meeting was smaller in numbers than expected but it was mighty in strength due to the speakers!

Shirley McFadin spoke to the Nannies about her recent diagnoses of breast cancer.
She was able to tell us of the challenges and triumph of recovery and now being cancer free. She also shared with us the beauty of her doctor's words, "You do not need any further chemo or radiation." She is an inspiration to so many women and probably doesn't even know it.

Connie Houlihan also joined us and told the Nannies about her great service.
NannyNurse™ Network. * When your child is sick & you need to work, NannyNurse™ Network creates peace of mind for your family. They provide medically trained and screened caregivers, NannyNurses™, in your home to nurse your child back to health. They serve the Greater St. Louis area.

If you'd like to contact Shirley please shoot an email to us and we'll get you in touch with her. To visit NannyNurseNetwork, just click the link.

Our meetings from here on out will be held at the Comfort Inn & Suites in Chesterfield Valley. The conference room had more than ample room, it was clean and they served coffee and water. Plus it was very reasonable!

We hope that ALL Nannies will begin to attend. This group/meeting was started in order for all Nannies, ours, independents, from other agencies, newbies, etc.... could come and connect with other Nannies. No one knows the joys and challenges of a Nanny profession except another Nanny.

We're looking to redefine the public's view of a Nanny....it is a true profession that is seasoned with experience, laughter, patience,grace and joy; at these meetings the Nanny will learn, grow and experience understanding from leaders in the industry and from this humble agency. We invite all Nannies.
For more information please visit our site: NannyMall.com

The single most important thing to know about a Nanny

The single most important thing to know about a Nanny is:
She's a professional through and through.

Nannies take their jobs very seriously and whether they are
a Nanny for 1 year or 30, they will all tell you how rewarding
the profession is and they prefer working with children.

As with any profession experience speaks volumes! If you are
considering hiring a Nanny the 1st thing to look for is a
diverse background in childcare.

The second most important thing to check is their references.
They can call themselves a Nanny but perhaps they were sitters
for a couple of families on weekends....look for length of time
with a family, look for consistency and talk to the previous
employers. If they aren't friends or families they will definitely
give an unbiased reference.

Ask them to give you a copy of their background check and driver's
history. They can have that pulled M-F. Ask if they are CPR certified,
if not, are they willing to become certified? Infant CPR has changed in
the last few years so make sure they take an updated class!

Don't forget about taking out taxes on Nanny's wages, she will get older
too and will need to collect Social Security just like everyone else, so
please take that into consideration. There are tax breaks for the Employer!

If you'd like to know more about hiring a Nanny please contact NannyMall.com
and we'll be happy to answer all your questions! If you'd like for an
agency to take care of gathering the Nannies to interview, we can help with
that also!

NannyMall.com

Safety ---always an issue

NannyMall Nannies know this agency is just but one source of finding a great Nanny position. They are encouraged to seek a position through another agency, word of mouth or independently.


If using independent sources, i.e. craigslist or kijiji, there are some strong rules of safety that should be followed. *(this blog is dedicated to all nannies but especially the nannies that relayed stories of unscrupulous people to my attention a number of times in the past few weeks.)
** PLEASE NOTE, this blog is simply for informative purposes only, it's not to be used in lieu of any safety training class or manual, nor to be viewed as a single source of safety procedures; it is simply suggestions of safety.



1. When a family contacts you, let them interview you and when it's your turn, ask a lot of questions! Don't feel intimidated.
Ask pointed questions about their children, ask if they've ever hired a nanny, ask how soon they are needing to hire, ask if either parent works from home, ask about taxes, and then ask if the have personal references, yes you ask them if they have a friend and/or family reference you can call. You will find that 99.99% of the families will be fine with that request because they'll understand you are being cautious and who wouldn't respect that? Even though it's you looking for a position, you can still "interview" the family to make sure it's the right fit....and that's it a real position.


2. If all your questions were answered and you feel okay about setting up an interview, set it,
and follow through with the reference check. If attempts to reach reference don't pan out but you are still interested, then perhaps drive by their home a couple of times, not in a stalker kind of way, but in a, making sure it's all legit, kind if way. Note the number of cars, note if there are children's toys outside (perhaps you won't see any in Winter), note the amount of lights on....if only one person lives there, most likely won't have but one or two lights on; with children look for several.

3. A day or two before your interview, call their house phone (if they gave # to you) and see who answers, if it's someone different than you originally spoke with, that's probably a good sign. You can say you are confirming the interview...because actually you really are.

4. Make sure you tell a couple of friends and/or family members when your interview is scheduled and also give them the name, address and phone number. Let them know that family interviews can take anywhere from 30 minutes to 2 hours.

5. When you arrive at the home, call a friend or someone to let them know you are there and are going in for the interview. Have them note the time.
Once introductions are completed, politely ask if you may call your friend/mom to let them know everything is good to go. ---From a parent's prospective, they will deem you worthy because if you're THAT careful with your personal life, you will MOST LIKELY be THAT careful with their children. -----Make it a brief call!----

6. If you get there and something doesn't feel quite right, don't enter the home. Wait till you see the other parent or the children, or ask if there is a better time to come back when all the family is home.

7. You could always bribe a friend to go with you to sit in the car....just offer to buy her lunch or buy a small "thanks for waiting in the car for me" gift. Perhaps you'll ask the family to meet you in a public area such as McDonalds or St. Louis Bread Co. to avoid the home interview.

Whatever you do, remember safety first! ---This blog is in response to several stories relayed to me about nannies going for interviews and it would turn out to be a person with no children.


If you have your own methods of safety you'd like to share please leave them in the comment section.


St. Louis Childcare Agency
St. Louis Nanny Agency
NannyMall.com

Nurture your "daisies."

Agencies are much like a garden!

Lets break it down (like compost).

Any good/legal garden (agency) should:

* have perfect soil composition for the daisies (Nannies) to grow

* be nurturing from the very beginning

* take to time to talk with and encourage

* give water (praise)

* pull the weeds that try to shade them

* teach about negative growing conditions ( how to avoid dry, arid, stunt your growth areas )

* spray "weed stop" to keep the negative growing conditions at bay

* have genuine interest in finding the perfect "clay pot" for the daisies

* works the ground to ensure fertile growing conditions

* continue to give support after daisy has left the garden

Our garden totally supports our daisies because they are worth supporting!

New Household Employee Hiring Trend is Emerging

When new clients call in and relay criteria they wish to have met within the Nanny they will be employing, what we're seeing is the beginning of a new trend.

Our observation: Up until 6-9 months ago, Families that employed Nannies would generally also employ a Household Manager and a Housekeeper. The hiring of 3 individuals is now morphing into one position, which NannyMall nick-named, "the Gold Star Nanny." (affectionately named after the gold star we received in school as children for going above and beyond what the teacher had asked of us)

Gold Star Nanny is asked to do a variety of duties, first and foremost, tend the children. But what was out of the question for additional duties before is now definitely required.

Looking back at our last 10 placements, 8 of them required/hired a Gold Star Nanny.

Families are looking for the well qualified, educated Nanny but also for the Nanny that doesn't mind cleaning the bathrooms and picking up the family dry cleaning. These Gold Star Nannies were few and far between but as the Families desires have changed, so has the Nanny's understanding. They realize in order to get into a long term position, they have to be willing to take on extra responsibilities.

As we talk with Families about their requirements, we let them know they are pioneers of the new household employee hiring trend and that while morphing the positions together is totally acceptable, they also need to keep in mind that while they save from having one individual do all three jobs, they should also expect to pay a higher salary for Gold Star Nanny.

To learn more about the changes in the industry or to hire your Gold Star Nanny, please contact us, we'll be happy to speak with you!

St. Louis' childcare referral agency, NannyMall.com