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What to Look for in a Reputable Nanny Agency!
Hello Nannies! We know that you are a professional and we believe you should be treated like one. You’ve worked hard taking those classes, building your resume and experiences, and staying up to date on your CPR and first aid certifications. Finding a trustworthy and reputable nanny agency can be overwhelming and tricky at times. Be sure to look for more than curated photos and false promises on websites and social media, and make sure to do your research. Here are our top tips for finding a reputable nanny agency!
Be Safe to Work in a Home!
Having a recent background check on file with an agency is important! All household employees placed in a home as a childcare provider in California must be TrustLine registered. This is California law and having it not only looks great on your resume, but it also verifies that you are safe to work in a home with children by the Department of Social Services.
Get Paid Legally!
Make sure all positions you apply for are paid legally. A nanny is a W-2 employee of the household who is paid on payroll. You are also entitled to overtime and paid sick days. These are requirements for all household employees in the state of California. Being paid with a W-2, having benefits, and setting guaranteed hours will set your employer and yourself up for success for the entirety of your working relationship! If an agency or family offers to pay you cash, direct them to HomePay.
Get in Touch!
Are you able to get in touch and communicate with the agency you’re working with? Does someone who works at the agency answer when you call? Your emails and calls should be answered or returned within 24 hours during business hours Monday to Friday, if not sooner. A credible and reputable agency should always be willing to speak with the professional nannies they represent about a position and your experience, or answer any agency questions you may have!
Contract, Contract, Contract!
Does the agency you’re working with advise families to use a contract and get everything in writing to set you up for success? Many of our clients have business managers and attorneys who will create a contract for you to sign and present an NDA to you. While we are not able to give legal advice, as an agency we can assist you by communicating your needs to a family so that you are comfortable and confident to start a new job. A contract is the best way to set yourself up for success and safety in your next position.
Free To You!
A professional, rockstar nanny agency will take zero compensation from the nanny. Their clients should pay for their services, and their nannies’ compensation should never be cut. A great agency is in the business of nannies and will advocate for you, always!
Transparency with Your Profile!
You should know exactly what is sent to a family when you apply for a position. Do you know what your profile looks like? Do you know how the process works? Have you approved or created your own resume, bio, or any other additions? This is extremely important so that you can ensure your experience is accurate.
They Verify Your References!
A great agency will not only ask for all of your references in the last ten years, but they’ll also speak to them! Great agencies know that being able to speak with a reference about your experience gets their personal touch instead of an impersonal email survey. Cutting corners can create fake references. Be sure to contact your references and let them know your agency will be calling them. Having outstanding and verifiable references is a great step forward in your career.
We hope this list gives you a better idea of how to spot a reputable agency that supports you and your career goals!
Prepare Our Little Ones for Kindergarten!
Is your little one gearing up for their biggest milestone yet? The first day of school is approaching quickly and we wanted to share our favorite tips that we used to prepare our own children for their very first day of school.
Foster Independence
Get Kindergarten ready! Help your child be more independent at home by giving them tasks they can accomplish. After meals, have your child take their dishes to the sink or throw away their trash. Establish a routine of putting their shoes away, hanging up their coats or bags, and using the bathroom, and washing their hands unassisted. Most importantly, make sure they feel comfortable asking for help when necessary!
Lean into Social-emotional Learning (SEL)
Social-emotional learning is the process of developing self-awareness, self-control, and interpersonal skills that are important for school, work, and overall success in life. There are ways as parents we can foster emotional intelligence in our children, by teaching coping skills and participating in activities that help develop strong self-esteem. Let kids help and give. Plan and play! Set up a park play date with another family who will be going to Kindergarten as well. Show warmth and model kindness. Be a good listener to your child. Read books that focus on SEL. Start each day with an emotional body check-in. By nurturing a culture of kindness, children are more likely to embrace change and be successful in their relationships.
Responsibility
Give your child simple jobs that they can own! Consider letting them feed the dog, putting away the clean silverware from the dishwasher, or matching socks from each load of laundry. Letting your soon-to-be Kindergartner gain confidence in their abilities by completing these tasks will not only help prepare them for school, but for many milestones in their life.
Routines
Start waking your child at the same time every day that is close to the time they will need to wake up for school. Have them brush their teeth, get dressed, and brush their hair each morning before they run down the hall to greet you to get them into the habit of being ready to go before they face the day! This will help those chaotic mornings of trying to get everyone ready for school!
Reading, Reading, Reading
There is no better way to create readers out of your children than by reading aloud to them. Read a fun story on your Kindle, or the magazine you’re reading, or head to your local library and pick up the latest picture books. Better yet, pick out age-appropriate chapter books that you can incorporate into a daily routine of reading a chapter aloud each night! Reading at least 20 minutes per day helps children with fluency and vocabulary building.
Acknowledge Their Feelings
This big milestone may be the first time your child has ever been away from home for extended amounts of time and they may be feeling nervous, anxious, or scared. Alternatively, they may be absolutely thrilled about this upcoming change and can’t wait to meet new friends! Be sure to listen to their needs and fears, hopes and dreams, and sit with them in the moment.
Feel Your Own Feels
Sending your young one off to Kindergarten may bring up big emotions in you that you may not have been prepared for! Be sure to share your feelings with your partner or friends who are also going through the same thing or have experienced first-day-of-school send-offs with their own children. Find your community in this new phase of parenthood and embrace the change. Bring the tissues for that sweet goodbye for now!
We hope these tips give you a great start to preparing your children for Kindergarten!
Summer Self-Care!
Summer is coming to an end but before it does, we are working to squeeze in a little self-care in any area we can before the hustle and bustle of the school year begins! Take a look at some of our team’s favorite ways to unwind and treat ourselves.
Read a Vacation Worthy Book
Check out this list of fun summer reads for grown-ups from one of our favorite sites, Goodreads! Here are a few of our summer favorites for all the little ones in your life:
The Watermelon Seed A silly story about one of the yummiest summer treats – Watermelon! (Preschool)
What Am I? A beautiful, fun, and interactive book full of summertime rhyming riddles (Elementary)
Percy Jackson Join Percy and his friends at Summer Camp for heroes! (Young Adult)
Support Your Local Farmer’s Market
Find a farmer’s market near you and experience the most colorful, organic options for fruits and veggies along with flowers, juices, and cheeses! There’s no better way to care for your body. Here are a few of our favorite local farmer’s markets: Atwater Village Farmer’s Market, El Segundo Certified Farmers Market, Culver City Farmer’s Market, Mar Vista Farmer’s Market, South Pasadena Farmer’s Market, Hollywood Farmer’s Market, and Santa Monica Farmer’s Market.
Adventure Through Time, Art, or the Wild
Experience the Summer Nights at La Brea Tar Pits & Museum with scientist chats, music, and peek into the Ice Age in the heat of summer. Dive into abstract works and broaden your mind at Blum & Poe or the Getty Center. Head over to the Los Angeles Zoo and let your imagination get lost in the wild in the rainforest, the jungle, and the desert. Enjoy the flowers and scenery at Descanso Gardens. They are hosting events all summer, including a summer music series and hosting dance parties!
Take a Class
Join a local class! Still Life Studio in Santa Monica holds ceramics classes if you want to get your hands dirty and make some fun pottery. Explore the tide pools and caves at Leo Carrillo beach! Search for starfish and other sea creatures during low tide. Check out some amazing and historic art at Los Angeles County Museum of Art on Free Fridays! LA residents also get free admission to the museum after 3 pm on weekdays.
Take a Walk
Take a trip down to the beach and feel the sand between your toes. Nothing will make you feel more connected to yourself and the Earth than feeling the ground, dirt, grass, or sand beneath you. No beach? No problem! Take a walk in your backyard.
Unplug
We spend so much time in front of our screens for work, research, or connecting with loved ones without realizing how much of the present moment we are missing out on. Unplug devices for the weekend. A wonderful resource for unplugging and getting outdoors with your children is 1000 Hours Outside. Download the chart and start making memories!
We hope this list gave you the perfect ideas to unwind, unplug, and set yourself up for a better week, summer, or year!
Celebrate Pride Month with Inclusive Reads!
Happy Pride Month, Educated Nannies family! We want to celebrate our LGBTQIA+ friends and community by sharing a few inclusive reads for the month of June. We personally love to bring these books into our homes all year round, but during this month of celebrating inclusion, we wanted to share a few of our favorites.
Picture Books
And Tango Makes Three – Justin Richardson and Peter Parnell
Pink Is For Boys – Robb Pearlman
Grandad’s Pride – Harry Woodgate
All Are Welcome – Alexandra Penfold
Julian Is A Mermaid – Jessica Love
Elementary
I Am Jazz – Jazz Jennings and Jessica Herthel
Morris Micklewhite and the Tangerine Dress – Christine Baldacchino
When Aiden Became a Brother – Kyle Lukoff
It Feels Good To Be Yourself – Theresa Thorn
What Are Your Words – Katherine Locke
Middle Grade
Ivy Aberdeen’s Letter to the World – Ashley Herring Blake
The Mighty Heart of Sunny St James – Ashley Herring Blake
Starcrossed – Barbara Dee
A High Five for Glenn Burke – Phil Bildner
Young Adult
Simon vs. The Homo Sapiens Agenda – Becky Albertalli
I’ll Give You The Sun – Jandy Nelson
Juliet Takes a Breath – Gabby Rivera
Some Girls Do – Jennifer Dugan
History Is All You Left Me – Adam Silvera
Adult
Endpapers – Jennifer Savran Kelly
Rosewater – Liv Little
Pomegranate – Helen Elaine Lee
This Unlikely Soil – Andrea Routley
Couplets – Maggie Milner
We hope that this list helps you bring inclusive reading to your home! We’ll be reading a few of these to celebrate Pride Month!
Get to Know the EN Team!
Have you ever wondered who is behind the phone, the emails, and the impeccable matchmaking between you and your next nanny family? Get to know our amazing team a little better as we welcome our newest team member, Dylan!
Ryan Jordan, Founder of Educated Nannies and Educated Newborn Care Specialists
Favorite Plant/Flower: Lilacs and Sunflowers
Favorite Color: Can you guess? Purple of course!
Favorite TV Show: It’s a toss-up between Dancing with the Stars and This is Us
Favorite Movie: The Goonies
Favorite Song: “Dreams,” by Fleetwood Mac
Favorite Book: The Four Agreements and anything Colleen Hoover writes!
Favorite Baby Product: Hatch
Favorite Self-Care: Pilates! The machine only, not the mat 🙂
Arianna Carlson, Temp Placement Coordinator
Favorite Plant/Flower: Sunflower
Favorite Color: Yellow
Favorite TV Show: Friends and Seinfeld
Favorite Movie: No favorite movie!
Favorite Song: “Home,” by Philip Philips
Favorite Book: “Giada’s Kitchen: New Italian Favorites: A Cookbook,” by Giada De Laurentiis
Favorite Baby Product: Swaddle
Favorite Self-Care: Mani/Pedi
Lisa Leone, Placement Director
Favorite Plant/Flower: Stargazer Lillies
Favorite Color: Pink
Favorite TV Show: Survivor
Favorite Movie: Pretty Woman or When Harry Met Sally
Favorite Song: This is tough! I love music in general. I would have to say “True Companion” or currently on the radio, “Thank God,” Kane and Katelyn Brown
Favorite Book: The Bible
Favorite Baby Product: Lovevery Toys
Favorite Self-Care: Massage
Madison Garner, Recruitment Coordinator
Favorite Plant/Flower: Eucalyptus
Favorite Color: Black
Favorite TV Show: The Office, Schitt’s Creek, Game of Thrones, and Yellowstone
Favorite Movie: Nocturnal Animals
Favorite Song: “Creature,” Penny and Sparrow
Favorite Book: IF THE SKY FALLS, Nicholas Montemarano
Favorite Baby Product: Little Seed Farm and Baeo
Favorite Self Care: Wilder Earth herbal products and a stroll around Target or HomeGoods
Dylan Gurga, Placement Assistant
Favorite Plant/Flower: Monstera
Favorite Color: Sage green
Favorite TV Show: Gilmore Girls, Hacks, and The Office
Favorite Movie: Begin Again and Elf
Favorite Song: “Satellite,” Harry Styles
Favorite Book: DAISY JONES & THE SIX, Taylor Jenkins Reid, IN A DARK, DARK WOOD, Ruth Ware, and DEFENDING JACOB, William Landay (there are too many great reads!)
Favorite Baby Product: Wubbanub
Favorite Self Care: Curling up with a good book and hot chocolate 🙂
We hope you enjoyed getting to know our rockstar team a little better and we can’t wait to learn more about you!
Welcome To The Blog!
As one of the premier nanny referral agencies in greater Los Angeles and as parents ourselves, the safety and happiness of children is always our priority. On this nanny blog, we further our commitment to strengthening families by sharing resources and nanny articles we hope you’ll find helpful. We will also let you know when we’re having upcoming events, because we’d love to see you! Thanks for reading!
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