Caring Nannies is a proud member of DEMA,
the Domestic Estate Managers Association, and Jenny and Beth will be attending the FIRST ANNUAL CONFERENCE IN Los Angeles on September 28th & 29th. We encourage all private service professionals to join us! We’re looking forward to fantastic speakers and presentations by industry leaders and this is a great way to network with other professionals and top tier agencies from around the country. Check out the website below to find out why you should be there!

Caring Nannies Professional Training
The Domestic Estate Managers Association has become the leader in professional and personal development for the Private Service Community. DEMA’s reach goes well beyond our current membership and is recognized throughout the industry. Our approach to raising industry standards is unique, we don’t leave anyone out of the communication circle when it comes to managing estates and residences. Our goal is simple, to provide continuing education and resources to the Private Service Community. This will ensure more secure careers for our members and more protection & preservation of the estates or residences they manage.

The 2012 DEMA Convention is designed to advance the professional development and resources of all attendees. All attendees will leave with more knowledge to help them continue in their careers and businesses by utilizing our convention workshops and privileged information shared by our speakers & educators.

What is included in the ticket price?
The short answer is, all of it! The speakers, networking, workshops, best practices, advice, panel discussions, support and even all of your meals are all included in the ticket price. The 2012 DEMA Convention offers the most value ever seen at any Private Service convention. Don’t delay, register & reserve your hotel room today and become an active participant in this one-of-a-kind convention.

Convention Features:
This year’s event has been specifically designed to cater to the needs of our members based on the feedback that DEMA has spent years obtaining through actively listening & supporting the membership. Our local Board of Directors in each chapter throughout the country have also been on a mission to learn what our members are looking for in chapter meetings, educational offerings on the association website and now ultimately this convention. So, no matter what reason you have to attend this convention, we will have your needs covered!

Offerings:
Welcome Reception: Things will kick off with the Friday night Welcome Reception at our host hotel, Sheraton Gateway Los Angeles. This will be a chance to unwind and get settled in for the massive amounts of education being offered throughout the weekend. Grab a bite to eat, take care of registration, network with your peers and make new friends or even catch up with old ones.

Meal Functions & Breaks:
We have designated meal functions and breaks in the education so attendees can network and learn from our exhibitors in the marketplace. Attendees will discover innovation, discussion and awareness in every corner of the convention.

Awards:
Our awards committee is planning a great ceremony to spotlight members in all six of our membership categories! It’s time to bring respect, appreciation and support to members that are providing outstanding service to their Principals, clients & businesses everyday throughout the year.

Educational Offerings:
Keynote & Featured Speakers: Over the years DEMA has been instrumental in pulling together great speakers and experts to share their knowledge at meetings and special events throughout the country on a monthly basis. The 2012 DEMA Convention will not disappoint by providing the best speakers ever seen at one event for Private Service! Principals, first class Private Service Consultants, Protocol & Etiquette Experts and industry specific leaders are already lined up to speak in September with many more to come. Stay tuned for announcements in the coming months.

Panel Discussions:
Be in attendance to see unique panels discuss different situations and interact with the audience to come up with solutions to challenges facing our members on a daily basis. DEMA will create an environment similar to the Townhall Meeting that took place in 2011.

Workshops:
Currently there are over 25 workshops planned that will take place on Saturday and Sunday on a variety of topics. Please make your voice heard and let us know what topics you would like to participate in by contacting us at info@domesticmanagers.com

Career Services & Job Fair:
On Sunday afternoon we will turn the Grand Ballroom into a career center featuring experts to help with any resume, interviewing techniques or advice that attendees may need support with. There will be many agencies in attendance who will be sharing any opportunities that they currently have available in September.

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In October, Caring Nanny staff enjoyed a fabulous APNA (Association of Premier Nanny Agencies) conference at the Firesky resort in Scottsdale, just two blocks from our office. Premier agencies from all over the country came to learn from each other and discuss our shared issues. Since we work in an unregulated industry, we find that we have to create and maintain ethical standards for self regulating.

Ann Klein from White House Nannies (author of the book by that title), taught us how to deal with difficult situations. We discussed how to recruit top nanny candidates, how to recruit and train quality housekeepers, building and retaining a great office team, and psychologist Ann Wycoff Ph.D. shared with us how to assess personality traits to select the best candidates for our clients. A team of attornies discussed legal questions. We got into small groups and hashed out sticky, nitty-gritty ethical questions.
Above all, we made friends with great people from all over the country who we realized we have a lot in common with. We all want to make our clients happy. We want them to like us and we can’t sleep at night if they don’t. We are an ethical group. We really love children and care about who is with them in their formative years. We like to laugh.
It took a lot of work for Caring Nannies to join APNA, and APNA works hard all year to make this industry professional.
Because of APNA’s high standards and rigorous screening process, only the best and brightest agencies belong. Nearly 4 years ago, we had to make significant changes and have all of our documents, applications, website and contracts scrutinized. We had to stop asking illegal questions, we must conduct ourself ethically and uphold professional standards. APNA spies called and caught us explaining that sometimes a nanny can just fill out a 1099, rather than a W-4  tax form. (We thought there were some exceptions, but they actually can’t.) Joining APNA means we commit to excellence in everything we do.

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