In today’s world, where the economy demands two incomes family, many parents (especially moms) must reenter the workforce shortly after the baby is born. However, someone has to look after the baby and many are not lucky enough to live close to grandma and grandpa ….

Well, there are other options of course …. Nanny is one, daycare center is another. Let’s compare these possibilities.

• A Nanny can provide excellent one on one care to infants and children in your very own home in a familiar and safe environment, while in a childcare center you often will find that five children are under the care of one caregiver. Special and personal attention to each child in this case is not possible most of the time while with a nanny; you know your child is number one priority at all times.
• In a day care center outside activities may not occur as frequently as you like. A Nanny however can personalize these activities according to your wishes.
• Coughs, colds and other diseases can spread swiftly in childcare centers. While some parents don’t mind exercising their children immune systems other families can’t afford time off work to care for their offspring’s.
• A main concern to every parent is child nutrition. In a childcare center pasta and sandwiches might be the order of the day. In fact you can never be really sure of what your child is eating. A nanny however will feed your children the food that you stock in your pantry.
• If you’re working odd hours or not regular shifts, it may be stressful trying to rush back to the childcare centers before closing time. Most centers have hefty fees for every five minutes late that you are. A nanny is bound to be more flexible and open to accommodate your schedule.
• If you have more than one child, having a Nanny can be most cost effective. Childcare centers charge rates that are not competitive with the cost incurred in having a nanny. Also, keep in mind that some house chores can also be performed when children are having a nap so you come home and have more quality time with your children rather than putting a load of laundry or cooking the evening meal.

All in all, as a general rule of thumb, a nanny in your home is by far exceeding the quality care offered by care centers. Adding the other advantages indicated above, it is quite evident why many families prefer using this type of childcare over the alternative.

Mother’s day is a wonderful time for each of us to take a moment and celebrate Mom.

On this special day tell your mom (again and again) how much you love her, make a poem, write a letter, take mom out to her favorite restaurant, buy flowers, give her a day off (let her relax while the rest of the family does the work), etc.

Touch your mothers heart by writing these sentimental quotes in Mother’s Day cards, letters or gift wraps.

• “A mother’s arms are more comforting than anyone else’s.” — Diana, Princess of Wales

• “By and large, mothers and housewives are the only workers who do not have regular time off. They are the great vacationless class.” — Anne Morrow Lindbergh

• “A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.” — Dorothy Canfield Fisher

• “Never marry a man who hates his mother, because he’ll end up hating you.” — Jill Bennett

• “It is not until you become a mother than your judgment slowly turns to compassion and understanding.” — Erma Bombeck

• “Becoming a mother makes you the mother of all children. From now on each wounded, abandoned, frightened child is yours. You live in the suffering mothers of every race and creed and weep with them. You long to comfort all who are desolate.” – Charlotte Gray

• “At work, you think of the children you have left at home.At home, you think of the work you’ve left unfinished. Such a struggle is unleashed within yourself. Your heart is rent.” — Golda Meir

• “All women become like their mothers. That is their tragedy. No man does. That’s his.” — Oscar Wilde

• “There is only one pretty child in the world, and every mother has it.” – Chinese Proverb

Mothers Day Poem
M – O – T – H – E – R
“M” is for the million things she gave me,
“O” means only that she’s growing old,
“T” is for the tears she shed to save me,
“H” is for her heart of purest gold;
“E” is for her eyes, with love-light shining,
“R” means right, and right she’ll always be,
Put them all together, they spell
“MOTHER,”
A word that means the world to me.

Howard Johnson (c. 1915)

HAVE A HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

The letter of Agreement Nanny-Employer states the terms you negotiate with your caregiver.

In this letter you may want to pinpoint the terms that suit your family and the nanny that you want to hire.

This Agreement is entered into as of _______ between ___________(hereinafter known as Family), and_______  (hereinafter referred to as Nanny) shall be in force for one year from the date of signature of both parties. Family and Nanny hereby agree to a one-year employment commitment unless Nanny is terminated for cause. Both parties agree to give at lease two (2) weeks notice before job termination unless Nanny is terminated for cause.

Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

Family and Nanny agree to the following conditions of employment:

1. Employment.
Employment will begin on ________ and is considered “at will”. Nanny is to provide childcare services and other duties as set forth below.

2. Work Schedule.
Nanny will provide childcare from ___ A.M. to ___ P.M., from Monday through Friday. During these hours, Nanny shall devote (his/her) entire time, attention and energies to providing care and performing other duties as listed below.
3. Compensation.
Family shall pay Nanny and Nanny hereby accepts in full payment for services:

• An (hourly rate of  _____) (monthly salary of  _____) which shall be paid (weekly/bimonthly/monthly) on the _____ day(s) of (week/month).
• Overtime compensation (specify).
• Performance-based increase after  (6 months/one year).

4. Probationary Period.
Family and Nanny agree that there shall be a probationary period of ___ days. During this period either party can terminate this Agreement by giving ___ days notice.

5. Termination.
The following are grounds for immediate termination with cause:

• Allowing the children’s safety to be compromised
• Inconsistent or non performance of agreed upon job responsibilities
• Dishonesty or lying to Family
• Stealing
• Breach of confidentiality clause
• Unapproved guests
• Smoking or consumption of alcohol while on duty
• Illegal drug use

Nanny’s employment under this Agreement may be terminated upon one of more of the following:

• By Family or Nanny for due cause upon 24 hours notice. “Due cause” is defined as breach of a material term of this Agreement.
• By Family without cause upon  ___ weeks notice, or in lieu of ___ weeks notice, ___ weeks salary.
• By Nanny upon ___ weeks notice.
• By Nanny’s total disability or partial disability which renders Nanny unable to perform services for more than ___ weeks.

6. Childcare responsibilities.
(Choose the ones that suit you and the Nanny you hire).

Nanny agrees to:

• Put the absolute safety of the children first before all other responsibilities
• Provide care, warmth, and security in the absence of parents.
• Plan activities that promote physical, emotional, intellectual, and social development
• Maintain a patient, cheerful, and helpful attitude while on duty.
• Actively participate in the children’s special problems and interests and serve as a resource for problem solving.
• Tend to children’s basic needs such as bathing, dressing, changing diapers, brushing teeth, and afternoon naps.
• Administer medicine to children as directed by Family.
• Plan and prepare nutritious snacks and meals for children during scheduled hours; clean up kitchen and dining table when completed.
• Participate and supervise activities with children, which would include: games, walks, play dates, playground outings and reading to children daily.
• Limit television/video and computer games to ___ minutes per day.
• Comply with Family’s discipline and child-rearing preferences.
• Provide reasonable flexibility in times of emergency or unexpected schedule changes.
• Keep the children’s bedrooms and play area clean and organized; which includes making the beds, vacuuming carpet, cleaning and disinfecting toys, etc.
• Clean children’s laundry (clothes and bed linens).
• Use Family automobile to drive children to activities and events.
• Meal preparation for Family.
• Feed and care for Family pets-daily.
• Grocery shopping.
• Make bed- entire home.
• Clean kitchen and empty dishwasher-daily.
• Clean interior windows and mirrors: bi-monthly.
• Clean, dust and vacuum entire house: bi-monthly.
• Clean Family’s laundry-weekly.
• Run errands – dry-cleaning, bank deposit, grocery store, etc. when necessary.

7. CPR and First Aid.

• Nanny agrees to complete an infant/child CPR and First Aid class prior to beginning employment or within ___ weeks of employment.
• If Nanny does not successfully complete CPR and First Aid class, Family may terminate Nanny without severance pay or notice.
• Family (will/will not) pay for approved CPR and First Aid class.

8. Personal Background Check.

• Nanny agrees to complete the official fingerprint process through British Columbia Police  Department.
• If the Personal Background Check indicates any record of criminal activity Family may terminate Nanny without severance pay or notice.
• Family will pay for fingerprint procedure and Personal Background Check fees.

9. Benefits.

• Holidays.
  Nanny shall receive the statutory holidays as paid vacation if nanny would otherwise be required to work on that day of the week.
• Sick Days.
  ___ days of paid sick leave will be allowed every year, accrued at the rate of  ___ hours per month.
• Vacation.
  ___ week(s) of paid vacation will be allowed every calendar year (check as applicable):
  • _______ To be coordinated with Family’s vacation
  • _______ After ____ months of employment
  • _______ Other

10. Evaluations.

Nanny’s job performance will be evaluated by Family at the end of the first month of employment and every ___ months thereafter.

IN WITNESS WHEREOF, the parties agree that they have read and signed this Agreement as of the day and year written above.

FAMILY:                                                                     CAREGIVER:
____________________________________________________________________________________________

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A part-time nanny is required when parents need help with the care of the children for less than 40 hours a week. For example, care for the children before or after school, or when a parent is working from home and a nanny is needed to watch the children only for a few hours a day. Even for a stay at home mom, a part-time nanny is ideal when she needs time for herself to run errands or go to the gym, to mention just a few. In general, a part-time nanny hourly salary is higher than the full time one. Consider the following:

1. The cost and the time consuming transportation to and from the employer’s home is the same for either case. However, the ratio between time consumed and daily income is much less favorable for the part time nanny.
2. Job security is at a lower level for part-timers as conditions may change more often
3. More flexibility is required to meet the employer’s changing schedule.

Because of these and other factors, it is considered a lot harder to find a suitable part-time nanny.

Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

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If you are looking for a nanny job, PARAGON Personnel Ltd. can assist you in your job search as we specialize in placing nannies with families all over BC.

Contact us at 604-298-6633 so we can find out some information about you – your background, current and previous childcare experience. Please specify if you are looking for a Live-in position or Live-out – Full Time, Part Time or Temporary.

You will be asked to come for a personal interview at our office. Please bring your resume and reference letters from your previous employers. If you are not a Canadian citizen, you are also required to bring your passport for identification and verification of your legal status in Canada.

PARAGON Personnel Ltd. will conduct a background screening to check your employment history.
When completed, we will arrange for interviews with our clients. During your interview, it is important to ask your prospective employer about your duties, responsibilities, work schedule and salary offered. You may also discuss issues like overtime compensation, medical insurance and/or any other relevant information regarding the position.
Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

Once all issues are discussed and agreed upon, we will provide a contract of employment for both sides to sign and keep one copy of the signed document. If you are under the Live-In Caregiver Program, we will initiate all procedures required to obtain a new work permit for you through Human Resources and Immigration Canada.

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In the last decade, many nanny agencies came to life like mushrooms after the rain. Only a few of those are still around but new ones keep coming and vanishing at an alarming rate. Some of these agencies owners came to Canada as nanny and later decided to put their “own shingle” and bring other nannies into Canada. Usually they operate out of their own basement, no professionalism, no license, no labor code. In some cases they offer their service free of charge to anyone willing to select their candidates. That should make you wonder: Where does their money is coming from? This fact alone should set the alarm bells ringing and the red lights blinking.

A few rules of thumb to remember when you are looking for a nanny agency:

• How long have they been operating? Are they operating from their own home?
• Are they members of Better Business Bureau?
• How do they find their candidates, locally and overseas? What is their screening process? What requirements the nannies must meet?For instance: in person interviews, childcare experience, first aid, CPR, etc.
• Do they have complete files of their applicants? What training / work experience they have?
• What if the selected nanny doesn’t work out?
• Who takes care of all documents and procedures?
• Does the service include support after the nanny starts working?
• Is there a contract / agreement between client and agency?
• Is there any obligation on the client side if no candidate is selected?

For the majority of employers who hired a nanny before, these questions are not new. For the new ones, all these questions are very relevant. It’s best if you follow one simple rule before you start your search:

“Investigate before you invest!”

Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

nanny

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According to Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, “a nanny is a person who looks after the child or children of one family in their — the child’s — home. Modern nannies may live in or out, like other domestic workers, depending on their circumstances and those of their employers.

A nanny may perform tasks such as:

* Providing childcare during the hours agreed upon with the employing family
* Supporting the physical, social, emotional, creative, and intellectual development of children
* Protecting children from harm and ensuring that they have a safe environment
* Preparing appetizing and nutritionally-balanced meals and snacks
* Maintaining good communication with the parents, informing them of each child’s development and concerns
*Maintaining the cleanliness and neatness of the house as affected by the children”

The same source a Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, defines au pair as “an Anglicization of the French term “au pair,” which means “on par” or “equal to” and describes a young person living on an equal basis with a host family in a foreign country. The au pair helps the family with childcare, housework, or both while staying as a guest of the family and generally receiving a small allowance (or pocket money). An au pair will typically be a young woman, or sometimes a young man, who is accepted into the host family as an extended family member. Both the family and au pair are expected to respect cultural differences and display tolerance towards one another.
Do you have more questions? Visit our Forum: CAREGIVERS in CANADA.

Arrangement
An au pair placement is an arrangement where an unmarried person between 17 and 30 years old lives for up to two years in a foreign country as a member of a local family, helping in the home for a set number of hours a day, often with at least two full days off per week. In return, they receive a reasonable allowance and a private room.
Treatment
An au pair shall be treated as an equal part of the family, not as a servant, and shall not be required to wear a uniform. There can be misunderstandings on both sides about what this means. The usual practice is that Au pairs eat with the family most of the time, and join in some of the usual family activities such as outings and trips. However, host families normally expect to have some private time to themselves, particularly in the evenings. During this time, an Au pair might retire to his or her room to watch TV or study, or go out with friends.

Being an Au pair can be a great opportunity to experience a different country and culture. The “job” of the Au pair will vary depending on how much the host family expects, although there are government set limits as to how much you are allowed to work. Jobs vary from taking/picking up kids from school, taking the kids to after school classes, cooking, cleaning, ironing, babysitting,etc. The au-pair is given a monthly allowance and all living/insurance/food expenses are paid by the host family.”

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