"Quality Choices for all your childcare needs"
"Quality Choices for all your childcare needs"
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CPRand Your Childcare Provider - TheAAP strongly recommends all parents andchildcare providers complete a course in (CPR) Cardio PulmonaryResuscitation and mouth to mouth breathing.
DoUnto Others - Theseare actual words spoken by nannies complaining about their employers.
ItsNanny Time (and Im No Mary Poppins)-Theexperience has been incredible and there are several KEY factors making it soenjoyable.
Nanny Tax -Ifyou pay someone to watch your children, you need to know about the "NannyTax" and when you are responsible for paying it!
ToSpy or Not to Spy - Should you rush out tothe local spy store and purchase the latest surveillance equipment? CPRand Your Childcare Provider Choking is the most common cause ofaccidental death in children under the age of one, and the danger remainssignificant until the age of five. Chokingoccurs whenever a person inhales something other than air into their windpipe. Choking becomes life threatening when a child swallows or inhales anobject, often food, that blocks the flow of air to the lungs. When this happens, it is a true emergency that calls for immediate firstaid. Because young children put everything into their mouths,small nonfood objects are alsoresponsible for choking incidents. Someexamples include: hard smooth foods (peanuts), round foods such as meat sticks,hot dogs, grapes, hard candies and carrot sticks. TheAmerican Academy of Pediatrics strongly recommends that all parents andchildcare providers complete a basic course in (CPR) Cardio PulmonaryResuscitation and mouth to mouth breathing. The training is also vital if you own a swimming pool or live near water. Despite taking precautions, choking can still occur at anytime. You must familiarize yourselfwith the procedure for dealing with it so that you can act quickly in anemergency situation. To receiveinformation on CPR certification, you can contact your local hospital forcourses offered, or you can contact the American Red Cross. Resource: The American Academy of Pediatrics, The Complete and Authoritative Guide,Caring for Your Baby and Young Child, By Steven Shelov, M.D. DoUnto others ByBeth Bokunewicz
Shewants me to clean the house, cook, iron, do laundry AND care for her childrenbut I only get paid the salary I was hired at to just care for her children. I work 50 hours a week and the one day I was 14 minutes late, hedocked my pay! Theseare actual words spoken by nannies complaining about their employers. Being a nanny can be an isolating and exhausting job often paying aslittle as $5.00 an hour for a position requiring a person to care for that whichwe hold most dear: our children. Whywould a person choose to be a Nanny? Childcare providers chose this profession primarily because they lovebeing around children. Nannies take their profession seriously and enjoy the satisfaction ofknowing they are influencing a young childs life in a positive way. Its very rewarding to be spontaneously hugged and kissed just becausea child loves you and loves spending time with you. Its important to note that most nannies quit their positions not dueto issues with the children but because of problems with parents and conflictsover job expectations. Asan employer of a childcare professional, it is your responsibility, to make therelationship between you and your employee a positive one. Take these steps to foster a long-lasting relationship: Step1: Workout the details. Thecomplaint most often heard from a nanny is parents are consistently adding jobresponsibilities without additional compensation. Imagine your frustration if your boss did this to you. If job duties are defined from the start, many misunderstandings andresentments can be avoided. Creating a contract is a good way to resolve any issues that might arisein the future. Whilenot a legal document, a contract can clearly define the responsibilities of bothparties. Newduties that arise after the nanny is hired should be discussed with the nannyand the nanny should be fairly compensated for these additional duties. CCC has sample nanny contracts available upon request. Step2: Respect Professionalcaregivers take pride in their position in your family. Parents need to be careful not to damage the nannys ability to handlethe children. Thiswill happen very quickly if parents discipline or change directions given by thenanny in front of children. Any discrepancies regarding rules, discipline or other issues should bediscussed in private with the nannys feelings in mind. Step3: Incentives Everyone wants tofeel appreciated. What better way to show this appreciation than to offer your nanny a paidday off? Howabout a bonus or salary increase at the end of the year or an extra week paidvacation after their first year? Showing your nanny you appreciate her will make her feel special and willcontinue to give her incentive to be the best caregiver possible. Step4: Be Fair Havingunfair expectations is the fastest way to lose your nanny. Nannies are by nature giving and loving individuals who want to work withchildren. Ifyour children require a lot of time and energy, additional duties such ascleaning can be next to impossible to accomplish. Think about how much you are truly able to accomplish while caring foryour children. Itis upsetting to a nanny to have a parent fault them for not being able to scrubthe floor while chasing around a 2 year old all day. If the nanny truly has your childs best interest in mind, cleaningwill not be the nannys priority. In addition, expecting the nanny to get the cleaning done during naptimeis unrealistic. Yournanny deserves a break as well after chasing around or playing with energeticchildren. Ifyour nanny is spending a lot of time cleaning then what kind of care is yourchild receiving? Thebottom line. Unfortunately,all relationships between parents and their caregivers are not perfect and someare just not meant to be. However, if you want to foster a long-lasting relationship with yourcaregiver, simply remember they are people with feelings and treat them withhonesty, open communication and most of all respect.
ItsNanny Time (and Im No Mary Poppins) ByJulann Pontician Asthe only owner of Child Care Choices, Inc. who has not had the mommyexperience, I certainly felt I was missing a key ingredient to help me keep achildcare referral business growing. Therefore, I jumped at the chance to work as a childcare provider in ournetwork. (Especially since Im not quite ready to tackle the mommything.) The extra money didnt hurt either. I had a slight advantage when picking families for whom Iwanted to work since I own the company. Still,I considered myself VERY lucky to have worked and still work with several greatfamilies. The experience has beenincredible and there are several KEY factors making it so enjoyable. MONEY I have to be honest, a good hourly rate is important because taking care ofchildren is work. Stay at home momswill back me on this! It requiresphysical and mental stamina. Youcant pick up one child or push one child on the swing without having to dothe same for the others. Itsvery challenging trying to be equally fair to their needs and make decisionsabout their care, such as what to fed them (especially when they dont eat),how much television to let them watch, or when to believe them when they sayMommy always lets me. So, after a day of being a nanny, I usually gohome exhausted. I do enjoy my time with the children but going home with anhourly rate of $12-$15 (and a holiday bonus) makes me feel valued andappreciated. I also feel moreinclined to go above and beyond with my time and energy when the families needmore help. RESPECT Its possible the families I work with respect me in part because I am theowner of Child Care Choices. Regardless,I truly believe they would treat any caregiver with the same level ofconsideration and respect. Calling me when they are going to be late, letting meknow what time to expect them home, asking me if the children behaved for me,and occasionally checking to make sure I am happy working for them. I have always felt like I was part of their team and not just anemployee. Some nannies even become a part of the family and spend extra timesocializing with their families. Somenannies like that part of the job however not all nannies need to be part of thefamily. Unfortunately, I donttruly have time to do that but I do care about them and I know they care aboutme. I know because my families always take the time to show they respect my timeand feelings. LOVINGMY FAMILIES Children are not dishonest about their feelings. You know when they like someone and when they dont. As a nanny, I need to truly care about the parents and children with whomI work. This does not mean I haveto like everything about them all of the time. (No one likes their job ALL ofthe time.) I always respect therequirements of the parents with regard to the care of their children. AND, I am crazy in love with the children for whom I care. I enjoy impacting their lives, teaching them new things and sharingspecial things that my parents shared with me when I was young. I need to have their acceptance and to know I can make them feel betterwhen they are upset. The money or respect wouldnt mean anything if I didnthave the love of the children with whom I spend so much time.
Theseare very important factors for all families and nannies trying to develop apositive relationship. Childrenneed to be loved, cared for, given rewards and space to grow. So do nannies If you pay someone to watch your children, you need to know about the"Nanny Tax" and when you are responsible for paying it! Do most people pay taxes on their nannies?Since the IRS clamp down on the nanny tax laws in the mid 1990s, it hasbecome riskier for families to continue paying their nannies "under thetable". With the threat of fines, penalties and possible jail time, thenumber of families complying with this law is increasing. In 1997 an estimated60% of families using nannies filed the "household employment tax" andin 1998 there was a slight increase to 62% compliance. Paying taxes on yourchildcare provider is becoming the rule and not the exception. What are therules? In general, the Internal Revenue Service requires payroll tax filings bya domestic employer who pays a household employee more than $1200* cash wages ina calendar year. These payroll tax obligations may include: *SocialSecurity & Medicare Taxes (7.65% of Gross Wages) *FederalUnemployment Tax (FUTA) (0.8% of Gross Wages or less in Most Circumstances) *Stateunemployment and disability insurance taxes levied on the employer. *Advancepayment of the earned income credit for eligible employees. (* Wage test is $1200 for 2000, $1100 for 1998 & 1999, years 1995 -1997 were $1000) Your employee contributes to or pays: *SocialSecurity & Medicare Taxes (7.65% of Gross Wages Collected and Remitted byEmployer) *EmployeeDisability/Unemployment Taxes where required. *Federal/StateIncome Taxes Do I need to withhold taxes from my nannys paycheck?Withholding on wages paid to household employees is not mandatory.However, the employee can request that the employer withhold tax from wages.Withholding is based on allowances claimed by the employee on Form W-4,"Employees Withholding Allowance Certificate." My employee is not a legal resident, how do I handle employmenttaxes?The immigration status of your employee has no bearing on your obligationfor employment taxes. If your employee is ineligible for a social securitynumber, she can request an Individual Taxpayer Identification Number. Thisnumber is used on all tax reports and returns. The IRS is prohibited fromsharing this information with the Immigration and Naturalization Service.Non-payment of taxes is a reason for an aliens immigration petition to bedeclined. Now for some good news! You may be surprised to hear that thebenefits of paying your employee legally can far outweigh the costs. With thesebenefits, being legal just makes good "sense."Employer Benefits.There are two federal tax benefits, which you may be entitled to receive: Dependent Care Account. Your company(or your spouses) probably has a benefit plan that allows you to contributeup to $5,000 of your pretax earnings to a Dependent Care Account to coverdependent care costs you incur during the year. This means you wont have topay any taxes on up to $5,000 of your earnings! Assuming you have a typicalmarginal tax rate of 40%, youll save a whopping $2,000 in taxes(40% of $5,000)! Tax Credit for Child or Dependent Care. Thiscredit can be claimed when you file your Form 1040 and can amount to tax savingsof $1,440. Ifyou are not already paying employment taxes for your nanny, you should considerit. Being legal simply makes good "sense." The benefits truly doexceed the costs and you wont have to worry about getting caught and facingcivil and criminal penalties. Don't want to deal with the hassle of added paperwork? There are several services available to simplify the payroll and tax issues. Check out these sources: Home/Work Solutions is the nations leading provider of household payroll and employment tax preparation services. Since 1993, they have assisted thousands of employers like you with "Nanny Tax" compliance. Call 1-800-NANNITAX or check out their website at www.4nannytaxes.com. You can also find a free Nanny Tax calculator on their website. GTM Associates provides an easy to use payroll service for household employers. This service is a cost - effective way to pay taxes for the employment of Nannies, Housekeepers and other household employees. Visit the GTM website at http:\\www.gtmassociates.com or www.4easypay.com call (888) 432-7972. ToSpy or Not to Spy ByJulann Pontician Whenever a negative report airs ontelevision about a child caregiver who abducts a child or worse, harms a child,parents shudder and hold their little ones a bit tighter. It also inevitably opens up a Pandoras box of thoughts on what youcould be doing to better protect your child. Should you rush out to the local spy store and purchase the latestsurveillance equipment? This type of monitoring willcertainly provide definitive proof your Nanny is lazy, stealing from you orheaven forbid abusing your child. However,there are several things to keep in mind before you get one. Be certain you are not using the camera as a substitute forscreening your nanny? Anyone seeking a nanny should get at least threereferences. Furthermore, do notrely on an agencys word that references are good. Check the references on your own! Background checks (as comprehensive as you can get) are well worth theinvestment. Do not leave acaregiver with your child until you have secured these checks. Ask your nannys reference good questions and follow up.If the reference says the nanny was a disciplinarian, ask her what he or shemeans and dont be afraid to ask specifics even if they make you feeluncomfortable: did she ever hit your child? Did you ever see her speaksharply to your child, etc? Also ask questions like "did you ever have adisagreement with the nanny? How was it resolved? Were you ever uncomfortablewith anything your nanny did with your child. What was that?" Leave your number with the reference and urge thereference to call you again if he or she has anything to add. Will you tell the nanny that shes being watched?There are several schools of thought on this. The first says that you tell hershe is being watched and shell be good to your children in the house andhorrible once shes away from it. However, if your caregiver is truly a badcaregiver this will eventually show itself when she becomes more comfortable inthe setting (even with the cameras). Furthermoreif you tell the caregiver about the cameras and she is still willing to take thejob, it may mean she doesnt feel she has anything to hide. This may make you feel even better about your choice. You could tell the nanny that she is being watched and dont even get acamera fear of detection being enough to keep her in line. This may be dishonest but your first interest should be the well-being ofyour child. Finally, there are those who believe that you install acamera, dont tell prospective babysitters and view the tapes in theirentirety every night. This is adangerous option for you may lose a good caregiver if she does discover she isbeing watched and feels you were dishonest with her. Furthermore, how will you be able to address with her something you sawon the tape if she doesnt know she is being watched? If you choose to go the route of not informing her, check to make surethat you are not breaking any laws in your area. Why do you want to watch her? Do you already suspectthat something is wrong? Then save your money and fire her. If you harbor anysuspicion about someone, he or she should never be left with your child for anyreason. When you watch many of these television reports, the camera is merelyconfirming what parents suspected. Very rarely does a family who is very happywith its caregiver install a camera and catch an abuser. If you simply cant muster up the trust necessary to allowsomeone to be in your home alone with your child, perhaps you should reconsiderthe decision to have both parents working out of the home. If staying at home orworking from home while caring for your child is not an option for you or yourhusband, you should consider a daycare center, so that there will be otheradults around. The best nanny/family relationships develop in an atmosphere ofmutual trust between parent, child and caregiver. You probably wouldnt liketo work for a boss that didnt trust you, and after a while youd stoptrying to earn that trust and just get through the job each day. The same thingwill happen if you dont trust, and are not comfortable with, your careprovider. (Excerptsfrom this article borrowed from www.parenthood.comShould I Videotape my Caregiver? by Jan Wilson & www.knowyournanny.com)
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