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How to find a nanny
Finding a nanny isn’t that difficult. But finding a reputable, trustworthy nanny who is a great fit with your family could be tougher. You have two choices. You can choose an agency, which charges a fee but includes background checks and pre-screening of potential applicants.

You also can find a nanny on your own. Annie Davis, president of the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies, offered tips for nanny-seeking parents:
• Use an APNA member agency. Only select agencies are allowed to join the association, based on ethical and professional standards. A+ Nannies Inc. in Scottsdale (480-699-7558, http://www.aplusnannies.com/) is the only agency in Arizona affiliated with APNA. If you’re not using an agency, visit http://www.theapna.org/ anyway, and look over its standards for your own use.
• Check the nanny’s background. Davis said most agencies she works with include criminal-history and motor-vehicle background checks on every applicant as part of the regular agency fee paid by nanny-seeking parents. These checks should turn up dicey bits of someone’s past, including items that may be expunged from an applicant’s record. If you don’t use an agency, Davis said, some agencies conduct background checks as an a la carte service for clients who otherwise are not using the agency in their nanny search. Do your own homework, too. Check local Web sites such as http://www.supreme.state.az.us/ (search “Public Access-Case Lookup”) and http://www.superiorcourt.maricopa.gov/ (search “Case Information”).
• Check, interview and check again. Davis said anyone looking for a nanny should interview the applicants extensively. The person you eventually hire will be caring for your children and in your home about as much, or more often, than you are. The person needs to be a good fit. Request a resume, check every reference and visit several times before making that final decision.
• Sign a contract. Agencies will provide contracts for their parents and nannies. Those searching without the help of an agency should draw up their own contract or even pick up an inexpensive generic contract at an office-supply store. Davis said a contract is essential, so both parties know what is expected.

In the considerable canon of nanny fiction, there are four themes:
1. Nanny is wise
2. Nanny is magical
3. Nanny is British
4. Nanny is destined to fall in love with the single father she works for.

‘People have had different ideas about nannies,” says Annie Davis, the head of Annie’s Nannies Household and Childcare Staffing Agency in Seattle  and president of the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies. She notes that real-life nannies have been much maligned, while fictional nannies have been painted as saints. “They’re not saints — no one is,” says Davis. “Everyone has something that’s a little wrong with them. You can have someone who’s absolutely perfect with the children who doesn’t pick up after themselves. It depends where your priorities are.”

And while nannies may have inspired some of our most classic tales, in reality they’re just “nice people who are doing a much-needed job,” says Davis.

We asked Davis to weigh in on the professionalism of some of these iconic nannies — and not all of them would have made it on her roster.
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(July 2007) –  Producers of The Nanny Diaries movie describe the heroine’s plight thusly: “A 21-year-old New York University student becomes a nanny to a family on the Upper East Side who turns out to be the family from #!%*.”

“The nanny in the movie ends up working for a family for which she is ill suited, but it can also turn out the other way around,” says Annie Davis, president of the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies-A Household Staffing Alliance (APNA).  APNA agencies are experts at screening employers and potential employees, so job seekers have a better chance of finding what they are looking for, and your odds of hiring someone to work in your home that can meet your needs are greatly increased.“But more important than compatibility, is safety.”  Davis continues, “APNA agencies are required to conduct background checks on anyone they represent as a potential nanny or other household staff member.  It’s much trickier than you might think to check someone’s criminal background, so it’s not something most people can do on their own.”

“We find criminal records on approximately 7% of the applicants we check,” says APNA Sponsor Member Lynn Peterson.  Her company, PFC Information Systems conducts background checks.  Many APNA members rely on her service or others like it, to screen potential job candidates.  Peterson explains why, “In our experience, the vast majority of nanny candidates with criminal records have committed misdemeanors, not felonies.  Most of them did not even go to jail, let alone a state prison.  So, the nationwide records check many vendors offer, and that sounds so good, would never find their criminal records.”Criminal record tracking laws and practices vary from state to state and from county to county.  “Sadly, many local records that are supposed to be forwarded to state or national databases don’t get sent, get lost or end up misfiled.”  Peterson continues, “There simply is no substitute for a tightly focused county, criminal-court search and a statewide check in every location where an individual has lived.  It takes time and knowledge to do it right.  And most importantly, it should be a human being conducting that search, not a computer.”

“Searching for the right nanny, elder-care assistant or cook is a daunting task,” says Lexy Capp, an APNA board member and owner of Nannies & Housekeepers U.S.A. in Las Vegas.  “There are hundreds of household staffing agencies across the country, and one way families can ensure they are getting trustworthy home help, that has been thoroughly screened, is to find an agency that displays the APNA seal.” Established in 1993, APNA holds its member agencies to high standards of business practice and ethics.  Families and job seekers are guaranteed customized service and full confidentiality. “Since there are no federal guidelines for household staffing agencies, families should look for an APNA member when choosing an agency to help them hire someone to work in their home,” says Capp. Go to http://www.theapna.org/ to find an APNA agency in your community.  The web site has other valuable information for families, nannies and staffing agencies. Other Contacts:  Annie Davis, annied@drizzle.com, (206) 227-1690 lpeterson@pfcinformation.com, (510) 653-5061

release is August 24th.  The film’s web page is: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0489237/     

As seen in ParentsMagazine.com

1. Know what you’re looking for. If you want this choice position, have a cheery disposition…. Do those words sound familiar? They’re the first lines of the most famous Help Wanted ad ever written — the one that resulted in the employment of Mary Poppins herself. So, just like little Jane and Michael Banks did (and really, you can’t argue with their results), begin your search by making a list of the qualities, skills, and duties that matter most to you. Then write a detailed ad. Even if you’re not planning to place it anywhere, there’s nothing like being forced to really focus on whether “Must Drive” or “Must Love Pets” comes first or to ponder whether there is a person who is both “Mature and High Energy.” If you do place an ad, these parameters will weed out people who don’t have the skills you’re looking for (making your job easier) and, most important, help keep you focused while you’re interviewing and checking references.

For the full article, click here.

(June 2007) – “It can damage your company’s reputation if your employees, or someone you are recommending for a job, has an unprofessional online profile,” warns Annie Davis, president of the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies – A Household Staffing Alliance (APNA).  A suggestive e-mail address or revealing post on a MySpace profile can kill a person’s chance of landing a job.  “We’ve seen it happen to a number of nanny candidates, and it’s why we’re raising the red flag.”

Davis recounts the story of one set of parents that did an Internet search on a nanny they wanted to hire.  It was a rude awakening when they found her MySpace account with details of drunken, all-night parties on her recent vacation to Mexico.  But the real deal breaker was that she had written at length about the family she used to work for, listing things she didn’t like about them and the job.

Ellen Pack of Town & Country Resources, a childcare and household staffing agency in the San Francisco Bay Area, says her agency has added one more thing to its screening process - an Internet search of each potential job candidate’s name.  “We will not represent candidates who have an unprofessional online persona.  We advise them to keep their private lives private.”  Candidates who make it through Town & Country’s screening process are reminded to mind their online P’s & Q’s forever.
Here are the tips Town & Country gives to the people it sends out for job interviews:

• If your e-mail address is suggestive or otherwise unprofessional, change it.
  
• Make sure your voicemail greeting has only a brief, professional message during your job search.
• If you have an Internet page or profile, make it private and available only to pre-approved viewers. (It’s a simple setting on MySpace.)

APNA is Waiving Membership Application Fees
 
June and July only!

Did you know that APNA is the only nanny/household-staffing agency association that sets standards of practice for its members?
In a business built on trust, the APNA seal is the only way for potential clients to be certain they will receive the best service possible.
If you are not a member, here are a few reasons you should apply:

• Distinguish yourself from your competition
• Learn from veteran owners who are proven to be the best in the industry
• Belong to a network that supports its members
• List your agency on the APNA website
• Attend APNA conferences at reduced rates
• Nominate yourself to be Agency of the Year (award given during even year conferences)

Until July 31st, APNA will be waiving its $45 membership-application fee. Apply now and you may have time to qualify for the special, member-rate for APNA’S 2007 Conference. You’ll be glad you did.

(Las Vegas — May 2007)  The APNA seal always means you are dealing with a staffing agency of the highest quality, but APNA now stands for the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies-A Household Staffing Alliance.  “The board of the National Alliance of Professional Nanny Agencies has changed APNA’s name to reflect the industry trend of providing not only nannies, but many other types of household staff,” explains APNA President Annie Davis.

The world is fast-paced, and life is stressful.  As the cost of living continues to rise, more and more families find they require two incomes to meet their needs.  That often means the added stress of hiring someone to clean house, run errands or care for family members.

“Searching for the right nanny or elder-care assistant is a daunting task,” says Daryl Camarillo, APNA membership coordinator and co-owner of Stanford Park Nannies in Menlo Park, California.  There are hundreds of household staffing agencies across the country.  Camarillo says one way families can ensure they are getting trustworthy home help is to find an agency that displays the APNA seal.

Established in 1993, APNA holds its member agencies to high standards of business practice and ethics.  APNA agencies thoroughly screen all job candidates.  Families are guaranteed customized service and full confidentiality.  “The best part of dealing with an APNA agency is walking through its door confident its business practices meet the standards required for APNA membership,” says Camarillo.  “APNA members are the best of the best.” 

“Since there are no federal guidelines for household staffing, Families should look for the APNA seal when choosing an agency to help them hire a household staff member,” says Davis.  Go to www.theapna.org to find an APNA agency in your community.  The web site has other valuable information for families, nannies and staffing agencies.

Only the most professional household staffing agencies in the country belong to the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies.

The long-running debate over the merits of day care for children is getting a new jolt of evidence that may worry working parents.

Children who spend large amounts of time in child-care centers exhibit more minor behavior problems, such as aggression and disobedience, than other children, at least through sixth grade, according to a long-term study that followed 1,364 children from birth through age 12. The problems had surfaced intermittently in studies of the same children at younger ages, but some researchers had expected the behavior issues to disappear by age 11 or 12. Children who spent large amounts of time in other setups, such as nanny care or family child-care homes, weren’t affected.

The study, published in the March-April issue of the journal Child Development, includes some good news too: Children who experience high-quality child care — whether in child-care centers or family child-care homes, or with sitters or nannies — have better vocabulary skills through fifth grade than children who get lower-quality care. However, math and reading gains, seen at younger ages in children who had spent time in high-quality care setups, didn’t last past first grade. High-quality care is defined as care by an engaged, responsive adult or adults in a rich, nurturing setting.

The study comes at a time when many parents are choosing child-care centers over other kinds of care in the belief that they’re more reliable and offer educational benefits. The proportion of preschool children of employed mothers enrolled in child-care centers and preschools rose to 24% in 2002, the latest data available, from about 21% in the late 1990s, the Census Bureau says.

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………..Complicated tax returns

Because of the complexity of their returns, many self-employed workers must pay someone to do their taxes, which reduces their profits, says Todd McCracken, president of the National Small Business Association. Those who can’t afford to hire a professional must take time away from their businesses to meet complex reporting requirements, such as filing estimated taxes every quarter, he says.

They need to keep comprehensive records, too, because sole proprietors are up to three times more likely to be audited than are individual taxpayers who don’t file a Schedule C, the form used by self-employed workers to report their business income.

“Chances are, you’ll be audited if you’re in business long enough,” says Frederick Daily, a tax attorney and author of Stand Up to the IRS.

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