Child Care
Child Care
Page 2
By Paola Fanutti
Managing child care alongside career responsibilities is a challenging endeavor for parents. Fortunately, there is a wide range of child care services and professionals to help parents organize child care arrangements that are unique to their living situation.
One popular child care option is employing a babysitter, who watches children on a part-time basis. Babysitters can be inexpensive options for parents who do not need an ongoing or continuous presence in their home. Babysitters, however, usually do not have professional child care experience.
Parents who need ongoing child care support can seek the services of a live-in or live-out nanny. Nannies are normally experienced child care and domestic workers. Nannies are more flexible than babysitters, as they provide home based child care on an ongoing basis and can emotionally cater to the child’s needs in the family home. On the downside, nannies are not subject to any fixed qualifications or criteria, so the services offered at nanny placement agencies are invaluable in helping families screen potential nanny candidates.
Parents managing child care can also opt to use day care centers. Day care centers are staffed by early childhood education professionals, who work in intellectually stimulating and nurturing environments. Although day care centers are great options for full time working parents, they are costly and hours are inflexible.
CHICAGO NANNIES
Chicago based North Shore Nannies is a premier placement agency offering diverse possibilities for families seeking either temporary or permanent child care. North Shore Nannies also caters to post-natal care and child care for vacationing parents. 3-5 qualified nannies are matched to each application, and interested clients meet potential nannies and establish mutually agreeable terms of employment.
LOS ANGELES NANNIES
Winner of Los Angeles Magazine’s award for domestic placement, Buckingham Nannies specializes in permanent nanny/housekeeping home child care. Buckingham Nannies also offers an on-call babysitting service and workers are Los Angeles based, fluent in English, CPR and First Aid certified. Nannies also have a driver’s license.
BOSTON NANNIES
Founded in 1988, Boston Nannies has placed more than 4000 nannies into Boston based homes. As the recipient of the Torch of Excellence Award for ethical business practices, Boston Nannies is committed to helping families find child care professionals that best suit their living situations. Boston Nannies also offers a 30 day trial period for each placement.
DALLAS NANNIES
Dallas based Domestically Yours, a general domestic worker placement agency successfully places babysitters, nannies, baby nurses and after school care workers. Domestically Yours commits to offering highly qualified candidates, and 90% of families hire the first candidate matched to their profile. Domestically Yours waives application fees and charges only for successful placements.
FLORIDA NANNIES
Florida Nannies is the state’s top nanny placement agency and matches Florida families’ child care needs to many diverse domestic workers. Florida Nannies is dedicated to hiring top quality nannies who are fully screened and qualified. Florida Nannies has a multiple replacement protection policy to guarantee the best possible nanny match for Florida families.
CHOOSING NANNIES
An ideal nanny will vary tremendously, depending on the parents’ living situation and needs. If you are managing child care and searching for a nanny, decide what type of home child care arrangement is appropriate. Do you require a live-in nanny, or one that is available during weekends and evenings? Consider the nanny’s experience, educational background, age and maturity. Is the nanny proficient in First Aid and CPR? Does the nanny have experience handling emergencies or medical situations? How patient,well-mannered and creative is the nanny?
BABYSITTING & CHILD CARE
Parents seeking temporary, limited child care assistance often employ the services of babysitters. Babysitters are live-out child care workers, but offer babysitting services in the child’s home. Babysitters can be informal contacts, or formal candidates solicited through newspapers or agencies. Many candidates market themselves as qualified babysitters, so proper screening is essential. A babysitter is usually paid at an hourly wage for child care duties, which can be regular or one-time arrangements.
HOME CHILD CARE
Other home child care options also exist for parents. TeacherCare offers qualified, private teachers with backgrounds in early childhood education to act as nannies and teach children in the client’s own home. Teacher nannies thus create atmospheres that are creative and conducive to learning, by making the child’s home his or her very own classroom. Teacher nannies are an excellent way for parents to give children an early and caring one-on-one bond with a caring and supportive teacher. Teachercare offers teacher placement in many cities. There are a multitude of home child care options available to parents. If you are a parent trying to manage child care, you can find many qualified and nurturing home child care workers to assist you.
