Laura Tried It: West Seattle Art Nest

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In March, I worked with the West Seattle Art Nest to put together a special deal for Nanny Parent Connection members.

Last week my kids were on spring break from school and I had the week off from work. It was a perfect time to load up the crew and head over to the West Seattle Art Nest! We braved the pouring rain and made the trek over to West Seattle to check it out. My older boys were excited since they both love art.

Yes to Glitter and Paint Messes?

We have a ton of art supplies at home. However, I tend to not get the messy things like paint out as much as my kids would like. This is the case even more so since the arrival of the twins – I have plenty of cleaning up to do on any given day and I never seem to be able to finish my to-do list without having to clean up paint, too! And don’t even talk to me about glitter. It’s not even in my house for a reason! But my kids love to paint use glitter (who doesn’t?!), and I definitely have mom guilt about this.

west seattle art nest

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Nanny/Sitter Background Checks – Now Available!

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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

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Immersing Kids in Culture

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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.

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Seattle Children’s Theater: 15% Off TWO SHOWS!

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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.”

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Seattle Area Nanny Pay Rates – Three Children

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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!

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Special 25% Discount: Roo’s World of Discovery in Kirkland

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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!

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Nanny Discussion: How and When Should I Ask For A Raise?

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A question we hear often from nannies goes something like this:

“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!

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Search More Efficiently. Use #NPC Hashtags!

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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. 

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West Seattle Art Nest – Special Deal for Members!

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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!

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Nanny Driving the Kids? Step on the Brakes and Read these Six Tips!

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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 ☹️

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