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September 4, 2013 Blog By admin No Comments

HELPING WITH HOMEWORK

If your student needs a little push to get homework done, you can help with these tips.
Get rid of all distractions. Make a rule that TV, cellphones and video games stay off till homework is completed. Create a well-lit, serene and comfy study space. This increases her focus.
Break it down. If your child is feeling overwhelmed, break the tasks into bite sized portions. Only have one task in view at a time. Take five-minute breaks occasionally for a snack, exercise or talking.
Give suggestions, not answers. Encourage your child to work independently. Be available to answer questions and help, but beware of doing the work for him.
Keep in touch with the teacher. What does she recommend for how closely you need to monitor the work? Check teacher comments daily on completed assignments. If there is ongoing trouble, and homework isn’t getting done, talk to the teacher about it.
Stay positive. Be consistent and firm for those times when they just don’t want to do it.
Caring Nanny’s after-school nannies are hand-picked to be able to help with math, algebra, writing and reading!

Beth Weise

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August 31, 2013 News By admin No Comments

3 R’s of Parenting; Respect, Resilience, Responsibility (Almost FREE CLASSES)

Announcing INA’s Fall
2013 Virtual Learning SeriesWith
Doctor G, Deborah Gilboa, M.D. “3 R’s of Parenting; Respect, Resilience, Responsibility in Children, Charges, and Employees”
We’ve met her at the INA Annual Conference, and now Parenting Expert and board certified family physician Deborah Gilboa, M.D., aka “Doctor G,” has teamed with the INA to present INA’s Fall 2013 Virtual Learning Series based around her 3’R’s of parenting;: Respect, Responsibility and Resilience.
“We live in a busy world. Parents and caregivers rarely get to hit the pause button and learn new skills and information on age appropriate topics. The key to raising kids who can launch successfully, lies in character building,” says Doctor G. “These webinars are intended to further empower parents and care givers. My goal is to validate and appreciate the difference that they make in their kids’ lives through intentional parenting. When parents are effective, kids get healthier!”
Each 90-minute stand-alone webinar focuses on a character trait, rational and real life age specific application of the 3R’s. This webinars series can be experienced individually or as a package. Participants are invited to join one, two, or all three webinars. The three webinars are open to the public as well as INA members. Members may register free of charge by logging into their nanny.org account and completing the form on the “My Home” page. Non-members may participate by either purchasing individual webinar sessions or a package of all three sessions through the INA e-store www.nanny.org/estore-webinars , or by joining the INA.

Webinar dates and topics:
Webinar One: Teach Respect September 15, 2013 Time: 9pm EST/6pm PST
Teach Respect. It’s not what you say, but how you say it! Back to school means back to basics with character building skills. Kids and adults both need help to interact respectfully. Doctor G gives concrete tips and tools to teach respectful behavior, towards others and oneself!

Webinar Two: Resilience October 20, 2013 Time: 9pm EST/6pm PST
Teach Resilience. Life flows better when we have the tools we need to handle the tough stuff. Setbacks and challenges will arise and Doctor G explains how to lay the groundwork for resilience, while managing obstacles when they occur.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mqSHY5kD7sI·

Webinar Three: Responsibility November10, 2013 Time: 9pm EST/6pm PST
Teach Responsibility. A good work ethic can be the difference between surviving and thriving. Doctor G shares activities and tips to pass on a responsible attitude to charges, employees, and loved ones! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uzSw5kXwGOE

Doctor G empowers parents to increase their knowledge and activate their existing parenting instincts. Sometimes, these skills get dampened by stress, doubt and guilt with the pace and volume of everyday activities. “We all want to raise kids to be people that we respect and admire,” says Doctor G.

Doctor G is the author of three “little books,” and her upcoming book will be published during Fall 2014 by Demos Publishing. She offers workshops, seminars, virtual events, and more to meet the needs of parents worldwide who reach out with their parenting concerns and questions. A board certified family physician, she is the creator and author of askdoctorg.com, an online resource for parents. Doctor G is a regular contributor to Pittsburgh Today Live, PBS’ iQ Smartparent, and numerous print and on-line publications including Huffington Post and Parents.com. www.askdoctorg.com.

Beth Weise

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August 24, 2013 Blog, Uncategorized By admin No Comments

How Does Your Nanny Salary and Benefits Package Compare With The National Average?

This is a good time for our families to compare their nanny salary and benefits package to the national average.
Nanny Pay.

  • Half of nannies are paid hourly, one third are paid weekly
  • The average hourly wage is $17.44 and the median is $16
  • 36% of nannies are not compensated for overtime

Nanny Profile

  • Only 10% of nannies are live-in.
  • 71% of nannies have some college education

Nanny Benefits

  • 66% of nannies get paid holidays
  • 64% of nannies get paid vacation (89% get two weeks)
  • 13% of nannies get no benefits
  • The average holiday bonus was $324

Aspects of nanny job

  • 72% of nannies get paid when employer does not need them
  • 11% of nannies care for special needs children
  • 76% of nannies have been with their current employer more than three years
  • 79% of nannies work for couples where both parents are working
  • 66% of employers withhold federal taxes
  • 3% of nannies are paid through a payroll service
  • 66% of nannies say they earn more than they did in 2008

Click here to see the entire survey

Beth

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August 17, 2013 Blog By admin No Comments

What to expect When No One’s Expecting: America’s Coming Demographic Disaster by Jonathan Last

Growing up in the 50‘s and 60‘s I remember hearing about Thomas Malthus and the Population Bomb and that overpopulation would cause mass starvation. Margaret Sanger thought the wrong people were having too many children. My first crosss country plane ride left me puzzled as I observed vast stretches of empty countryside.

Jonathon Last in his bestseller, “What to Expect When No One’s Expecting”, explains that what threatens America’s welfare is underpopulation rather than overpopulation. Our grandchildren won’t be able to collect their Social Security checks because there won’t be enough workers to support them. Our generous immigration policy doesn’t help much, because within one generation, immigrant birth rates decline sharply as well.

“At the heart of the West’s fertility crisis and America’s One-Child Policy,” quotes Last, “Modernity has turned us into a deeply unserious people. Yet it’s encouraging to note that while our fertility problem is more dire than it has ever been, neither the predicament itself, nor its root causes, are new. Having children is difficult but important work and the main threat to fertility comes from a worldview that places the self at the center. Children are seen as a burden rather than as a source of joy.”

The Population Bomb never exploded. It was all bunk, and European countries are fading away even faster than the US. Italy and Greece are ‘museums’, and Japan already sells more adult diapers than infant diapers.

A sensational Time Magazine article by Jennifer Senior a few year ago called “All Joy and No Fun” describes her life as a parent. A comment about the article quipped, “Well, she has it half right!” Being a parent really is hard work and expensive, no one can deny.

An August 12 Time magazine article featured “The Childfree Life, When having it all means not having children” on it’s cover. The article points out that one in 8 high income women expect to remain childless. Women put off work because of work, education, or the lack of a good mate.

 Last and his wife moved out of Old Town DC before having their second child “because we believed that family life was more important. And if you believe in anything seriously enough–God, America, the liberal order, heck, even secular humanism–then eventually babies must follow.”

After exploring failed efforts in France, Spain, Singapore, Japan, and other countries, the author comes up with some simple but radical and practical ideas:

1. Better roads. Parents are more likely to have more children if they can live in the suburbs in a home with a grassy yard, impossible to afford in the major hubs where the jobs are, like LA, Silicon Valley, New York or DC.

2. Telecommuting. Telecommuting has the capacity to return us to a world where the extended family is a part of daily life and returning the home to the center of economic activity in America. The advent of a three generation household, or at least living in the same neighborhood, and having grandparents care for children and children being close by seniors as they age, would make child-rearing more doable. Industrialized Day Care Centers and Retirement homes is a 30 year historical abbertion, according to Last.

3. College. Changing he college system by allowing a nationalized standardized testing. College costs have risen 1000% . While goods and services have decreased in cost, and increased in value, college has increased 1000% while the quality has gone down. NPR reported this week that in Ivy League colleges, dorms and meals cost even more than the tuition! Young people hold off on marriage and bearing children to finish

college, then they have huge debts to pay off, so marriage and childrearing wait. The more education a woman has the lower number of children she generally has.

4. Immigration. A lesson from Japan and France is that every Industrialized country needs immigration to prop up its fettility. Because of Europe’s “policy choices made by adherents of a truly radical faith: multiculturalism” they are now realizing that they have made a terrible mistake, and it is now publically acknowledged. Europe as we know it will fade away in the next few generations, “replaced by a semi-hostile Islamic ummah.” Only the name will remain the same. However in America we have done a good job of integrating immigrants.

5. Social Security: Last has an interesting idea of exempting parents who raise more than two chidren from Social Security since they are raising the future workers who will be supprting the rest of us.

I highly recommend this new book which explains a complicted problem clearly. It’s provocative, deep, and presents heavy thoughts without selling doom. It will make you laugh, cry and think.
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July 26, 2013 Blog, Uncategorized By admin No Comments

BOON FOR WORKING PARENTS: THE AFTER-SHOOL NANNY

An after-school nanny can be the perfect solution for working parents if children are in sports, have appointments, music lessons or just need extra help with homework. She can help the entire family, having the homework, shopping, dinner, laundry and errands completed by the time the parents walk in the door. A nanny can provide a customized solution and quality family time at day’s end.

Follow these key steps to make sure you get a perfect fit for your family and a long-term solution. Give some thought to what your needs are and bring a detailed list of expectations and needs to the interview and ask each candidate the same questions.

What qualities and skill sets are most important ?

Does she need to be able to do algebra or go on the internet and monitor school assignments?

Is she a good role model? Find out what her values are, and during the interview, ask to see her Facebook page. School-aged children are very alert to the values of their nanny and tend to admire them because they are closer to their own age. Nannying is different from all other childcare positions in that the nanny is largely unsupervised. Look for someone who will make the right choice when no one’s looking.

What household chores is she willing and able to do well?

What were her responsibilities in her last position?

Involve your children in the interviewing process Do they like her personality? They’re old enough to voice their opinions now.

Does the nanny agree with your parenting style

How would she settle sibling squabbles? A dynamic and energetic leader with a good sense of humor helps

Does she show a preference for one age or sex over another?

Can this be a long-term match?

Frequently a college student makes a good choice, since they’ll have similar school holidays and can help in the summer with longer hours. Is she able to keep her job her top priority and work her classes around the family schedule for a year of two? Usually a freshman or sophomore can give a longer commitment than an upperclassman.

How’s her Driving? Is she a responsible driver?

Ask for her three-year Motor Vehicle Record

Is she mature enough to handle an emergency?

Has she driven children before? Ask her last employer about her driving. During a trial week, have her drive to the children’s school and back and see how carefully she drives.

What’s the cost of an after-school nanny? $15 per hours seems to be the going rate for an after school nanny working 20 hours per week in the Phoenix area. Caring Nannies follows the recommendation of the IRS to reimburse nanny mileage at the current rate of 56.5 cents per mile. If you’re paying a household employee over $1800 per year, the IRS requires that a 1040-ES is filed along with a 1040 tax form and a W-2 form. Best to pay via check or direct deposit and not cash so that you have accurate documentation. If both parents are working, your cost should be a wash.

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July 19, 2013 Blog By admin No Comments

Seven Overlooked Opportunities for Bonding With Your Children

Most families will tell you that their first priority is the family, but their actions don’t always reflect their goals. Why not use everyday moments to full advantage? When you’re driving together, for example, you have a captive audience. These are prime times for bonding as well as transmitting family values.

1. Do household chores as a team. Work together to clean up their messes when needed and invite them at an early age to learn how to fold laundry, or put away silverware and plastic dishes from the dishwasher.

2. When driving with children, ask questions about how they are thinking or feeling. My favorite questions are: “What’s the best and the worst thing that happened to you today?” Teach them your childhood songs. Remember “Zippa-De-Do-Dah” from the Lion King?
3. Reading bedtime stories together. Use a dramatic voice, make animal noises and use gestures to heighten interest
4. Enjoy washup and bathtub time together.

5. Standing in line at the store? Use these moments to ask questions to draw out their intellect and understanding, like, what’s this made out of? Metal or plastic?
6. Take a walk together. Point out the beauty and amazing details of nature.
7. Play a game together.
We’re in a society where family members may be too busy for their own good. It’s crucial that we utilize these overlooked moments that fly by so quickly. Right now you may feel that the drudgery, sleeplessness, dirty diapers or soccer practices are overwhelming. But blink your eyes and they’ll be packing for college. You have just a few years to teach your values, to produce mature, respectful, responsible, service-minded adults. So reclaim those daily opportunities for your well-thought through long-term goals, because these down times are largely the stuff of life.

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July 11, 2013 Blog, Uncategorized By admin No Comments

7 MID-SUMMER POOL SAFETY TIPS TO KEEP YOUR FAMILY SAFE THIS SUMMER
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kxSXAECbV64[/youtube]
The leading cause of death for children four and under after birth defects is accidents. After auto accidents, drowning is the leading cause of death for young children.Being at the pool or the beach in the summer sun is definitely fun, but it comes with some risks. We’ve made it through half of the summer and there have been several toddler pool-related deaths already.
Here are 7 key safety tips to take into the last weeks of summer.
1. Like the amazing 16 month toddler in the video, teach your children water safety as early as possible.  Some gyms have indoor pools and teach lessons year round.
2. Take a CPR class.
3. The main cause of adult distraction is needing to run into the house for food, sunscreen, a towel, answer the phone or door. Always insist that the child come out of the pool and take them with you into the house.
4. Assign one person to be the lifeguard, who has no phone or magazine, and is preferably in the pool with the child. In 46 percent of drownings, a child was under supervision of both parents.
5. Don’t depend on floaties. They give a false sense of security, but can pop or slip off. Use them sparingly.
6. Clean up all floating toys every time you’re done swimming and do not use chlorine floating dispensers that look like toys. Children are attracted to them.
7. Emphasize pool risks to the babysitter and remind her of the need for continual watchfulness

Beth Weise

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June 29, 2013 Blog By admin No Comments

4 Ways to Have A Great 4th of July With Your Family

How to have a Great 4th of July with Your Family. Make plans today to not let this July 4th be just another day. Create a memorable celebration for your family.

1. Plan a 4th of July party. Invite another family over or a bigger crowd. We found some fun crafts and simple desert recipes online.

Find a patriotic movie to watch together.

2. Share your feelings of gratitude for living in the USA, like many families do at Thanksgiving. Go around the table and ask each person to share two reasons why they’re grateful for America.

3. Find a story from history to share with the children, or if they’re older, give each one an assignment and ask them to share a picture and some facts about their hero for your Independence Day celebration.

4. Use what you have on hand, like hands and feet, to create this 4th of July flag as a team effort.

The favorite traditions for our family of six kids growing up for the 4th were homemade ice cream, watermelon seed spitting contests, and sitting on the roof to watch the fireworks. From our home in North Tempe, we could see the big fireworks from ASU, SRP Pera Club, and three to four other locations.

Have a wonderful Independence Day and family day!
Beth

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June 20, 2013 News By admin No Comments

Friday, June 21 – Batman Character Dinner at PlayFactory at Desert Ridge

A fun Batman Character Dinner at the PlayFactory at Desert Ridge is Friday June 21 at 5:15 PM. Boys and girls are invited to come dressed in their favorite Batman or superhero costume. The dinner will include pizza and drinks for the whole family. The Play Factory features a giant climbing play structure, bounce houses with slides, rock climbing walls, a video game playing and more. Socks are required to play. Our own nanny recruiter Ashley Zehring will be there helping kids create their own batman masks!

Where: PlayFactory at Desert Ridge

21001 N. Tatum Blvd., Phoenix
When: 5:15 PM – 6:45 PM
Who: Public Welcome
How: Advanced registration required. 602-473-7529
Cost: $29 per family. Limit 2 adults and 3 kids per family. $10 charge for any additional child or adult.

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About Us

Caring Nannies has been matching nannies with families since 1983. Whether you are a seasoned nanny or just starting, we will help match your passion with a dream job you’ll love!

Contact Information

(480) 946-3423

jenny@acaringnanny.com

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