DEAR NANNY... (get your tissues)

One of the nannies in the company emailed me a link to The Huffing Post Parents page. I started reading this story and immediately I could empathize with all those poor new mothers that feel terrified when they have to go back to work and have hired a nanny to care for their brand new bundle of joy. As you read through this note, to a nanny~ from a mother, pay attention to the sentiments of this beautiful piece as it sheds light on why we love what we do.

DEAR NANNY... (get your tissues)

So You want to Be a Professional Nanny?

So, You Want To Be A Professional Nanny?

If you are thinking about working as a nanny, here are a few tips for you to think about before beginning in this field as a career. It is not that simple to just get matched with a family and start a new position. There are many things to consider.

Here are some tips to help you transition into a new job, working for a family that will eventually have you as part of their lives, as you will become an integral part of theirs.

Keep your boundaries. You are not entering into a household to become your potential employers best friend. If you are a professional, you will remember there is a fine line between caring for your families, keeping your charges safe and over-stepping your boundaries. Keep your personal life your own!

You need to have some experience in the household of another family, other than your own. Many mothers that decide they want to get into being a nanny is wonderful, but remember there is a huge difference between working in someone’s home and raising your own child. 

Parents want to know you are a self-starter, knowledgeable, and are motivated to offer suggestions, however you will have to be adaptable to all types of families and be able to read the family and adapt accordingly.

As some parents are open to suggestion, some are not. Some stay at home mothers (SAHM) do not want you to be the other mother, but more of a team player, following her rules and helping her when she needs it.

Some parents will look to the nanny for a gentle word of reassurance that they are doing things the right way, or perhaps look to the nanny for direction, but you will only know what type of needs you will have to fulfill for your families once you have been there a few weeks and you can read and follow your new family’s lead.

Most families and or nanny agencies with good reputations will not hire a caregiver that has not had some sort of experience in childcare. They prefer to see a resume with “professional nanny” all over it. The “runner up” resume would be a preschool teacher, with nanny experience, and/or babysitting experience. Credentialed teachers are also great, however many teachers with a credential or a degree and the ability to land teaching positions in school districts usually cannot commit for a year, unless they are just getting into the field of teaching and need a supplemental income.  Many families are looking for continuity of care, so a year is a minimal requirement in which you should sign a contract with your new family.

Follow the family’s rules. If mom says no sugar, it means no sugar. If she asks you to slather the child in sunscreen, 4 times in one hour, or sit in the shade all day, or be the primary person getting up from any dinner because their child has to get up and go to the bathroom, don’t think twice, just do it!  Remember nannies are in the “service Industry”, just like working in a restaurant.  The client/customer is always right and whatever you can do to help the client/customer experience be a positive one, you go the extra mile.

Be open and communicative. Tell the parents what their child did that day. If the child got in trouble in school or received a time out or any other type of disciplinary action, tell the parents!  Always be honest in every way when it comes to your parents and their children.  If you have trouble with any type of verbal or written communication, this might not be the right industry to be working in.

Use your cell phone only when communication with the parents unless they say it is ok otherwise. There is nothing more annoying than a nanny on her phone and not paying attention to her charges.  Isn’t this just common knowledge?

Arrive on time every day without any excuses!!  Essentially if you are on time, you are late! Be there 5 minutes beforehand!  Traffic and drinking the night before are not acceptable! Honestly, be responsible.  If you know the traffic is going to be bad, get out of the house a half hour earlier! No employer of any type likes his or her nanny to be late, as it causes a huge “domino effect”! When you are late, the working parents will be late. This will cause problems for the parent’s position and you will be out of a job.

When the family needs privacy, give it to them and do not expect to be included in every moment of their lives. Respect their boundaries, especially if you travel with them.

Do not ask for a loan under any circumstances. This makes you look very irresponsible and that you cannot manage your money. Ask your own family before you ask your employer!

And lastly, keep your skills updated and fresh. Gather what the “cutting edge curriculum is all about and take a child development courses whenever possible. Surfing the web for ages and stages of infants through toddlers will also give you new ideas and information. While learning, you can make suggestions, but always follow the mother’s parenting style.

Most of all have fun and teach your charges, as every opportunity is a time to learn something new!

THE LEGAL REVIEW

The Legal Review

Bringing the Law to Life for the Household Employment Industry

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A Complimentary Resource from © 2009 Breedlove & Associates, LLC.
Breedlove & Associates
In an effort to strengthen your business practices and steer clear of legal trouble, The Legal Review will share findings from relevant legal cases. We've found that the easiest way to gain a practical understanding of complex tax and labor law is by reviewing real-life situations. These stories will illuminate potential legal landmines for your agency and/or your clients, and more importantly, show you how to avoid them.
Felony Tax Evasion -- United States v. Randall & Mary Miller

There is a common perception that the government does little to enforce household employment tax law - and even when they do, the punishment is nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

The truth is that state unemployment agencies and the IRS have become increasingly aggressive about tax collection - and using severe punishment as a deterrent - because the gap between taxes due and taxes collected (known as "the tax gap") has become untenable. While financial penalties are still the norm, this case demonstrates that the government is willing to also levy prison sentences in certain circumstances.

The Mistake

A family paid their nanny "under the table" from 1994 to 2002. After an audit of their personal income taxes in 2003, the Millers pled guilty to one count each of conspiring to defraud the United States by failing to file household employment tax returns.

The Law

An employer is required by law to pay employment taxes to the state and the IRS, in addition to withholding taxes from their employee's pay. Failure to do so is considered felony tax evasion.

The Mess
Once convicted, the Millers were required to make financial restitution (back taxes plus penalties and interest for each of the years PLUS the employee's portion of social security and medicare taxes that should have been withheld). They were given five years of probation, conditioned upon meeting the restitution agreement and future tax obligations.
In December 2006, the probation officer filed a petition to revoke the Millers' supervised release because they had failed to make payments against their restitution agreement and also failed to file their personal tax return for 2005. This revocation meant the Millers would go to prison.
Wanting to avoid prison, the Millers filed an appeal with the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals. The appellate court upheld the original ruling so Mr. and Mrs. Miller are now serving prison sentences of 14 months and 13 months, respectively.
The Outcome

After years of stressful and time-consuming audits, depositions and court proceedings, the Millers have begun serving their sentences. When they are released from prison in mid-2010, they'll be jobless, heavily-indebted felons. Worse, since they each held a professional license which is revoked upon felony conviction, both will have far less earning potential when they re-enter the workforce. For their children's sake, let's hope they're ultimately able to work themselves out of this financial hole.

How the Whole Thing Could Have Been Avoided

The Millers are similar to many other professional families who employ nannies. Hearing that many people pay their nanny "under the table," they rationalized their non-compliance as a victimless crime - and a necessary evil in order to provide quality care for their children. What makes their situation unique is simply that the amount of tax debt grew to a point where it overwhelmed their ability to pay. The accumulation of nine years of employer tax debt - along with the ensuing legal fees, penalties and interest - literally broke the bank.

Had they paid legally from the beginning of the relationship, the tax costs would have been infinitely more manageable - especially when you factor in the ability to take advantage of tax breaks for childcare expenses. As the Millers have learned (unfortunately, the hard way), paying a nanny illegally is a highly risky decision with potentially devastating consequences.

For more information about household employment tax and labor law,
please visit us at www.breedlove-online.com or call us at 888-BREEDLOVE (273-3356).
We're here to help our agency partners provide their candidates and clients with information, tools and resources that improve the employment relationship, eliminate legal risks for all parties, and generally increase the professionalism of the industry.

TAX TIPS!

MORE FROM BREEDLOVE & ASSOCIATES!

Tax-Time Tips

How to Save Time, Money and Headaches on April 15th

With the income tax deadline rapidly approaching, it's a good time to share a few tax-related tips, reminders and updates - along with some helpful resources for additional information. Investing a few minutes now may help you avoid expensive, time-consuming legal problems.
If you paid a household employee more than $1,600 during the 2008 tax year - or more than $500 during any calendar quarter of 2008 - you may have tax obligations that need to be addressed prior to filing your personal federal tax return. Obligations are complicated and can vary depending on the details of your situation so we won't try to list them all here. If you think you may have obligations, we strongly advise you to talk to a tax and labor law expert who specializes in household employment. As a client of ours, we've arranged a complimentary, no-obligation phone consultation with one of the nation's leading household employment experts, Breedlove & Associates (1-888-273-3356). In about 10 minutes, they can asses your individual situation, run payroll scenarios, help you budget, maximize your tax breaks and generally answer all your questions.

Note: While some families choose to pay their employee "under the table," please understand that this practice is illegal and potentially very expensive. The IRS and the state unemployment office are aggressively enforcing the law with steep penalties (and occasionally even time in prison - a couple was recently sentenced to 14 months after violating the restitution terms of their probation stemming from a felony conviction for household employment tax evasion). Although prison is very rare, please be forewarned that expensive, time-consuming legal problems are becoming increasingly common.

There are tax breaks which can offset - sometimes even exceed - the employer tax obligations, so there is very little financial incentive to take the risk noted above. Those who pay legally have two tax break options: 1) Flexible Spending Account and 2) Child/Dependent Care Tax Credit. For more information about how to maximize your tax breaks, contact Breedlove & Associates (1-888-273-3356; www.breedlove-online.com) or the IRS (1-800-829-4933; www.irs.gov) or a tax professional.

Note: Your income tax return will ask you for a Federal Employer Identification Number (FEIN) in order to take advantage of these tax breaks. Please note that the FEIN needs to be registered to you (establishing a household FEIN is one of the first steps in fulfilling the legal obligations outlined in #1 above).

If you pay a service to help you with household payroll and tax filings, the fees are tax deductible.

More than likely, your employee will see significant benefits from the recently-enacted Making Work Pay initiative. In addition to lower tax rates, the Earned Income Tax Credit has been expanded to provide more tax relief to lower-wage workers, especially those with children. For more info about the EITC, visit www.irs.gov. While there, your employee may want to check out the IRS Free File Program, which provides free tax preparation service to American taxpayers earning less than $56,000 per year.
We hope this information helps make tax time a little easier and a little less expensive. If you have any questions, please don't hesitate to call.

Seaside Nannies Announces their NEW Website!!

San Diego Based Nanny Agency Announces Their Expansion to the OC!

San Diego based company Seaside Nannies Inc. proudly announces their Northern expansion into Orange County, the reinvention of their website and an introduction to offering more services to the Southern California community.

After receiving a call from an Orange County mother in need, the idea of expanding made sense to Green. According to Dara B. Green, president of Seaside Nannies Inc, “Moving into Orange County will give OC families a more personalized way to finding a nanny and the opportunity to utilize our amazing specialists.”

Green’s approach to matching nannies up with families has been created from over twenty-three years of hands on involvement including: nannying, teaching preschool, personal assisting, night nannying, educating parents on how to redirect children’s behaviors and how to speak children in an effective manner by giving choices to raise their self esteem.

Seaside Nannies works only with the most professional household staff in the industry. Seaside Nannies is known for accurate referrals of childcare staff, providing a safe and developmentally appropriate environment for their clients children, low turnover, continuity of care and continuing support for both our clients and nannies after placement.

Seaside Nannies has hand-selected a few highly skilled experts to work with the agency to meet all their clients needs and serve the southern California community better by offering help in the following specific fields:

Infant Overnight Specialists
Redirection Methodology
Sleep Training (4 months)
Personal Chef
Personal Trainer
Housekeeping

Green has gained her high recognition in the nanny industry in San Diego by running her nanny agency with a personal hands on approach, as she meets with every family in their home, which not only benefits children and their parents, but the nannies as well.

Green is known as an expert in her field by KUSI News San Diego, San Diego Family Magazine, and is published online at Discover SD.com, as well as contributes to the International Nanny Association publication. Green is an active member of the Beach and Country Guild and a proud participant of Dia Del Sol.