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.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Wednesday, March 3, 2010
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
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
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
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.
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!
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!
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
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
Tuesday, February 2, 2010
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
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
Thursday, January 14, 2010
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
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
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