National Nanny Training Day/ CT 2014

Thank you to everyone that participated in National Nanny Training Day/ CT 2014.  Our event at the Italian Center in Stamford sold out. Nannies attended from as far away as Staten Island and New Jersey. A great day of training, education and working together to elevate the quality of child care locally and nationally.   And we had a lot of fun networking and with raffle prizes. One lucky nanny won a pair of field level tickets to an upcoming NY Yankees game. It was so nice to catch up with so many of our wonderful nannies, and have the.   opportunity to meet new ones.  We can’t wait to do it again next year and make it even bigger and better with everyone’s help! 

Posted by Wee Care Nanny Agency

Which Driving Infractions Cause Car Insurance Premiums to Rise the Most?

We all know that tickets for speeding or passing a stop sign can result in costly fines, but the rise in your insurance premiums can  be even more painful. According to a recent national study, below is the average of how much your car insurance rises per infraction:  Read here

  1. DUI — 93 percent.
  2. Reckless driving — 82 percent.
  3. Careless driving — 27 percent.
  4. Speeding 1 to 15 mph over the limit — 21 percent. Speeding 16 to 30 mph over the limit — 28 percent.
    Speeding 31+ mph over the limit — 30 percent.
  5. Failure to stop — 19 percent.
  6. Failure to yield to pedestrians — 19 percent.
  7. Driving in a carpool lane — 18 percent. 

The bottom line: driving carefully and obeying all traffic rules is important for safety and your pocketbook!

Posted by Wee Care Nanny Agency

NYC Paid Sick Leave Law Goes into Effect for Domestic Workers

New York City’s Paid Sick Leave Law Goes Into Effect Today

As of April 1st 2014,  Household employers in New York City are required to provide their domestic worker (nannies, housekeepers, senior caregivers or any household employees) at least 2 paid days of sick leave per calender year, after one year of employment. This is in addition to the Domestic Worker’s Bill of Rights enacted in November 2010, that requires household employers to provide domestic employees at least 3 paid days off per year, after one year of employment for the same employer.  Read here

From NYC.gov

About the Paid Sick Leave Law
Under New York City’s Earned Sick Time Act (Paid Sick Leave Law), which is in effect today, certain employers must allow sick leave, so employees can care for themselves or a family member.

Who Must Provide Sick Leave?

Employers with one to four (1 – 4) employees who work more than 80 hours per calendar year in New York City must provide unpaid sick leave.

Employers with one or more (1 or more) domestic workers who have worked for the employer for at least a year and who work more than 80 hours per calendar year must provide two (2) days of paid sick leave.

NYC employers must give covered domestic workers notice of the coverage by May, 1, 2014. NYC.gov provides sample notice forms for workers and employers.

As a lot of you already know, this has been standard practice for many years for any domestic workers placed through Wee Care.  Good to see NYC making some progress on this front.


Posted by Wee Care Nanny Agency

NATIONAL NANNY TRAINING DAY- Saturday, April 12, 2014 in Stamford, CT


Calling all local nannies and caregivers in CT and NY.  Wee Care Nanny Agency  is excited to be hosting the 4th Annual National Nanny Training Day. It will be held at the Italian Center of Stamford, CT on Saturday, April 12th 2014.  Last year, 35 events were held across the country and over 1300 nannies came together to support each other and receive additional caregiver training. We have planned an AMAZING day of education and networking for nannies. Seats are limited, so take advantage of the early bird ticket price.

Click here for all the information and to register.  Really hoping to see you all there!

Posted by Wee Care Nanny Agency 

Experienced Nanny vs Au-Pair


Interesting story from The Telegraph based in London about how research shows most families prefer an experienced nanny over an au-pair. They surveyed nannies, agencies and parents and found families are more likely to hire nannies with greater life experience. We have found that to be the case in our area too. There is no substitute for experience and a solid track record when it comes to childcare.  

Forget the au pair, it’s older nannies that parents want

Parents want nannies with greater life experience or who have raised a family of their own, research finds…read here

  Posted by Wee Care Nanny Agency

7 Fun Snow Day Activities to Do with the Kids

  1. Get outside and enjoy the snowy day.  Get dressed warm and build a snowman, make snow angels or create snow art in the backyard.  Fill some cups with food coloring or dish washing soap and let the children’s creativity run wild. Fruits and vegetables make for great snowman body parts. And now you have a partially edible healthy snowman. Don’t forget the hot chocolate when they come back inside.
  2. Play some board games like Payday, Monopoly, Chutes and Ladders or Candyland.  Teach the children to play checkers or really challenge them and teach them to play chess. Chess is a great way for children to learn about  planning, foresight and logical thinking.
  3.  “Marathon” story time day.  Ask the children to pick out a few of their favorite books and read to them.  You can role play and let them act out some of their favorite stories, dress up as their favorite characters and act out the story or have a fashion show.
  4. Build a fort inside from the couch pillows and blankets. Then from inside your fort watch an age appropriate classic kids’ movie like Nemo, Willy Wonka, Superman or the Karate Kid.
  5. Bake together. Break out the chocolate chips and make some delicious cookies or cupcakes.
  6. Have an old fashioned scavenger hunt. Make a list of odd items around the house to find, and set the kids loose. Naturally, make sure they don’t get into anything they shouldn’t.
  7. Make a play date with a child from the neighborhood and have them join the fun in any of the activities above.

Most importantly, be safe and ENJOY!

Wee Care Sitters at Work

Wee Care is proud to help support the community by providing experienced nannies to staff the Sunday morning nursery at St. Mark’s Church in New Canaan, Connecticut. Each week, our 2 exceptional nannies provide great care and fun for the little ones while their parents attend services.    

Keep up the great work Nicole and Rocio!

  

Posted by Wee Care Nanny Agency

Should Nannies Give their “Work Family” a Holiday Gift?

The Holiday Season is here! A lot of nannies have asked us to share some gift giving ideas for the families you work for.

Some of you may have checked this off your holiday gift list, but if you haven’t, here are some gift ideas for the children and parents alike. Please remember not to get caught up in how much you spend or how big the present is. The thought and your sincere wishes that come with your present mean far more to the family, and that is what it truly appreciated. Some ideas follow below:

-A Personalized Christmas Ornament for their Tree.

-A Basket with different cookie mixes and bread mixes that the family can bake together. Perhaps include some fun cookie cutters (Home Goods has a great selection!).

-Just for the Parents… A gift card made by you giving them a “Date Night” for any Friday or Saturday night they choose.

-For the parents… if they are coffee lovers, Dunkin Donuts has a great gift package all set to go!

-For the family… if they love plants, a Christmas Cactus or Amaryllis. 

-For the family… photos from throughout the year of the children turned into a calendar (if you’re unable to do this on your computer, most drugstores like CVS or Walgreens have a calendar template).

Of course, every situation is different, and any suggested gift should never stretch your budget. As always, feel free to share your ideas or what you may have done in the past.

Posted by Wee Care Nanny Agency

Guidance on the Holiday Bonus for the Nanny or Regular Babysitter


Understandably, we get the question below a lot during this time of year and wanted to offer some guidance.

As we’re getting close to Christmas – I’m hoping you might be able to provide me some guidance with respect to end of year Christmas gifts and/or bonuses. I have *no* idea what the going rate is and I want to make sure we’re in line with whatever it is. Can you give me any guidance at all? 

To answer your question, a full-time nanny can usually expect a holiday bonus of one week’s pay – two week’s salary depending upon her length of service.  Additionally, if the nanny has been with the family under a year, half of her weekly salary is standard. If the nanny is  just starting, a $100 gift card sets a nice tone.  A hand-written note of thanks expressing your appreciation and referencing a yearly highlight of the caregiver/child relationship is an additional way to show your genuine gratitude. 

Some families will include an extra little something coming from the children like a homemade card, cookies or her favorite confection which surrounds the monetary gift with genuine warmth and appreciation from the child.

For the part-time regular babysitter that provides care several times each month, a gift equal to one night’s pay are the norm. Many families choose to provide a $50-$100 gift card to her favorite shop, cafe, nail salon etc.


Housekeeper/Cleaner,  one or two week’s pay, depending upon her length of service and a small gift like  a bottle of wine.

Obviously, this is a general guideline of industry norms in the NY Metro Region. Some families give more or less depending on the particular circumstances and family budget. 

Posted by Wee Care Nanny Agency