Why nanny care IS an affordable choice for some

With the economy crashing and people tightening belts, much has been made about the fact that nanny care is expensive. And it is. It is certainly more than putting one baby in day care. However, for some families nanny care is truly a value. If a family has 3 kids in day care, a nanny can actually be less expensive. And the care happens in your home, with no commute to a center before and after work. Flexibility is a crucial advantage of nanny care. Many working parents work long hours, often racing to gather kids as centers close. Also, coming home to kids as opposed to picking them up can make all the difference for moms and dads who look forward all day to spending time with their children. In today's economy many professionals work non traditional hours, making nanny care essential. In addition, nannies often lighten the load around the home. Most nannies are willing to help with a few non child related tasks, shopping, starting dinner, picking up dry cleaning etc.. 

Certainly, nanny care is not for everyone. But I hope that today's parents don't discount the option and the many benefits just because some think the price tag is high. I know plenty of moms who come home to dinner on the stove, kids coloring quietly and a friendly smile from someone who just wants to make life easier for the family. It is hard to put a price tag on that in any economy. 

Sue Downey

Is the economy affecting nannies and daycare centers?

I have to believe that, with a resounding Yes, they are. Childcare is probably one of the most expensive costs to families, and I have to think that especially for nanny care, which sometimes comes with the added expense of healthcare, mileage and gas money, and extras that are provided to nannies.

And another cost of nannies, which parents seem to slowly be catching onto? Household-employment taxes. People who pay household workers more than $1,600 a year are required to file the necessary paperwork, consisting of Medicare and Social Security taxes, unemployment insurance - federal and state - and other state and local taxes, and this is often a tedious process. But by escaping these taxes, some nannies may be losing out on services and a safety net, according to an article in the Wall Street Journal today about parents avoiding "the nanny tax." The cause of this is due, in part anyway, to huge growth of parents hiring nannies from internet sites. From the article:

In the past, parents more often hired full-time nannies through brick-and-mortar agencies, which often exerted armtwisting to persuade both parents and nannies to pay taxes...An estimated 30% to 50% of nanny hires are now done online, up from about 10% five years ago. In general, that may lead to "doing things a little more casually," says Monica Fleming, president of GoNannies.com, an employment site.


So it would seem that while using the internet to obtain a great, trusting nanny would be convienent and safe in today's world, it might actually be allowing for less tax revenue and a safety net for the nanny?

What do you think of this? How do you think nannies and/or childcare centers have been or will be affected by the economy?

-Katie Conrad

New book helps to keep kids safe!

At Nannypalooza this year we were very honored to have New York City child abuse and sex crimes prosecutor Jill Starishevsky come and speak to us. She also owns the website How'sMyNanny.com. Jill's mission in life is keeping kids safe, and specifically she wants to keep children safe from sexual predators. I learned quite a few things in her presentation, not the least of which was to never teach a child to keep "secrets" as this is the first thing a predator will use as a way to keep the abuse silent. (Use the word surprise instead.) 

Jill recently published a new, groundbreaking book that I believe will save kids' lives. It is called My Body Belongs to Me. This book is a poem that will help start the conversation about personal safety. It is very brave and amazing. The one part of the book that is very specific about abuse, that very gently, but very clearly explains to a child that it is not ok for someone to touch you in places your swimsuit covers, was the part of the book that publishers wanted her to change or delete. But Jill knows from her dedicated work with the city of New York that keeping kids in the dark will not protect them. Keeping secrets is not good for anyone when it comes to abuse. 

I strongly recommend checking this out! 

www.MyBodyBelongsToMe.com