5 Things You Should Really Rate Your Nanny On

July 4, 2012

By Michelle LaRowe
Editor-in-Chief

Beverly Hills Nannies, an ABC Family reality series that will make its debut on Wednesday, July 11 at 9/8 central hasn’t even premiered, yet the promos alone are enough to make me cringe with concern.

If you’ve just watched the promo video for season 1, episode 1, yes, you heard correctly. Nanny Amber is rated on a scale of 1 to 10 by her potential employers on 5 things during her interview.

These included:

1. Personality. Dad gave her an 8 and mom gave her a 9.

2. Discipline.  Dad gave her a 7 and mom gave her a 7, because she was late.

3. Friendliness.  Both dad and mom gave her a generous 9.

4. Capability. Dad gave her a 7 and mom gave her a 9.

5. Cute appeal. Dad gave her a 6 and mom… with jaw dropped the video cut out here.

If that’s the top 5 criteria parents are using when evaluating their potential nanny, we have a real problem.

Nannies are childcare specialists who are employed by parents to provide high-quality, personalized and customized childcare. Nannies partner with parents to meet the children’s physical, emotional, social and intellectual needs.

For years, nannies and those who educate, support and place them in homes with families, have been working to educate the public about the importance of quality in-home childcare. Since 1985, the International Nanny Association has been providing recommended practices for nannies and holding annual conferences to educate nannies and those within in the in-home childcare industry on how to do their jobs well.

When choosing a nanny for their children, indeed the nanny has to fit into the family dynamics and lifestyle, but more importantly, the nanny must be qualified to do the job well.

When interviewing a nanny for your family, here are my top 5 things you should rate your nanny on:

1. Experience. When leaving your children in the care of a nanny for 40 to 60 hours per week, it’s vital that the caregiver have previous childcare experience. Experienced nannies have a working knowledge of children and are confident in their care giving abilities. They’ve seen the good, bad and the ugly when it comes to family dynamics and have learned to effectively do their job in a private home environment. If your child has special needs or if your family has multiples, seeking a nanny with experience in those areas can be beneficial.

2. Education. Many nannies have educational backgrounds in early childhood development or education, but at minimum, a nanny should have basic safety training, including current CPR and first aid certification. Many nannies attend educational conferences to hone their childcare skills and keep up on current childcare trends through reading books, networking with other nannies and by taking online classes.

3. Reliability. When giving a caregiver sole charge of your children while you are away, it’s imperative that you can count on her. More than showing up on time, you should be able to count on your nanny to be truthful and honest, to follow through with your wishes, to protect your family’s privacy and to make the children’s needs her priority while on the clock.

4. Ability to communicate. When job issues arise, they are typically due to a breakdown in communication among the adults. It’s important that you and your nanny can communicate effectively, that you’re both willing to keep the lines of communication open and that you feel comfortable discussing child related concerns with each other.

5. A genuine love for children. A nanny’s work can be isolating. A nanny must truly enjoy spending a majority her day alone with the children. Successful nannies view their work as valuable and take enormous pride in providing the highest level of childcare. Nannies strive to build lasting relationships with the children and don’t take for granted the trust that is given to them by the children and parents.

While there have been nanny reality shows in the past, like SuperNanny and Nanny 911 who give a more accurate glimpse of work nannies do, from the promo clips, Beverly Hills Nannies leaves lots to be desired.

Posted in Pop Culture Nannies | 2 Comments

10 Ways to Organize Toys

July 4, 2012

Do you feel like your house has been overrun by toys?  Does it look like you run a daycare out of your home?  If so, it’s time to take control of the toy clutter in your home! Check out these 10 different ways you can organize toys:

1. Over-the-door shoe holders work well for organizing small toys.  There are many shoe organizers on the market, but you should lean toward the ones where the pockets are clear so that the toys or craft items can be seen at a glance.  If she can’t see what’s in the pockets then she will never play with those items.
2. Use clear shoe boxes to organize like toys.  The point of using clear boxes is that it allows her to see what’s in each box so she won’t have to tear everything out to find something, or she won’t ignore it because she doesn’t know what’s in the box.  Organize similar items like matchbox cars, kid’s meal toys, blocks, and action figures by putting them into separate boxes.  Print out picture labels or word labels so that she can match the toy to the box it goes in.  This will also help during clean-up.
3. Open baskets on the floor provide a place for bigger toys.  By placing baskets on the floor or near the floor they will be low enough for her to reach.  Label the baskets just like the shoe boxes so that she will know where to put away her toys.  Open baskets are roomy enough for dolls, doll clothes, stuffed animals, bigger plastic toys, and the like.  To get the baskets up off the floor you can hang a shelf about a foot off the floor and place the baskets there.  Try to avoid heavy toy boxes with lids that can smash little fingers. 
4. Keep outside toys outside or in the garage.  By moving the bigger toys that kids can ride on or other outside toys to the garage you will free up a lot of space in her room.  Toys that fall into this category might be balls, hula hoops, roller skates, bike helmets, and ride-on toys.
5. Bath toys belong in the bathroom.  Keep a limited number of bath toys in the bathroom, either in the tub itself or under the sink in a box.  Bathtub toys should be near the bathtub and not left all over the house.  If the toys aren’t close to the tub when it’s bath time they won’t get played with.
6. Reduce the number of books on display.  Bookcases are great for storing books, but it’s very easy to pull out 20 books when trying to decide what story you want for bedtime and then not put them back.  By choosing 15 to 20 books and displaying them on a shelf where the front cover can be seen it will reduce the number of books that are out, and as you rotate through the books your child may see books they haven’t seen in a while.  There also won’t be an overwhelming decision of what to read that is common when there is a bookcase full of books.
7. Get rid of what you don’t need.  While you are organizing be aware of toys that are no longer age appropriate, no longer played with, or are broken.  Donate or sell the toys that you can and trash the toys that are broken or have missing pieces.  There’s no reason to keep toys around if they aren’t being played with anymore.
8. Put hooks on the wall.  Many things can be hung on the wall.  Dress up clothes can be hung on hooks.  Some toys with handles can be hung on the wall.  If it can go up on the wall that will ease the clutter on the floor.
9. Use a toy hammock to corral stuffed animals.  Many times it’s hard for children to part with stuffed animals, especially ones they’ve had since infancy.  Choose a couple of favorites to stay on the bed and then put the rest to sleep in a hammock.  She can still see them, but they won’t be taking over her whole bed or end up all over the floor every morning.
10. Stay organized by getting rid of one thing for everything that comes in. Don’t over buy toys.  Kids love simple things like paper and crayons, boxes, and tissue paper.  To avoid having too many toys again, make sure that for every new toy that comes in you get rid of an old toy.

Posted in Nanny Tips, Parenting | Leave a comment

ENannySource Reminds Parents to be Vigilant in Screening Nannies

June 19, 2012

When it comes to securing a caregiver for your child, parents must be vigilant in assuring the safety and well-being of their children.

At eNannySource.com, we provide parents with the tools they can use to make informed and educated hiring decisions. We take our commitment to safety seriously and provide the resources and guidance parents need to navigate the screening and hiring process.  

When searching for a nanny independently using online sites, parents must remember:

• Online websites aren’t designed to replace traditional nanny placement agencies. eNannySource gives parents an affordable alternative to finding a nanny.

• Online websites provide tools and guidance to parents who want to screen and hire their nanny themselves. The tools available through eNannySource are the same tools we use at our traditional placement agency. The only difference is parents, rather than agency staff, must use those tools for them to be valuable.

• National criminal background checks are not a replacement for background checks done at the county court level, but should be used in conjunction with them. When using an online background checking service, be sure you understand what you are paying for. eNannySource offers one free county court record check with Gold membership and two with its Platinum membership. Additional county court record checks are available for purchase.

Regardless of how parents find their nanny, whether it be through an online website, through a traditional agency or through word of mouth, parents have the ultimate responsibility in screening and hiring their nanny.

While even the most detailed background screening and interview process can’t offer any guarantees, they can provide parents with important information they can use determine if a nanny candidate is right for their family.

Posted in Nanny Background Check, Uncategorized | Leave a comment

Expert Insights: Questions and Answers with Glenda Propst

June 16, 2012

By Michelle LaRowe
Editor-in-Chief

Today I had the opportunity to spend some time chatting with longtime friend and seasoned nanny Glenda Propst. Glenda has been a professional nanny for 27 years. After she left her first nanny position, one she held for 8 years, she discovered that there were no resources that supported nannies through the difficult transition of leaving a family and saying goodbye. As a result, her workshop Nanny Transitions was born. Years later, Glenda put her advice onto a blog at www.NannyTransitions.com where she offers support and guidance to nannies as they prepare to leave a position and say goodbye. Glenda was a co-founder of the former National Association of Nannies and is a Regarding Nannies development team member. In 1991, Glenda was named the International Nanny Association Nanny of the Year. Glenda lives in St. Louis with her husband, Terry. This December will mark her 19^th year of working with the same nanny family.

eNannySource: Glenda, when is it time for a nanny to leave a position?

Glenda: There are many signs that it’s time for a nanny to move on; it’s just that sometimes the nanny chooses not to see them. Often times when a nanny starts with a family the parents tell her that they want to keep her forever. The nanny then lulls herself into this fantasy that her job is never going to end. The reality is that people’s lives change. Children grow up and as they do their care giving needs change. There are some families that really mean it when they say they want a nanny to stay forever, but staying with a family long-term requires a lot of communication, a lot of planning, and a lot of give and take on both sides of the relationship. It can be done, but it’s a constant job evolution based on the needs of the family and what a nanny is willing to do within the perimeters of her work agreement.

eNannySource: When does a nanny know her time with a family is done?

Glenda: A nanny might be able work with the same family until around the time that the children start kindergarten. Some of it depends on whether or not there are younger children in the family, but when all of the children in the family reach school age, the writing may be on the wall.

Another sign that it is time to move on is when the nanny notices that her role in the family is being diminished.  A nanny may notice that the parents are starting to take on responsibilities that used to be hers. Maybe the mom decides to start taking the children to school, or she might change her nanny’s hours to start and end later. The signs don’t have to be big. They can be simple things like having the children begin buying their lunch at school, instead of bringing it from home, or hiring someone to come in and do all of the family’s laundry. It might be that the employer asks the nanny to turn in her household credit card to better track expenses, or maybe the nanny didn’t get a raise this year or her paycheck bounces. There are lots of little things that can begin to point to signs that a nanny’s job is ending.

eNannySource: What is the best way to leave a family?

Glenda: The best way to leave a family is to plan for it. The nanny should stay in communication with her employers and discuss how they see her role in the family changing over the course of time. As early as the interview process, nannies should start the conversation with their employers about how long they envision needing the nanny to care for their children. Each year, when a nanny has her annual review, she should have a conversation about the changes to expect for the upcoming year and what that means for her and her position.

The other thing nannies should do is keep their eyes and ears open. Nannies shouldn’t become complacent in their jobs. Instead, nannies should take the initiative and show their employers how they shine, what their strengths are, and how they contribute to the family in the big picture.

When my charges started to get a little older and I had a little more free time, I took on the responsibility of running the virus scans on the computer. Knowing how important photos were to my employers, I started downloading the pictures off of the digital camera, uploading them to an online website and burning them onto discs. This saved my boss a lot of time in the evenings and allowed her to spend more time with her children. It also gave me something else to do. This simple task made me more valuable to my employer.

When the children go to school, the nanny can’t just view her time as shopping and coffee time. Instead he needs to show that during that time, she still brings value to the family. Having said that, sometimes a nanny job simply runs its course and ends. This is especially true of a nanny job where a family needs strictly childcare. The best way for a nanny to end a job is to communicate with her employers and work together to help the children have a smooth transition.

eNannySource: What would you tell a nanny that may surprise her about the transition?

Glenda: The first thing I’d tell a nanny is how much the transition hurts. If a nanny has a great relationship with the children, it is extremely painful to come to the realization that she will no longer be a part of their daily lives. Some of that pain never goes away. This is why it’s important for a nanny to grieve that loss in her life. When I talk to nannies about this grief, they often tell me that they didn’t know it was okay to grieve this loss. They say that they had all this pain that they didn’t expect and yet no one really talked about it or offered support as they worked through it.

eNannySource: What is your best piece of advice you can give to a nanny getting ready to leave a family?

Glenda: Love looks forward, hate and regret look back. Don’t hang on to bad feelings. If a nanny made mistakes, she needs to forgive herself and move forward. Nannies should do their best to have a peaceful parting and shouldn’t burn their bridges. Every family is different and every job is different. Don’t compare one job to another, but know that life goes on and that the growth that comes from change can be a very positive thing, if you allow it to be.

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10 Things That Will Make You a Great Nanny Employer

June 12, 2012

All nanny employers aren’t created equally. Like with any career there are both good employers and bad ones. As you enter into a nanny relationship, commit to being the best employer you can be.  Remember, it is no secret that the best bosses tend to have the best employees. Begin setting yourself apart as a great employer today.

You can be a great nanny employer by:

1. Giving your nanny respect. Treating your nanny as a valued employee will go a long way in establishing yourself as a great nanny employer. More than anything, your nanny wants to know that you respect the work she does, the relationship she has with your children and the special insight she brings to the parenting table.

2. Paying your nanny well. Your nanny deserves to be paid more than minimum wage. She deserves to be paid well. When it comes to nanny care, you get what you pay for. Nannies who are paid well tend to be more committed to staying for a long-term position and to going above and beyond to ensure that their job is done well.

3. Showing your appreciation. From small things like saying “Thank you. I appreciate the quality of care you give to my children,” to bigger things like giving a year-end bonus, let your nanny know in tangible ways that you appreciate the work she does.

4. Encouraging your nanny’s relationship with your children. Give your children and your nanny permission to have a loving relationship. Allow and encourage them to bond. If your child says he misses his nanny on the weekend, don’t simply dismiss it. Instead, reaffirm that their relationship is important and missing his nanny is okay.

5. Encouraging regular communication. Set the stage for solid communication. Establish a time to have weekly meetings to review different things that are going on, what’s working, and what isn’t. Ensure that you are home a few minutes before your nanny is due to leave so you can talk about how the day went.  Provide ongoing opportunities for regular communication to happen.

6. Covering your nanny’s expenses. It shouldn’t cost your nanny to do her job well. If your nanny keeps a nanny journal, offer to reimburse her for it. If she brings her lunch every day and you can afford to supply it, offer to do so. If your nanny is accompanying you on a family vacation, be sure it doesn’t cost her any money out of her own pocket to do so.

7. Giving your nanny petty cash. Provide your nanny with cash to purchase incidentals like craft supplies, snacks or other items she may need from time to time. Having money on hand for tolls, gas, lunch or other things that come up can help to ensure that the costs incurred when taking care of your child don’t eat into her pay.

8. Offering incentives for continuing education.  Offer a membership to the International Nanny Association (INA) or better yet, consider paying for her to attend the INA Annual Conference. Encourage your nanny to take early childhood education classes at the local community college and offer to reimburse her. Providing an opportunity for your nanny to increase her skills and connect with other caregivers will boost her self-confidence, self-esteem and care giving abilities, all of which will benefit you and your child.

9. Scheduling periodic reviews. Whether it’s every six months or once per year, schedule a specific time without the children to sit down with your nanny and have a formal performance review. During this time share all the good things your nanny is doing, as well as any things that could use improvement. You’ll also want to give her an opportunity to provide feedback on how things are going from her perspective. End the meeting by giving her a written evaluation that includes any action steps designed to improve the quality of her work. Consider giving a merit raise (5-7%) or bonus (1-2 weeks’ pay) if your nanny has been performing well.

10. Keeping things professional. While it can be tempting to talk to your nanny about marital problems or to share the latest piece of gossip about the in-laws, don’t. If you ask your nanny to babysit Friday night and she declines because she has plans, resist the urge to ask her exactly what those plans are. To maintain a healthy nanny and employer relationship, there has to be healthy boundaries.

In any type of management situation the general rule of thumb is that things flow from the top down. If you as the nanny employer set the standard for excellence your nanny will follow suit. Great employers breed great employees. And it’s not by mistake.

Posted in Nanny Employer | 1 Comment

Summer Safety Alert: Never Leave Children Alone in Cars

June 10, 2012

By Michelle LaRowe
Editor in Chief, eNannySource.com

We are barely into summer and caregivers are already making news for leaving their children unattended in motor vehicles on hot summer days. Fortunately, in one of the first reported cases of 2012, the children remained unharmed.

But sadly, this is not always the case.

As of June 2012, at least 3 children have already died from heatstroke (hyperthermia) after being left unattended in motor vehicles, according to publications by Jan Null of the Department of Geosciences at San Francisco State University that tracks Hyperthermia deaths in children in vehicles and whose research has been published in Pediatrics, The Official Journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics.  Considering that on average, 38 children per year in the United States die from heatstroke after being left unattended in motor vehicles, it’s a guarantee that the 2012 number is going to rise.

But that guarantee can be voided. Deaths from motor vehicle related heatstroke are prevented by not leaving a child in a motor vehicle unattended.

Many parents and caregivers just don’t realize just how quickly a motor vehicle heats up and that it doesn’t have to be hot outside for a child to suffer serious injury or death. In fact, Jan Null’s research shows that even on days with mild weather, when the temperature is around 70 degrees Fahrenheit, motor vehicles can reach life-threatening temperatures very quickly.

In just ten minutes, the interior temperature of a vehicle can rise to 20 degrees warmer than outside. In thirty minutes, it can rise to nearly 35 degrees warmer. If it was 80 degrees Fahrenheit outdoors, after 60 minutes, the temperature inside of the motor vehicle could reach 123 degrees Fahrenheit!  And cracking the window has little effect on the rapid increase of temperatures.

Heatstroke occurs when the body’s temperature reaches over 104 degrees Fahrenheit and it can no longer regulate its temperature effectively. At 107 degree Fahrenheit, the body shuts down. Since children’s bodies aren’t as efficient in regulating temperature, they can warm much faster than adults.

While many parents and caregivers justify leaving their children in the car for just a minute or two while they run into the house because they forgot something or pop into the dry cleaners to pick up the laundry, they fail to realize in many states, doing so is illegal.

This summer, as you transport children, be extra vigilant.

• Don’t leave children unattended in a motor vehicle, even for a moment.
• Leave your pocketbook, wallet, keys to your work or something else that you need on the floor of the backseat. This will prompt you to return to the car if you leave without it.
• Make a habit of checking your vehicle for people before your shut and lock the doors.
• Consider putting a stuffed animal in your child’s car seat and moving it to the front seat when your child is with you and buckled in.
• Don’t allow children to play in vehicles.
• If you are transporting children when you typically wouldn’t, like driving them to daycare before you go to work, ask someone to call to confirm you’ve dropped them off.
• Put a reminder note to take the child with you on your dashboard.
• Let the other adult know you’ve got the baby. Confirm someone has carried the baby in to avoid miscommunication.
• Tell your caregiver not to leave your children unattended in the car, even for a moment.

If you see a child in a motor vehicle unattended, call 911. The child may not have time for you to hesitate in hopes that the parent or caregiver returns.

The 1998, at least 530 children have died as a direct result of hyperthermia related to being left in a motor vehicle unattended. Don’t let a child in your care be a statistic. Make a personal commitment to always being with your child when he’s in the car and to double check that everyone has exited the vehicle before shutting and locking the doors.

Michelle LaRowe is the editor in chief of eNannySource.com. For more than half of her life she has worked as a professional nanny and is now raising her own children, Abby, 4 and Luke, 2. Michelle is the author of Nanny to the Rescue!, Nanny to the Rescue, Again!, Working Mom’s 411 and A Mom’s Ultimate Book of Lists.

Posted in Child Safety, Nanny Tips, Parenting | Leave a comment

6 Tips for Parents Interviewing Nannies

June 6, 2012

In addition to the basic interview questions regarding experience, work history, and salary expectations that parents should ask prospective nannies during an interview, there are several other important factors that should also be taken into consideration.

During the nanny selection process, consider these 6 tips when interviewing nannies:

1. Do your homework. Regardless of how you found your potential nanny, the ultimate hiring responsibility rests with you. Parents should speak personally with nanny references, verify proof of education and experience (even if this is reviewing the documentation a nanny agency has secured), review any background screenings that were conducted and have their own in-person interview with the nanny candidate.

2. Use past-tense, situational questions. When asking your nanny candidate questions about her care giving experiences and expectations, phrase situations in the past-tense. Instead of asking “What would you do if a child fell down the stairs on your watch” ask “How have you handled any injuries that occurred while the children were in your care?” Ask “How did you spend your day with your previous two-year-old charge” rather than “How do you envision a day with my child?” You want to know what the candidate has actually done, not what she thinks she may do.

3. Ask why other positions have ended. Nanny and family relationships end for various reasons. These reasons range from a nanny leaving because the children went off to school and her services were no longer needed to a nanny breaching a parent’s trust. Sometimes the relationship ends on good terms, and other times not so much. It’s good to get the nanny’s perspective on why a relationship ended prior to contacting a reference. Knowing why a nanny left previous positions also helps you to identify any potential patterns in employment history.

4. Inquire about child care ideas and philosophies. It’s important that the parents and the nanny share a similar style of parenting, discipline and communication. A nanny should be able to articulate what her parenting style is and the method of discipline she believes in. While the nanny should always follow the parents lead, in some cases the gap in styles is too grand (for example a family that embraces attachment parenting and a nanny who does not) to meet on and the nanny and family won’t be a good match.

5. Consider the nanny’s goals and aspirations. Before investing your time and energy into such an intimate relationship, it’s important to have an understanding of how long the relationship could last. If you are looking for a nanny for your newborn to stay for several years, it would be important to know if a candidate just wants to nanny for a year while she decides what she really wants to do, or if this the career path she wants to follow long-term. Ask why she chooses to work as a nanny and where she sees herself in 2, 5 and 10 years.

6. Clarify the type of care you want. Just like there are different types of families, there are also different types of nannies. Some nannies prefer to work strictly according to the daily schedule the parents have lined out and others like to have the authority to plan how they will spend their day with the children in their care. If you don’t want your nanny transporting your children to events and activities, for example, it’s important that you clarify that and confirm your nanny candidate is willing to accept a position that requires her to stick close to home. When nannies and parents do not address the type of care situation that is desired, there is a potential for trouble to brew.

Conducting nanny interviews is outside the comfort zone of many parents. Even those parents with a HR background often have trouble transitioning their corporate skills to the household environment. View the nanny interview as an opportunity to gain insight into the person you may consider trusting with your most prized position. Most nannies understand how important the interview and decision making process is and are eager to answer most any question that you may have.

Posted in Uncategorized | Tagged Nanny Interviews | Leave a comment

5 Reasons Not to Nanny Cam

June 3, 2012

Every parent wants to know that when they leave their child with their nanny, their child will receive quality, loving care. Unfortunately when the quality of child care comes into question, the first response many parents have is to install a nanny cam.

While there are many reasons, such as having peace of mind, that parents opt to install a nanny cam, there are five reasons why installing one may not be the right thing to do that are worth considering.

1. If you feel like you need proof that something isn’t right. The purpose of a nanny cam is to deter abuse, not to capture it. If you suspect that your nanny is abusing or neglecting your child, take action and let your nanny go immediately. Don’t ignore your gut.

2. Nanny cams don’t always portray reality. Inexpensive nanny cams often don’t show high quality footage and as a result, images may appear distorted or the footage left subject to interpretation.  In fact, some cameras record every frame while others only record frames when the camera detects motion, which can be problematic if the nanny keeps going in and out of camera view. If you opt to install a nanny cam, be sure it is a high quality device that records in real-time.

3. Nanny cams can give a false sense of security. There is no alternative to attentive supervision of your nanny and regular monitoring of her activities and interactions with your child. Dropping in unexpectedly, coming home early, insisting a daily journal be kept and maintaining open lines of communication may give you better insight into what is really going on while you are away.

4. What you capture could be illegal. While it is legal to install a nanny cam in your home, Federal Wire-Tapping Laws state that it is illegal to tape conversations without the consent and knowledge of the person being taped. Some states also prohibit the secret recording of any speech and have laws that regulate where surveillance cameras can be placed. Be sure to educate yourself of federal and state laws if you opt to use a nanny cam.

5. Using a nanny cam without your nanny’s knowledge could breach her trust. If you opt to have a nanny cam, disclose that you have one upfront. Typically nannies do not care if their interactions with the children are recorded, but they do care if they were recorded without their knowledge or consent. Undisclosed cameras found by the nanny could also cause embarrassment to both the nanny and the family. For example, a nanny who changes her shirt in the living room because the baby spit up on it may feel spied upon should a nanny cam be found.

As a parent, you have the right and duty to monitor the quality of care that your child receives. While nanny cams may provide glimpses into your child’s day, thoroughly screening potential providers, monitoring for signs of abuse and neglect, dropping in unexpectedly (or asking a neighbor or friend to do the same), checking in by phone, and listening to your gut are all ways you can gain insight into the quality of care your child is receiving.

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5 Tips to Getting the Most Out of the New eNannySource Mobile App

June 2, 2012

For busy parents and nannies, managing their nanny and family search from the palm of their hand just got a whole lot easier. With the new eNannySource Mobile App, parents and nannies can view their perspective matches with the click of a button anytime, anywhere.

The eNannySource Mobile App, available for both Android and iOS platforms, allows parents to manage their nanny search and access the eNannySource database of over 450,000 childcare providers from wherever they may be. For nannies, by simply entering their zip code (or the zip code of the areas they are willing to work), they can view an updated list of families looking for childcare providers in their area.

To get the most of the new eNannySource Mobile App, follow these 5 tips:

1. Sign in. While the eNannySource mobile application is free, when members are signed into the application, they are able to access additional features, like detailed information on potential nannies and families, their Top Picks and eNanny mail.

2. Utilize the Top Picks feature. Manage your nanny search by adding your favorite nannies and families to your Top Picks. When you add members of the eNannySource community to your Top Picks via the mobile app, it syncs with your eNannySource account ensuring that when you jump online later, your new picks will be there.

3. Check your mail. With the newly upgraded mobile application, families and nannies can communicate securely and easily through eNanny mail, without having to share their personal email address.  Parents and nannies no longer have to wait until they are logged onto the website to communicate, but can email their Top Picks directly through the mobile application itself.

4. Keep your information current. If you’ve recently moved or changed the area you wish to search, be sure to log onto eNannySource.com and update your profile. The eNannySource Mobile App utilizes zip codes to search for potential matches, so you’ll always want to be sure your address is current.

5. Prescreen updated matches while on the go. Whether you’re waiting in the school pick up line (car off, of course!) or killing time at the local coffee shop, using the eNannySource mobile app it only takes a few seconds to view the updated listings in your area and mark which matches you want to learn more about later.

Looking for a nanny or family can be time consuming. The new eNannySource mobile app keeps your search moving forward, whether your web browser is opened or not.

To download the free, newly upgraded eNannySource Mobile App, visit https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.enanny&hl=en for the Android application or http://itunes.apple.com/us/app/enannysource.com/id494851312?mt=8 for the iOS application.

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BBB President Warns Nannies About Scams

May 30, 2012 Posted in Nanny Tips | 6 Comments ← Older posts Newer posts →