>> Jul 24, 2011

How do we find a nanny with the right qualities

Posted in General

Every family is different and has different needs; every nanny is also unique. Still, we’ve found that certain personal attributes are almost universally desired. Talking about these qualities is the best way we know to assure you that the nanny we’ll find together will have the qualities you’re looking for.

Chirp services are personal with a solid record of success that proves the approach works. The search process begins with you and your family. We ask questions. We listen. We want to know your vision of your perfect nanny. We want to know what your biggest fears are: Are you afraid you’ll be competing for your child’s love? Is trust your main concern? We’ll also give you a good sense of the “market” and of how that market matches up to what you want.

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>> Jul 15, 2011

The stigma against parents hiring nannies: it’s alive and well in 2009!

Posted in General

In more recent months, the stigma against parents that hire nannies has reared its’ ugly head again. It began with the allegation that Caroline Kennedy withdrew her nomination to take the Senate seat vacated by Hillary Clinton because she failed to pay the nanny tax. It continued with the withdrawal of Nancy Killegrew and Tom Daschle for the same reason. The outcry against these politicians has re-established a long-held stigma against parents that hire nannies – that only the rich and famous hire nannies, and that their failure to pay the nanny tax is symbolic of their attitude that they are better than the rest of us hard-working, poor folk.

I’m not defending the errors and omissions in these cases. It’s the continuation of the stigma against parents that hire nannies that worries me. By creating the opposition of them vs. us the regular folk, we fail to recognize two very important issues:

  1. The more you pay for childcare is not a guarantee you’ll get better, high-quality childcare
  2. the market for nannies is unlicensed and unregulated – there are no government regulations assuring parents that nannies have met minimum standards to care for children

As long as the stigma exists, these very important issues will continue to be ignored. Families that hire nannies also need reassurances the person who applies for the position meets minimum standards – including being experienced and trusted not to cause harm!

Alyce Desrosiers, LCSW
Childcare Specialist for Families and Nannies

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>> Jul 15, 2011

Why don’t parents pay the nanny tax?

Posted in Employment (contracts, legalities, background checks)

There’s been a lot in the news these days about parents that don’t pay the nanny tax. Whether it’s Nancy Killefer or Caroline Kennedy the outcry from many is loud and clear: If they can afford a nanny’s salary then why can’t they pay the nanny tax?!

It’s been my experience that approximately 80% of parents don’t pay taxes on their nanny’s salary. While this number is both approximate and assumed, after over 13 years experience assisting hundreds of parents through the process of choosing nannies for their children, I’ve come to understand this percentage very closely represents the reality.

So why don’t parents pay the nanny tax? Here are some obvious reasons:

  1. It reduces the pool of available applicants. Since this market is unlicensed and unregulated, many nannies do not have documentation to work legally in the U.S. Among them are women with many years of childcare experience and in queue for up to 10 years for their green card. Others are students on a student visa that disallows them to work. In addition, many nannies are used to receiving cash payment for their work and don’t want to report income. In either case, paying the nanny tax reduces the pool of nanny candidates.
  2. It can be cumbersome to set up and manage a nanny payroll account. Although there are both software programs and household employment tax services available that reduces the burden of setting up a nanny payroll, many parents find the process of hiring a candidate time-consuming enough. When it comes time to complete the process following the decision, they dismiss the importance of the payroll account and opt not to do it at all.
  3. It increases the cost of care. Again, since the market is unlicensed and unregulated – and that so many parents do not pay taxes on their nanny’s salary, nanny salaries are quoted in street-wise terms, i.e. as what she earns net per hour. For parents that pay taxes, they must increase the hourly wage by 10% and then pay another 10-14% to the Federal and State government to cover their part of FICA/SDI and employer taxes. This 10-14% can be recovered by taking up to $5,000 in pre-tax dollars to pay for childcare through a Dependent Care Assistance Plan from the parent’s employer –or taking a childcare tax credit.
  4. The IRS is lax about auditing parents for the nanny tax. The unfortunate reality is that the IRS has bigger fish to fry. There are many businesses and individuals earning large sums of income that defraud the IRS of its due taxes. It simply is not cost effective for the IRS to track parents that avoid the nanny tax.

The other reality is that many parents don’t realize they have responsibilities to the IRS when they hire a nanny. While this might seem “putting one’s head in the sand” when there’s so much discussion about nanny taxes in the media recently, most parents simply look the other way on this issue. Unless they’re planning to run for public office or are in a position where they are subject to public scrutiny, paying the nanny tax is not foremost on their mind. Hiring a nanny they can trust to do right by them and their child – and in a way that doesn’t break their family budget is utmost on their mind.

Alyce Desrosiers, LCSW
Childcare Specialist for Families and Nannies

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>> Jul 15, 2011

Nannies: Its more than where to find a nanny—it’s about finding the right fit

Posted in Nanny Search

Nanny-finder websites have become the norm and a widely-used vehicle for parents to find a nanny to care for their children. Full of warm and fuzzy photos of young women playing, feeding and laughing with young children, these websites subtly attempt to appease a parent’s greatest fear – how do they know they can trust this nanny. Will she do right by their child? At the very least, will she not cause harm?

While all of these sites state they neither recommend a particular nanny nor hold responsibility for her care of children, there is an assumption that the information provided by a nanny is honest and accurate. In my over 13 years working with parents thorough the process of choosing nannies that fit, I have found that while some candidates’ information may be embellished or not completely accurate, for the most part, nannies present their work histories and experiences honestly. Some nanny-finder websites also direct parents to sources where they can get a criminal background checks on their desired candidate. Others advise parents to require CPR/First Aid training or TB testing for their nanny, remind parents to check references and even provide sample interview questions. In many ways, this one-stop shopping approach to hiring a nanny purports to do it all.

If that’s the case, then why does the process of hiring a nanny so often bring worries and mismatches?

In my opinion, the reason parents worry about the nanny they hired is because they neglected to consider the importance of hiring for the absolute best fit for them and their child. Making a best fit hiring decision goes beyond the practicalities of a nanny’s work history and experiences. A best fit hiring decision includes asking questions about childrearing orientations, skills and values. A best fit hiring decision considers a child’s behavioral challenges and idiosyncrasies. A best fit hiring decision considers temperament – of the nanny, child and parents. In these three important ways, nannies must fit with families in order to make the right decision.

That’s why nanny finder websites solve only half the problem in hiring a nanny. While they provide a convenient, one-stop shopping source to know who is looking for a nanny position, they don’t provide the information most essential to knowing the nanny would be the best fit.

Before getting onto Craigslist or the many other nanny finder websites, take the time to know the following:

Know who you are as a family, what your family values are and who your child is in terms of their idiosyncrasies and development. Know the same about your nanny candidates. For example, many parents value the Golden Rule, education, having a strong work ethic and equality of opportunity. These values are taught and reinforced through every stage of development in a child’s life. Often one value gains priority at a particular stage while others become less prominent. For example, learning to trust others (a value learned when a nanny provides consistent, reliable and predictable care) begins in infancy and sets the stage for learning the Golden Rule – how to treat others like yourself. The value of education (feeling competent and self-reliant through interactions and support from another) also begins early; for example helping a 4-month old learn to reach and move forward to get what he wants.

These are a few of the essential question to ask yourself before starting to search for your nanny.

Alyce Desrosiers, LCSW
Childcare Specialist for Families and Nannies

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>> Jul 15, 2011

Alyce Desrosiers, LCSW on Positive Parenting Radio

Posted in Nanny Search

Listen to Alyce discuss “Hiring the right nanny for your child and you” on Armin Brott’s (AKA Mr. Dad) Positive Parenting Radio.

You can listen to the episode on the Positive Parenting website www.mrdad.com/radio.

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>> Jun 29, 2011

Hello world!

Posted in General

Welcome to WordPress. This is your first post. Edit or delete it, then start blogging!

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>> Sep 5, 2008

Readability Test

Posted in General | Tagged ,

All children, except one, grow up. They soon know that they will grow up, and the way Wendy knew was this. One day when she was two years old she was playing in a garden, and she plucked another flower and ran with it to her mother. I suppose she must have looked rather delightful, for Mrs. Darling put her hand to her heart and cried, “Oh, why can’t you remain like this for ever!” This was all that passed between them on the subject, but henceforth Wendy knew that she must grow up. You always know after you are two. Two is the beginning of the end.

(more…)

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>> Sep 4, 2008

Layout Test

Posted in General | Tagged , ,

This is a sticky post!!! Make sure it sticks!

This should then split into other pages with layout, images, HTML tags, and other things.

Pages: 1 2 3
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>> Sep 3, 2008

Images Test

Posted in General

Image Alignment Tests: Un-Captioned Images

Center-align, no caption

Center-aligned image with no caption, and text before and after. ALorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Sed odio nibh, tincidunt adipiscing, pretium nec, tincidunt id, enim. Fusce scelerisque nunc vitae nisl. Quisque quis urna in velit dictum pellentesque. Vivamus a quam. Curabitur eu tortor id turpis tristique adipiscing. Morbi blandit. Maecenas vel est. Nunc aliquam, orci at accumsan commodo, libero nibh euismod augue, a ullamcorper velit dui et purus. Aenean volutpat, ipsum ac imperdiet fermentum, dui dui suscipit arcu, vitae dictum purus diam ac ligula.

Left-align, no caption

Left-aligned image with no caption, and text before and after. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Sed odio nibh, tincidunt adipiscing, pretium nec, tincidunt id, enim. Fusce scelerisque nunc vitae nisl. Quisque quis urna in velit dictum pellentesque. Vivamus a quam. Curabitur eu tortor id turpis tristique adipiscing. Morbi blandit. Maecenas vel est. Nunc aliquam, orci at accumsan commodo, libero nibh euismod augue, a ullamcorper velit dui et purus. Aenean volutpat, ipsum ac imperdiet fermentum, dui dui suscipit arcu, vitae dictum purus diam ac ligula.

Right-align, no caption

Right-aligned image with no caption, and text before and after. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Sed odio nibh, tincidunt adipiscing, pretium nec, tincidunt id, enim. Fusce scelerisque nunc vitae nisl. Quisque quis urna in velit dictum pellentesque. Vivamus a quam. Curabitur eu tortor id turpis tristique adipiscing. Morbi blandit. Maecenas vel est. Nunc aliquam, orci at accumsan commodo, libero nibh euismod augue, a ullamcorper velit dui et purus. Aenean volutpat, ipsum ac imperdiet fermentum, dui dui suscipit arcu, vitae dictum purus diam ac ligula.

No alignment, no caption

None-aligned image with no caption, and text before and after. Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetuer adipiscing elit. Sed odio nibh, tincidunt adipiscing, pretium nec, tincidunt id, enim. Fusce scelerisque nunc vitae nisl. Quisque quis urna in velit dictum pellentesque. Vivamus a quam. Curabitur eu tortor id turpis tristique adipiscing. Morbi blandit. Maecenas vel est. Nunc aliquam, orci at accumsan commodo, libero nibh euismod augue, a ullamcorper velit dui et purus. Aenean volutpat, ipsum ac imperdiet fermentum, dui dui suscipit arcu, vitae dictum purus diam ac ligula.

Pages: 1 2 3 4
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>> Jun 10, 2008

Post Format Test: Gallery

Posted in General | Tagged