About 3 years ago I was attending an INA conference in San Diego and to keep costs down, I asked a nanny friend to room with me. Marni, NOTY in 2002, said she was rooming with a friend, Christy, and did I want to share with them? Naturally I said yes and what a great decision that turned out to be because I met this very sweet, intelligent nanny Christy. There are some people you have to get to know to really like them and some are like Christy, you just love them immediately!

In 2007 I arrived in Alexandria, VA for the INA conference; I was delighted to find out that Christy had won the Nanny of the Year Award. With her easy smile and great sense of empathy, INA could not have a better representation of the nanny field. Her bio and acceptance speech can be found on www.nanny.org under the Nanny of the Year section. She has had an interesting life and if you have a few moments, wander over there and read it.

Christy was a stay at home mom and devoted herself to her 4 children and husband. For her, it was the right choice and she loved being a part of her children’s life and giving up her former paralegal job wasn’t that hard of a choice. Christy found her true vocation; loving children and helping them reach their potential. Sooner or later our children grow up and have their own lives and we must decide what to do “with the rest of our lives”.

It seemed a natural choice for her to choose being a nanny for her next career. Christy says that “I loved being a stay at home mom, being around children all day and when I decided to become a nanny, I wanted to provide for that family all of the things that I felt would have made my life easier being a parent.”

In recent years there have been discussion on how the best adjusted people are those whose jobs give them personal fulfillment as well as a decent paycheck. When I questioned Christy about this she said, “I do feel this personal gratification because every day I can see the ways in which I have made a difference in these kids’ lives. With kids, you get a “bonus” every day, whether it is in the form of a hug or an “I love you”. “

Christy said that if she had chosen to back to the paralegal field she would have to go back to school in order refresh her skills. She felt blessed to have come into a field where she had the knowledge/skills and found the salary to reflect those qualities. Her good friend Marni suggested she join the International Nanny Association and told her about the conferences. She began to attend them and found the opportunity to continuing learning through workshops and networking with other nannies. She first joined a small nanny group but decided to start her own nanny group, Denver Area Nanny Association which now has 60 members.

I have started groups and I know how hard it can be to get the word out, find activities that keep members interested and keep people united in a common goal. I am sure the success of the Denver Area Nanny Assn is due to Christy’s ability to reach out with great empathy to her sister nannies.

When I asked what made her want to do this she said, “What made me stay involved was the camaraderie, and the opportunities for education. I enjoy connecting with others who are as passionate about this amazing profession as I am.” If you ever feel discouraged about the profession, you can spend ten minutes with Christy and come away totally renewed!

The Nanny of the Year application is long and it takes an investment of time to get through it. It is not an easy decision to let yourself be nominated. I asked Christy what influenced her letting her boss nominate her. I thought her answer reflected her character:

Jill had asked me for several years if I would let her nominate me and I always felt that I was not ready. Last year when she asked, it was after a very difficult and challenging year at my job. We were helping the children adjust to a divorce, and I was learning how to work with a single parent. I felt we had come so far, and by then I had been with the family for almost 5 years. I was finally ready, and very proud that she wanted to nominate me.

I still feel humbled but proud to be elected as Nanny of the Year. I know so many amazing nannies, many that could be Nanny of the Year. But I am grateful to have been chosen. To have been NOTY I think has encouraged me to raise the bar. I need to strive to be NOTY every day that I am with this family. They deserve no less.

I am always awed by the Nannies who stand on that platform. While only one nanny can be chosen, there are no “losers” on that platform. Everyone who stands up there represents quality and makes all of us sitting in that audience proud to be a nanny. In 2007, I was especially proud to see my friend Christy step forward to receive the award.

Can you really find a great nanny by yourself through the internet nanny advertising sites? The answer is Yes!–just not an easy to do yes. The reason most parents get overwhelmed early in their search and either give up or throw in the towel and just choose the first one that starts to look good to them is simple–they approached the challenge with no organized method. The first thing I tell parents is to write up a job description that gives the hours, ages of children, and as complete a list as they can manage for duties and responsibilities. Do you need flexibility? Occasionally longer hours that are compensated? Any travel on a regular basis? This is what you will use to fill out your profile and attach to every email you send to a nanny. Better to lose a nanny right away if she thinks the hours are too long, doesn’t like to travel, wants a set schedule, etc than to waste time with emails and phone interviews.

Recently while doing newborn care with a great family, I was asked to help in their online search. I had told her in the beginning to open a hotmail account that is separate from her personal email account. You don’t want your own email information out there or you email box will get flooded long after your search is over. I love my gmail account but in terms of getting organized, hotmail still has yahoo and gmail beat.

By the time I got to the point to help her, the inbox was already overflowing with good candidates, bad candidates and the normal constant, “I want to come to the US and watch your baby!”emails. We were using the site www.gonannies.com as they have a pretty decent method of putting potential clients into a favorite page. You can also do your first inquiry straight from the site and establish a message page. This is valuable as later on you will want to have a way to do a quick glance to see whom you have written to. There are several good nanny advertising sites, this just happened to be the one she chose.

First thing I did was go to her hotmail account and make folders. The first was Top Candidate folder which should never have more than ten candidates, Second Choice and Rejected for those nannies who failed to send back information, turned out to be illegal, or whom after looking at their information decided they were not a good fit.

Next, I made folders up for all the candidates we wrote or who wrote us. I put their emails into those folders. Now I have a clean inbox and can start to get organized. I made up file folders for each candidate whose profiles were interesting. I made a file folder for each candidate and ran off their profile (you are not going to want to constantly go back to a site and review) and a copy of the emails we wrote them and their responses.

If a nanny did not have a resume (be prepared to find out most think their profile is a resume!) I asked her to fill in the blanks with this information: Start and End Dates of all jobs for the last 10 years. Ages of children when they STARTED and list their Duties and Responsibilities. If they could not manage this, responded with “that would take too long and here are some basics” I put them in the rejected file. Don’t waste your time trying to get information they should be able to send to you quickly. You may not care if their english is perfect, especially if it is their second language, but you will want to know she can communicate in the written form as she will be leaving logs and information to you in the job. Also, you need to be a good parent and write back nannies that write to you even if it is an “thank you but I am looking for someone with more…”

Now I have a file folder on my hotmail with their responses for quick reviews and a hard copy file folder for each candidate. When you find five that you really like, you write and arrange for a phone interview. I have a blank piece of paper in each file to take notes as I talk.

You may find up to ten promising candidates and I would put them into top five and second five groups. I usually email them and ask them what is a good day and time for a phone interview as they may work during the day. During the phone interview I try to go over their work history they provided as I want a little more detail as to what they did with the children, a few child orientated questions to make sure they are knowledgeable. I also want to see how well they communicate. The advantage in doing the first part of your search via emails is you can do this search any time of the day or night, that fits it into your schedule.

If the phone interview goes well and you feel good about her, arrange for an in person interview. Sometimes your favorite candidates will have to be flown in so you might want to do all locals first to make sure the perfect candidate isn’t in your own backyard! You should have a list of written questions before an interview so you always ask the same ones to give everyone the same chance to show their style.

If you decide on out of state candidates, you might want to do several phone interviews to make sure they are worth the plane ticket. If this is a live in position, your risk is less because you know if you like each other, she has a place to stay. If it is a live out, you should look at the cost of apartments in your area and make sure your salary will allow her to afford it! If out of state, ask for a weekend working interview (you will have to pay for her time) so you can see how she works with your kids and interacts with you.

Local candidates should have 2 interviews and start with your favorite five. The first interview will tell you if you like her enough to seriously consider. You might be tempted to hire the first one that seems “good”. But you are only interviewing five at this point and they are all scheduled within two days, so give yourself a chance to compare.

At the end of the first 5 interviews, see if anyone really impressed you and mark her for a second interview. You might now have 2 people that stood out. The second interview is more in depth as to what your job needs and watch her reactions as you talk about the hours (did she flinch? Seem like too long for her?) responsibilities, etc. You are laying your cards on the table now so don’t try to make your job look more glamarous than it is! The right candidate is looking for a family who is open and honest and trust her to make good evaluations.

Sometimes it’s really hard to choose between two candidates until you do that second interview. I’ve seen good candidates lose favor on the second interview as a family realized she didn’t “listen” well or talked too much for their quiet lifestyle or they realized as the child questions became more in depth she didn’t have the great answers you felt the other candidate gave.

If you find your great nanny in that first five, feel really good about her, stop the search and hire her! Great nannies are being interviewed by several people and you will lose her if you hesitate too long!

If you feel really good about one but you just aren’t sure, go to your next group of five and repeat the process. Great nannies often live in another state so be prepared to fly one in if you feel drawn to her.

While you are narrowing down your search your email account is probably still hopping with candidates! Be prepared to keep reading and screening for at least 2 hours every day. Otherwise you email account will get out of control fast! I keep making up Hotmail folders for every candidate that sends me a work profile back. If she doesn’t, then she gets sent to the Rejected folder! I expect nannies to write me back if they are not interested or if they found a job. Most nanny sites insist their nannies reply and ask you to tell them if you are having a problem with non answers. That same rule should apply to you. I type up a draft that says “thank you for inquiring about our family but at this time we are looking for someone with more experience with ____” and just copy and paste into replies to nannies I know we are not interested in. At the very end of the process, I write each of the candidates thanking them for their time and we had hired a nanny. It’s time consuming but if you are going to take this route to finding a nanny, do the right thing.

I realize that parents pay for 30, 60 or 90 days and often want to keep looking to the end to get their money’s worth! Trouble with that is good nannies will be taken and you won’t get her a month later. Be happy if you find her in that first two weeks! I heard of one parent who would sent questionaires with a 100 questions on it for a nanny to answer and email back and that was in the first round of discussion! Then if she felt the nanny advanced, had another group of questions! Plus she made it clear she was going to keep interviewing till her time ran out! What that told this great nanny was that she would have to hold out looking for other parents for 30-45 days on the “chance” she stayed in the running! The questions were very time consuming and she finally just decided that although she really liked the parent on the phone, this inability to make a decision was going to carry through in the job.

Most of the candidates hired are found in that first round of ten or maybe up to 20. Keeping your favorite folder with only those whose work experience seems similiar to what you need, who seem to really fit into your personality through phone and person interviews, gives you a base to make a good decision quickly.

My family found and hired their nanny in the two week span we had targeted. I don’t tell the parent who to choose, offer only comments that offer pros and cons. I want her choice to be based on her own instincts. I am happy to say that she chose the one I thought was solid too!

It is not an easy process when you are taking care of a newborn or toddlers running around needing you! I have found my consulting has increased during temporary or newborn jobs where they want a nanny after I leave. Many find it is worth a little extra to have someone walk them through the process and organizing it with them.

I always tell parents to ask themselves how valuable is their time and how much of it do they have to spare? Sometimes when I explain the process they decide paying an agency commission is worth it. Their time is worth more than the commission!

Kids Reading -10-12 Yrs Olds

Wednesday, July 11th, 2007

Everyone who knows me, understands I love to read and always try to interest my children into reading.  Recently, I was with a great reader, a ten year old from NY and as I often do, read all of his books he took with him on vacation.

I will be adding books for all ages, so keep coming back!  Do you have a favorite book for your toddler or child?  Let me know as I am always looking for interesting books.

If you have a 10-12 year old boy/girl,  who enjoy sports, here are some great books they might enjoy.  All but  the Island triology and Last Shot seems to deal more with a boy’s view.  Mike Lupica’s books has  a great girl character who is a friend and takes a gentle look at young friendships.

Mike Lupica

Travel Team

Summer Ball

I have to say that I really like Mike Lupica’s books.  He covers a young boy who loves basketball but who is also short and has had to find ways to be taken seriously on the court.  These books deal with more than basketball.  You see his friendship with a young girl blossom and how he deals with his dad and mom’s divorce.  His dad had potential of being a great professional basketball player till he got injured.  In these books his father is trying to come back into his life.  I wanted to keep reading to see if our young man could meet the challenges of disappointments, pressure of the spot he loves and the trials of growing up.  Definitely high on my list for young readers.

 

Matt Christopher (says it’s #1 Sport Series for kids-hmmhg!) 

The Kid only hit Homers

Comeback of the Home Run Kid

These are quick fun reads but I’m not sure I like the morals given in these books.  I know kids don’t think that expanded and only see them as adventure stories but I do have a tendency to want something positive to come from stories.  The first book deals with a kid who loves baseball but isn’t that great of a hitter.  Then this “mysterious” person teaches him to hit but no one seems to see this person  but him.  The first one is in reality the Babe and yes, suddenly he starts hitting home runs every time!  Then the Babe disappears and suddenly the kid can’t hit that homer.  So the book is never about his skill improving  but an artificial means to success.  In the second book, (not listed here) he meets up with a player from the World Series where the  players threw a world series for money.  This player teaches him how to cheat by sliding in and faking the tag or faking a fly ball catch.  Yes, he feels bad by the end and in the next book he has to deal with how kids view him now.  I just think that this is a great idea for a series and I wish the author had made better use of the lesson learned.  However, having said that, kids will enjoy the books.

 

 

Richard and Florence

Mr. Popper’s Penquins

 

Dan Gutman -  Satch and Me, Babe and me, Shoeless Joe and Me

Joe Stoshack has the amazing ability to travel back through time when he touches an old baseball card!  He wonders, was Satch the fastest pitcher of his time?  Did the Babe really point his shot on that famous home run?  Did Shoeless Joe really throw that famous World Series?  

Dan Gutman describes the era that Joe travels back to so you not only get a great story but you also get a feel for how it was in the days of the hero.  In Satch you find how it was for Negro League and you wonder what records he would have broken if had been allowed in the majors early in his career.  He really gets into the persona of the Babe, a man with too much heart and a zest for life.  He doesn’t answer the question if Shoeless Joe threw the series but takes the facts we did know and lets you make the decision. 

John Feinstein

Last Shot  (First in a series—boy and girl become sport writers and solve a few mysteries/problems along the way)

Steven Thomas wants to be a sports writer.  He gets his chance to attend the College Championship and sit in the press box to cover the game as a real reporter!  He meets the second runner up, Susan Carol, and soon discover she knows as much about sports as he does and is pretty cool even if her favorite team is Duke!  In this series, it looks like they will encounter various problems and mysteries and try to solve them.  In this first book, they uncover how a young player is being blackmailed into throwing a game for gamblers.  I found this interesting as it throws in how much pressure is on ball players in college.  For the sport minded girl or boy, this is going to be an interesting series.

 

Gordon KormanIsland Triology

What happens when 6 mismatched kids are sent for a month to learn discipline on a sailing ship and find they have to fight for survival after their boat is destroyed in a storm?    This is actually three books in one:  Shipwreck, Survival and Escape.  I liked the way Gordon Korman describes his characters.  They all have problems and all feel like their parents don’t understand them.  One is just trying to get attention, one feels stressed to be “perfect”, one has wrapped himself up in tv documentaries rather than try and deal with his peers–well you get the idea!  This is a decent adventure story for young readers.  I actually enjoyed reading it myself!

 

The Mouse and the Motorcycle:  This probably would appeal more to 8-10 year olds and as usual, Beverly Cleary has managed to write a short and funny story about a mouse whose family lives in an old hotel and the adventures he has when he has with a motorcycle brought by a visiting boy.

 

Judy Blume

Super Fudge!  Nobody writes characters like Judy Blume.  She never soft sells kids attitudes so her book comes across with some real issues and feelings that kids face.  In Super Fudge! she explores the challenges a boy faces when he asked to move to a new home for 9 months at the same time his parents announce they are expecting another child.  He already has a younger brother who drives him crazy so he is not happy at all about this new event.  I have always liked the way Judy Blume tackles issues that kids face and doesn’t try to write down to them. 

 

It is rare that I miss two INA conferences in a role and I was especially sad this year I was unable to attend when I heard Becky had won NOTY. I can remember when I first became a traveling nanny and attended my first INA conference. I was so scared walking into that big room with all these professionals. I was sure they would run me out—I mean I wasn’t even a full time nanny on their scale! I will never forget how welcomed everyone made me feel. Especially this one nanny that just seemed to be laughing all the time! Becky endeared herself to me from the beginning with her kind and friendly manner. She makes all nannies feel respected and appreciated. She has been active in the INA since 1989 and was one of the first to take the INA Nanny Credential Exam. She also served as the INA President for two years and has been on the Board of Directors for six years as well as many INA committees.

I was not surprised to learn that in 1998 Hillary Rodham Clinton presented her with one of the Parent Magazine’s awards for outstanding achievement in the childcare field.

That is enough to amaze you right there! BUT it gets even better! She is one of the few nannies that I know of that has been with the same family for over 16 years! From birth to their teens, this amazing nanny keeps her family on schedule. She has seen her family through divorce and the blending of two households. I think no one said it better than her oldest charge Cassie, “”She has a presence that somehow always communicates a sense of her absolute confidence in us, not only at every dance recital and orchestra concert, but every day. I have a deep and tremendous respect for Becky, and I consider myself profoundly lucky to have had her as my nanny.”

When I read what the father Paul Kunkel wrote, “”More than anyone else in my life Becky has taught me how to be the father I hoped and dreamed I would be. For me she has been the “owner’s manual” that children don’t come with.” I knew that first impression of Becky years ago was totally correct. She is an amazing nanny.

Her involvement with children doesn’t stop with her family. She is also an active volunteer in the Girl Scouts as the leader of two troops, also the event chair and in serves at the leadership level in Prairie Star Service Unit. Becky was awarded the Outstanding Leader and Valued Volunteer honor.

The nominating committee made a great choice when they chose Becky for she is indeed one of the truly giving nannies of this generation. She is inspiring and represents the profession at the highest level.

I wasn’t able to go the 2005 INA conference so I had to wait to find out who got Nanny of the Year and was excited to learn it was Jenny Brown. You meet so many nannies at these conferences and yet, some stand out and Jenny is one of those. Jenny is always full of life and smiles and I know her little charges must adore her. I had a chance to do an email interview and would like to share her story with you. Another Amazing Nanny of the Year!!

What was were you like growing up? What age did you decide you wanted to work with children?

I was always outgoing. I had a lot of great friends. I was a hard worker and earned my own money at an early age. I earned most of my money babysitting through middle school and high school. It made me realize at an early age that whatever profession I chose, it had to involve children.

What careers did you think of after you graduated from high school?

When I was a junior in high school I started working in a daycare after school. Once I graduated, I went full time in the summer before starting community college in the fall. I really fell in love with the teaching aspect working with the kids at the daycare.

I became very close to a particular family. When they were expecting their third child they asked if I would consider being their nanny. I said yes, and the rest is history. I worked for them for six years and still remain very close to the family, five years after ending my job with them.

How many jobs have you had as a nanny?

My first job as a nanny was three days a week, so I found a two day a week job that would work with the first job. In total, I have had six nanny positions. I will be celebrating my five year anniversary with my current job on March 7th.

We all find areas we need to improve on as a nanny and that first job often teaches us what we need to improve on, need to be more assertive about etc.. What was it for you?

I know I am definitely more active in my field than when I first started out as a nanny. In my search to connect with other nannies I joined my local association and eventually became its president. I made the decision to national and joined the International Nanny Association and began to come to the INA conferences. It was great to be able to attend training workshops, conferences and I feel I never stop trying to improve my nanny knowledge. I still enjoy reading any literature I can find regarding nannies and childcare.

We are all different and unique. If someone asked you, “what makes you different than the crowd”, how would you answer?

That’s a hard question because I think all nannies are unique and special. I guess I genuinely have a passion for the nanny industry. I want the industry to be respected. I hope to be an example that there are professional nannies that have chosen this field as a career. I strive to keep that positive attitude locally and nationally.

What advice would you have for nannies wanting to go into this profession?

I would definitely say to get involved with a support group. My first year as a nanny was a bit lonely because I didn’t know any other nannies. I met a Jennifer Erickson, who was an active member in the Northwest Nanny Association. She introduced me to the organization and my life changed for the better from that day on. We had play dates, activities and functions all the time. It was a time of creating wonderful friendships for me and the kids.

Do you think nannies should be certified to be a nanny?

A few years back, when I first heard that nannies might have to be
certified to be nannies, I was very scared. I started to feel that I didn’t know enough about my job. I definitely believe in continuing education and keeping current on first aid/ cpr.

When I attended my first INA conference in Boston in 2004, I decided to take the Credential Exam. I decided too late to actually have time to study, but thought that I wanted to take it anyway. I was extremely proud when I passed the test. I just feel, for me, when I look for a new position in the future it shows my potential employers that I am a true professional. I know that not everyone takes tests well, but I definitely wanted to try the test for myself.

How long do you want to be a nanny in term of years? If long term, what about your financial future?

I can see myself being a nanny for many years to come. I have met with a financial planner and set up mutual funds. I have thought about the future and wanted some security for when I do retire.

What are the thoughts or feelings that went through you when you found
out you had won?

I was elated. I felt I was being honored for something that I truly loved and that felt so good. I loved how my two kiddos reacted. The oldest, Sofia, who was 4 1/2 at the time, was telling everyone, “My nanny is the Nanny of the Year.” It was so great to see their excitement, too. My family, friends and peers were equally supportive. Their were several “surprise” parties in my honor, which truly meant a lot.

What has it been like to be NOTY?

It has been a truly amazing year! The recognition from peers, industryand press was almost overwhelming, but I loved the positive influence this has been for the great northwest. I often find my family or friends mentioning the award to new people. Everyone is very impressed that there is such an award.

I feel very grateful and honored to have won this award.

will always have the certificate and trophy, and great trip to Vegas to remind me of this amazing year!!!