Parental Bias When Hiring a Nanny

Parental Bias When Hiring a Nanny

As Dara Green has been in this industry for over 30 years, she has been witness to many scenarios and have listened to many parents’ preferences when regarding hiring a nanny.  From an agency perspective we have to follow the parents’ wishes in their descriptions of what type of nanny they are looking for. However, parents generate a multitude of biased perspectives during this process.

When Ms. Green was teaching preschool she had the very high honor of working with one of the most beloved and professional preschool teachers that she had ever met.  In fact, the teacher was so highly sought after by parents, that the school had to create a wait list just for children to be able to get into her 2 year-old classroom!

 That being said, now as a professional in the field and placing nannies in private homes for over 11 years, Ms. Green knows when she sees a good nanny and when she doesn't. She says," We do not discriminate as a placement agency as it is clearly not how this company operates. We truly do not see age, race, color, size or gender. We feel either you “have it” with kids, or you don’t!"  

As a company, when parents come to us in search of the perfect nanny, we must call into question their definition of “perfect”. We can ask our clients to leave their views at the door and to step in with an open mind, but when it comes down to it, it is nearly impossible to rid our minds of predispositions.  

In today’s world of self-empowerment and breaking down barriers, it may seem hard to believe that bias can still be seen as a common theme. To clarify, a bias is defined as a particular tendency, trend, inclination, feeling, or opinion, especially one that is preconceived or unreasoned. Bias can be reflected in a variety of ways such as in our culture, society, and of course our personal views.

So, where did these predisposed ideas of what a nanny should be come from? To unveil the true reasoning behind this parental bias, we must first look to the culture and society that surrounds us. Here in sunny San Diego, California we are at one of the major epicenters of modern culture. By simply stepping out into the streets of the county, it is clear to see that people of this area are upheld to higher standards. Whether it may be from the type of fashions, technology, or to the way people interact, everything is done in the latest and greatest way. But, if everything is so modern, then why are parents in this society not keeping an open mind while searching for a nanny?

Maybe this parental bias is rooted within the time frame and ways the child's parents and their parents were raised.  In previous generations, it is common knowledge that gender roles in society were different than today. Traditionally, the women and men were apart of this “separate spheres” ideology. While the men worked and participated in the business world, the women would raise children and take care of the household. In modern life, the idea of working women, and women taking the role as breadwinners, clashes with this traditional idea. The pattern seems consistent with the traditional view, that families desire women nannies to be at home with their children when mom and dad are both at work.  In addition, men taking positions as nannies and teachers goes against the traditional view.

Another question for parents, why isn’t there a larger demand for male nannies? Well, men are believed to have a different style of parenting and working with children. It is seen that they promote risk-taking and independence. Often times, fathers are given little to no credit for their children’s upbringing. This correlates with our society and culture’s views, like men and women's roles in society. If women can be successful in the business world, couldn’t men be successful in the childcare world too?

Also, could it be possible that parents hold a bias against an overweight nanny?

Believe it or not, we have experienced cases like this, so yes indeed it is true. A concern that runs through parents’ minds is could an overweight nanny be able to keep up with the hustle and bustle of my two-year-old child? This may seem like a silly question, but it is an actually common concern.

Commonly, parents hold a bias about the age of the nanny that they are searching for. A 21 year old may be young, fun, and may easily relate with the kids, but do they have enough life experience to look after my children? Or, at the other end of the spectrum, would a 65 year old be able to keep up? The great part about going through a trusted nanny agency is that it really takes this concern out of the question. By meeting with nannies that have gone through multiple interviews, responsibility and ability have already been evaluated and approved.

Overall, avoiding parental bias when hiring a nanny may just be next to impossible. Although our modern society and culture in San Diego push against males, the overweight, and the young being involved in childcare, we can try to take into account the root of the ideas and use those as a base to evolve into an open viewpoint while involved in the nanny search.

~Sara Luckham
Social Media Specialist
Seaside Staffing Company

FALL FUN

Can you believe that fall is already upon us? It seems that every year it is here before we know it. Fall is such a beautiful time of the year, spent by enjoying football games carving pumpkins, and sipping cider with your loved ones by your side, and of course not yet having to stress about the hustle and bustle of the holidays that are approaching (Yikes!).

One of the most fun things about fall is the family activities and crafts. Although there is a never-ending list of possibilities for fall fun, here are a few that are worth setting aside the time to do.

1. Pumpkin Patch

Of course! What would fall be without a visit to the pumpkin patch? If you’re looking for a great time with the kids, this is the place to go. If you’re local to San Diego, the Bates Nut Farm is outstanding. Located in the Valley Center, this pumpkin patch is a way above average and worth the drive. The weekends are full of fun activities, but of course, more crowded. This place has it all, from tractor rides, to food trucks, and farm animals for the kids. Squeezing in a visit to the pumpkin patch is a must!

2. Ghost Tour

If your kids are past the pumpkin-picking stage and looking for a little more spooky Halloween tradition, a ghost tour is perfect! Located in Old Town, San Diego, this tour is filled with history of the area twisted with chilling details.

2754 2754 Calhoun St San Diego, CA 92110 (at Wallace St Old Town)

3. Apple Picking

Put on your favorite boots, grab the kids, and hop on the road! Typically, apple picking in Southern California is usually limited to the grocery store, but plucking a beautiful and juicy apple off of a tree brings a certain satisfaction that the grocery store shelves simply cannot supply. This is must-do of fall activities! A highly recommended place to go is the Volcan Valley Apple Farm located in Julian, California. It is definitely worth the drive!

1284 Julian Orchards Dr. Julian, CA 92036

4. Football Games!

Whether it be the Chargers or San Diego State, spending a fall night cheering on your favorite team is sure to be packed with fun. Friday night-lights with the family will be something that you won’t want to miss! Be sure to grab tickets online.

~Sarah Luckham,
Social Media Specialist, Seaside Staffing Company 2015

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.

New Connections!

After working with some of San Diego and Orange County's finest childcare providers, and some of the most incredible families, I have been able to dig my heels into the childcare industry on a different level and in doing so, I have had great opportunities in meeting some of the most incredible women entrepreneurs in this field.

One San diego local, Stacey Ross, has decided to take on San Diego on by creating a website to inform the community of all the bargains out there for moms in San Diego. She is incredible and has been featured on national and local television.

Please check out one of the best webisites out there for moms who are looking for a bargain! And for nannies to get great ideas to help mom out!

www.sandiegbargainmama.com

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.