There’s nothing like spring to lift our spirits. I have never been so grateful to see jonquils and daffodils and all other harbingers of the season appear. I know we are so ready to move on from this past year. As some physicians have noted, we are now operating between hope and caution. Very hopeful that lots of people continue to get vaccinated in an effort to stay safe and hold back 
variants. But still cautious because we aren’t totally where we want to be. I think one of the biggest issues for families is about the safety of their younger children who won’t be vaccinated any time soon. How do we keep them safe?
variants. But still cautious because we aren’t totally where we want to be. I think one of the biggest issues for families is about the safety of their younger children who won’t be vaccinated any time soon. How do we keep them safe?I’ve been thinking about how our businesses have changed over this year and how many owners are trying to figure out their paths forward. Do we keep that office space? Do we go completely remote? Do we try a hybrid model so we can work together some days of the week? For those who were already completely remote, there has been no change in their standard operating procedures (other than the challenge of maintaining ‘work/life balance’ during the many months where there was not much else to do but work.) For those whose leases were up, the decision was probably an easy one -not going to sign a new lease right now. For those of us in longer term leases with tough landlords, we don’t have the opt out option. Are we more productive working together? Are we fine working apart? Lots of questions without definitive answers.
The biggest struggle that seems to be fairly universal now is difficulty in recruitment. Did nannies stay in the jobs they knew and liked? Are some still being paid by employers to stay home until vaccinated? Are some nannies still home collecting unemployment? Without as many college students on campus, many agencies have seen a smaller pool of nannies for on-call jobs. And speaking of on-call or temporary jobs, I am hopeful we can see numbers increase as people start to stay in hotels, sports teams play with fans in seats, weddings have guests, and other event staffing jobs return.
Beginning last spring, we held webinars to discuss strategies for pivoting/managing our businesses. We learned so much from one another and the sessions gave many of us a boost of hope, positivity, and collective strength to keep pushing through! We would love to have another webinar to share how we have all coped with this past year. Please respond to this email and share what you have done to change, stay alive, and even grow your businesses during this past year as well as any of your pain points that you would like to discuss. Based on the response, we will add another webinar to the calendar.
Last but not least, we’ve just announced our APNA 2021 Conference and it will certainly be one not to miss. Early bird registration starts May 3rd. So excited with the prospect of seeing everyone safely in Florida. For those who have already expressed uncertainty about whether they will be able to travel safely, we are pursuing alternative ways of connecting and will have more information in the months to come – but in the meantime, we are thrilled to see the many of you we’ve connected with virtually in the past year in a real-life setting.
Happy spring!
Your Pandemic President
Barbara Kline