During the series of snowstorms that hit the Seattle area in February 2019, I heard from dozens of desperate parents who were seeking last minute care as their nanny was unable to safely make it into work.

snow day child care

I was discussing with the hubby and he had a novel idea….what if parents could find nannies or sitters that live within walking distance that might be able to offer last minute child care? Parents can get their child care need covered while care providers don’t have to risk driving on icy roads (or missing out on income if they don’t have guaranteed hours)!

Continue reading “Snow Day Child Care! Find A Nanny/Sitter In Your Neighborhood”

 

Over the past year, we have asked our members to complete pay surveys to provide the parents and care providers of our region a snapshot of the average pay for different child care scenarios (i.e. one child, two children, nanny shares, sitter, part-time, etc).

You can find the results of those surveys by clicking here.

We wanted to take this opportunity to update the pay rate information for “babysitting” in our region as it has been over a year since we last surveyed our community. Today, we present the results of our January 2019 Sitter Pay Rate Survey for One Child!

The average hourly pay rate has increased somewhat since our last poll in December 2017 – from $17.81/hour to over $20.00/hour. We believe this is due to the increasing cost of living in our area and that most of the care providers that completed this survey have many years of experience (and thus, charge a higher rate).

Please note that the vast majority of the respondents were care providers. Keep that in mind when reviewing these results.

Continue reading “Sitter Pay Rate Survey Results – 2019 Update”

 

babysitting pay

In our ongoing quest to provide current and accurate information about child care pay rates in our region, it’s time to update our Sitter Pay Rate Survey!

We last surveyed our members about sitter pay rates in December 2017. You can find the results of that survey here.

Today we present our January 2019 Sitter Pay Rate Survey. Due to some issues that we have ran into with Survey Monkey, we have deployed our own polling software here on our site.

Nannies/Sitters – have you provided sitter child care for one child in the past year? Parents – in the past year, have you employed a nanny or sitter to babysit one child? If so, please complete the survey below. Should only take about one minute.

Continue reading “Pay Rate Survey: Babysitting Pay for One Child”

 

Updated: January 2020

Need a break from the rain? Looking for something new and unique to do indoors with the little ones?

With this list of OVER 200(!) indoor activities in the Puget Sound region, your kids will be able to run off some steam and you will never run out of ideas for things to do with them!

indoor kid activities

This map is great for parents and care providers who are new to our area. Please share!

Don’t forget that Nanny Parent Connection members get a discount at the Funtastic Playtorium! We just visited the Alderwood location last week and saved $5.00!

Blue icons are free activities and red icons are activities with a cost. 

If you are using a mobile device, use two fingers to move the map or zoom. Click any of the icons for more information and ENJOY!

Continue reading “The Complete Seattle Area Indoor Kid Activities Map”

 

Over the past year, we have asked our members to complete pay surveys to provide the parents and care providers of our region a snapshot of the average pay for different child care scenarios (i.e. one child, two children, nanny shares, sitter, part-time, etc).

You can find the results of those surveys by clicking here.

We wanted to take this opportunity to update the pay rate information for nanny shares as I have been receiving many inquiries about what is the market rate. Today, we present the results of our January 2019 Nanny Share Pay Survey!

Please note that the vast majority of the respondents were care providers. Keep that in mind when reviewing these results.

Continue reading “Nanny Pay Survey Results – Nanny Shares | January 2019 Update”

 

I hope everyone has caught their breath after the holidays and is enjoying the beginning of 2019!

2019 law changes

There are three law changes going into effect this year that you need to know about if you employ a nanny. Nannies should stay on top of the latest changes to the law as well! The new laws can affect your income in several ways. If your employer isn’t aware of these changes for 2019, now is a good time to casually share this blog post with them 😉

Continue reading “Don’t Miss These 2019 Law Changes”

 

December… that time of year again where we clean up dinner, get the kids dressed in their pajamas, and head out in the car to look at the holiday lights! We have a few favorite locations (close to home!) like Olympic Manor and Candy Cane Lane, but have made a point to check out some new locations a little further out. We have updated our Interactive Holiday Lights Map with several new locations this year!

holiday lights map

At some point in this tradition my four year old got the idea there would be candy cane handouts for cars driving through the neighborhood light displays (I blame the husband). We haven’t found such a neighborhood yet, but some locations like the Evergreen Church in Bothell do have free cocoa and cookies. Perhaps a trip up that way is in order for our family this year 🙂

We hope you find this map useful. Happy Holidays!

Continue reading “2018 Seattle Area Holiday Lights Map”

 

Guest post from Nanny Parent Connection member Becki Brack who is a Partner and Certified Public Accountant with  Growing Numbers Accounting and Bookkeeping. Thanks Becki for helping everyone stay up to date on the newest employment law change coming in 2019. You’re the best!

Paid Family Leave Program

Beginning January 1, 2019, Washington’s Paid Family & Medical Leave program will launch and premiums are required to be paid to fund the program. Employee benefits will be available beginning in 2020.  The program is generally funded through premiums paid by employers as well as an employee premium.  

Continue reading “Important 2019 Law Change: Be Prepared!”

 

Fall is here and that means so is cold and flu season. If you are a parent you know that a child’s first few years in daycare, preschool and school can be a roller coaster of runny noses, weird illnesses (Hand, Foot, and Mouth or Fifth Disease, anyone?) and subsequent sick days.

finding backup childcare

As a child, I remember thinking that staying home sick from school was a special treat – even if I didn’t feel great. Sometimes we would try to fake it with mom, but she was too smart for us. I learned from an older sister that I could touch the end of the thermometer to my bedside lamp light bulb to bump the temperature reading up a few notches. I think I was busted when the thermometer read 105 degrees but I appeared to be fine. (Sorry, mom!)

Now that I’m a parent, I realize how difficult it can be to stay home from work unexpectedly. Sometimes staying home with a very sick child is the only option. (There’s also something extra special about cuddling and caring for your kiddo when they aren’t feeling great.) It’s nice if you’re able to take the day off work and do this, but that’s not always possible for parents to do. Sometimes your day must go on and last minute childcare is needed.

So, how can you best prepare for the unexpected? Here are five tips for successfully navigating your need for last minute child care:

Continue reading “Finding Back Up Childcare Like A Boss – 5 Tips When You’re In A Bind”

One of the things that used to boggle my mind as a parent needing child care was the whole background check process – it felt very intimidating. Which background check was the best? The most thorough? Would it cost a fortune? Would it take a long time to do?

best nanny background check

Rather than tackle these questions and find out, I chose to work with childcare providers who came highly recommended from friends and neighbors. If my friends and neighbors were using this person for childcare, they were probably ok – right?

About two years ago I was chatting with a nanny about the possibility of helping out our family with occasional childcare. Her previous employers recommended her and she seemed nice enough. She even had a child of her own. But we never ended up moving forward with her as a care provider for our kids.

Continue reading “Don’t Skip The Background Check!”