Congratulations!  You have found an excellent nanny or sitter to work with your family! But you’re not quite ready to go yet.  As if going through the process of actually finding a care provider isn’t stressful enough, now you have to navigate a background check.

Ugh…

Not so fast – we are here to help make things easier for you!  We have worked hard over the past few months and are excited to announce that NPC Background Checks are now available! Click here to take a look at our background check system.

sitter background checks

I have spoken with dozens of parents and agency representatives over the past couple of years about nanny/sitter background checks. I consistently hear that there aren’t enough options available and that the options that are available are too expensive or too complicated. 

In December, we set out to create a better solution! Our goals were to:

• Create several background check packages that are affordable for everyone 

• But not take away important aspects of the background checks in the name of affordability

• Have the background check order process not take more than five minutes

We were able to achieve all of our goals!

Several packages to choose from starting at $18.99

Continue reading “Nanny/Sitter Background Checks – Now Available!”

 

Guest post from Lexi Carr. Lexi is a freelance blogger with a focus on family and life experiences. When she’s not spending time with her nieces and nephews, she’s traveling with her partner and learning about the world around her. You can contact Lexi via email here.

immersing kids in culture

In a world where pop culture is king, it may seem like a nearly impossible task to raise children exposed to “culture” – a term who many struggle with defining. According to the New Yorker, culture can mean the set of practices and beliefs that make up norms or may be used in a more traditional sense involving the arts and high societal activities.

Thanks to globalization and technological advances, culture today means much more than being “civilized” or “well educated.” To be cultured is to be exposed to norms that may not be the norm of your own, to be open to differences, and to be aware of the beauty in all forms of art.

Approaching this idea with kids can be difficult and overwhelming.

However, introducing children to culture locally and in the home are great first steps. And it is the responsibility of nannies as well as parents to take those steps with the children in their care.

Continue reading “Immersing Kids in Culture”

 

I know many of you love the Seattle Children’s Theater – it’s one of my family’s favorite activities. Seattle Children’s Theater has put together an AMAZING deal to return the love…

Exclusive Discount for Nanny Parent Connection Members

15% off tickets to see Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience and The Lamp is the Moon. That’s right – 15% off of TWO SHOWS for Nanny Parent Connection members. Thank you SCT!

Read below for show descriptions, run times, recommended ages and how to redeem.

seattle children's theater coupon

Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed: The Rock Experience
Based on the book Naked Mole Rat Gets Dressed by Mo Willems

MARCH 22 – MAY 13, 2018

“They are a little bit rat. They are a little bit mole. They are all naked.”

Continue reading “Seattle Children’s Theater: 15% Off TWO SHOWS!”

 

Over in our Facebook community, we recently surveyed our members to gather some current data regarding pay rates for three children. The results are in!

As the graphic below states, please DO NOT use this as a definitive guide for nanny pay rates in our area. We did not ask respondents to include variables such as full time vs. part time, driving duties, exact number of hours worked, the specific location in our area where the care occurred, etc. Use this as a general idea of current trends in the Puget Sound region.

Parents – what do you pay your nanny to care for three children? Nannies – what are you paid to provide child care for three children? Comment below!

Continue reading “Seattle Area Nanny Pay Rates – Three Children”

 

Roo’s World of Discovery is partnering with Nanny Parent Connection for the next two months to offer our members a 25% discount on drop-in passes or a monthly membership!  If you’re tired of taking the kiddos to the same old places, here is a great opportunity to try something new.

roo's world kirkland

Roo’s World of Discovery is located at 108 Central Way in Kirkland, WA.  If you are located in Seattle, it’s worth the drive to the Eastside!  Curious? Read on to learn more about this fantastic play space!

Continue reading “Special 25% Discount: Roo’s World of Discovery in Kirkland”

 

Over in our Facebook group, there was a question recently posed by a nanny (I’m summarizing here):

“I’ve been a nanny for my family for over a year.  After what period of time is it appropriate to ask for a raise?  How do I ask for more paid time off and sick leave? How do I ask for overtime pay, when I initially said it was ok to not be paid that?”

ask for a raise

The topic of a raise can be difficult for a nanny, or anyone for that matter, to navigate.  It is pretty standard to discuss any compensation changes with your nanny family after one year.  You may run the risk of things becoming awkward with your family.  The fear of rejection is real. What if they say no? Do you hold your ground and leave if they refuse (even though they are an otherwise wonderful family to work for)? Will they be open to negotiating?

But you know you are providing valuable service to your family.  Their kids are well-cared for.  You’ve never been late to work, or maybe you’ve never even had to call in sick.  You even go above and beyond in chipping in on household duties because you want to.  Making sure you are well-cared for and feeling appreciated is likely important to your nanny parents.  They may just not have thought about it, and may not in the future unless you bring it up!

Continue reading “Nanny Discussion: How and When Should I Ask For A Raise?”

 

If you have been active in our Facebook community over the past couple of weeks, you probably noticed strange hashtags being used in some posts. What are these, what do they do, and how can I use them?

One of the issues with a large community such as ours is that it can be difficult to find certain types of child care using the Search feature of our Facebook group.

Facebook child care

Example: While you may want to find nannies or families looking for “part time” care, not all members use the term “part time” in their post meaning that you may not be able to find those families or care providers.

In an effort to expand the results you see when utilizing the search feature, we have started to add #npc hashtags to posts to standardize certain types of care opportunities. 

Continue reading “Search More Efficiently. Use #NPC Hashtags!”

 

Want to do something a little bit different with your nanny kids (or own kids)? Need a day or evening out with your girlfriends? Check out the West Seattle Art Nest!

west seattle art nest deal

Get creative with their endless crafting options aka “artsploration” (art + exploration… I see what you did there!) with their open studio or channel your inner Picasso in their Paint Room and Splatter Room.  YOU GUYS – THEY DO ALL OF THE PREP AND CLEANUP FOR YOU!  Just go and have fun!  Read on for a SPECIAL DISCOUNT FOR NANNY PARENT CONNECTION MEMBERS!

Continue reading “West Seattle Art Nest – Special Deal for Members!”

 

Between school, playdates and activities, let’s face it – your nanny is likely driving your children around A LOT. Some families are able to provide a car for the nanny to shuttle the kiddos around in.  More often, however, nannies are using their personal vehicles for these trips. 

Check out these tips for parents (and nannies) before your nanny hits the road with the kids.

nanny driving the kids

#1: DMV Records

I recently was helping a mother with her search for a nanny.  I was happy to receive a message from her saying she had found a nanny, pending a background check! 

Several days later, she let me know that they were continuing with their search ☹️

Continue reading “Nanny Driving the Kids? Step on the Brakes and Read these Six Tips!”

 

Hearing your ideas and suggestions on how to improve our community is so important to me. That’s why I am excited to announce that we just launched our nanny contract and payroll service features!

Nanny Contract

A simple, easy to understand contract is key to avoid confusion and clearly set expectations between your care provider and family. Unfortunately, many nanny contracts are filled with confusing legal jargon which many of us don’t understand. On top of that, many of the “free” nanny contracts available online do not account for the specific laws and regulations of Washington state (i.e. paid sick and safe time).

To help you and your care provider get off on the right foot, we worked extensively with our attorney to develop an easy to understand contract which covers all of the laws specific to our state. Will your nanny be employed in Seattle? This contract has you covered.

Many of you have shared with me that one of the most frustrating problems with online nanny contracts is that you can’t easily edit them. We are providing this contract in Microsoft Word format so that you can customize any part of it you like. Want to add something specific to your family? No problem.

We’ve also included placeholder text in the document to ensure you aren’t missing something important. Use of family car? Check. How to handle a child’s allergy? Check. Paid holidays? Check. Sharing pictures of your children online? Check.

Laws that affect household employers like you are changing rapidly. That’s why we are monitoring what our elected officials in Olympia are doing and will update this contract with any changes that may affect your family.

We all know, attorneys aren’t cheap. But we leaned on ours and worked out a great deal for you. Download the contract for $29.99 or FREE if you have a Family-Annual membership. If you’ve looked at other nanny contracts, you know this is a great deal!

To learn more or check out a sample of the nanny contract, click here. 

Payroll Services

I’ve heard horror stories from some of you about experiences with payroll service companies that aren’t familiar with our laws in Washington. We’ve partnered with one of the premier accounting firms in Washington to bring you affordable and comprehensive payroll services. Growing Numbers Accounting & Bookkeeping is located in Seattle and Spokane and is owned and operated by three local women – Alexis, Aly, and Becki.

They have over 20 years of accounting experience and know the ins and outs of payroll laws and regulations in our area. I know because I have had the pleasure to work closely with Becki over the last couple of months on a myriad of nanny pay issues – she knows her stuff!

They literally handle everything for you. All you have to do is report the number of hours your care provider worked that pay period. They notify all appropriate government agencies, request an Employer Identification Number for you, file your quarterly tax reports, remit tax payments, and handle all end of year tasks. They will even pay your provider if you have a business bank account.

Paying your provider correctly when using a nanny share is COMPLICATED. They have a great option for nanny share families too!

Nanny Parent

Before we established our partnership with Growing Numbers, we took a hard look at many of the payroll services that some of you are using. We wanted to offer our members a comprehensive, local solution that didn’t cost an arm and a leg. Not only is Growing Numbers the most reliable option for local payroll services, they are also VERY affordable.

Check out the comparison table below – Growing Numbers is over $300 cheaper than two of the more popular alternatives out there!




Care.com® HomePay℠

$210

PER QUARTER

$100 Setup Fee

$100 Annual Documentation Fee

Annual Cost = $1,040*

Headquartered in Massachusettes


$169

PER QUARTER

$99 Setup Fee

$50 Annual Documentation Fee

Annual Cost = $825

Headquarted in Washington

Women Owned Small Business

BEST VALUE!




Homework Solutions, Inc.

$215

PER QUARTER

$100 Setup Fee

$100 Annual Documentation Fee

Annual Cost = $1,060*

Headquartered in Virginia


 

To learn more about payroll services or to get started, click here. 

Many of you have messaged me asking for more information on our background checks and when they are going to launch. We’re just starting our final testing and hope to activate the system before the end of March. I will share more information on pricing and options soon.

Have a new feature you would like to see from Nanny Parent Connection? Email me to discuss!