Nanny Training in Today’s Job Market
Being a nanny is a very rewarding career. With more people entering the in-home childcare field the competition for jobs is getting harder. One way to stand out above the rest is to participate in nanny training. Keeping your skills set current leads to job security. Remember a good nanny is invaluable to a family!
TLC for Kids requires all nannies to be CPR and First-Aid certified.
TLC also recommends taking continuing education courses in Childcare and Early Childhood Development.
A few in-home childcare organizations offer nanny training. Read the blog by Homework Solutions to learn more. Consider attending Nannypalooza West or Nannypalooza East this year, or maybe NAEYC is favorite. Don’t forget online options including Nanny Coaching Team, Nanny Care Hub, or NannyTraining.com.
Summer Reading Challenges
Summer is almost here, and with that, the kids will be out of school. The kids are thinking about pool days, riding their bikes, sleeping in and sleepovers with friends! While you may have planned your summer vacation, day camps, sleep-away camps and play-dates, don’t forget to make time for reading!
Many schools require reading over the summer, and there are plenty of opportunities to make reading fun!
Check with your local library for their summer reading list by age. Many libraries will hold contests for the most books read and award prizes!
Check with your local bookstores. Many will host guest authors and reading challenges.
Barnes & Nobel has their popular reading program where kids can earn free books! Fostering a love of reading and its rewards, the Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Program is popular with students in the first through sixth grades and educators throughout America. Participation is fun and an easy way for kids to earn free books. They simply read any eight books – library books, books borrowed from friends or books bought at Barnes & Noble – write about their favorite part, and bring a completed tear page to a Barnes & Noble bookstore. Children then choose their free book from a list of paperback titles.
Scholastic is challenging young readers to join them and has put together an extensive list of recommendations.
Is your school requiring summer reading? Check out these great tips on Tackling School Reading Lists
A few more resources including:
Summer Reading Lists by Grade
Top 10 Summer Reading Lists
On the go? Whether, plane, or auto, Tales2Go is an innovative subscription service for anyone who want instant access to over a thousand great kids’ audio stories to stream to their smart phones, and listen to anywhere, at any time. They feature the best in kids’ audio stories from leading audio publishers and award-winning storytellers.
Happy Reading!
TLC for Kids is currently placing summer nannies in St. Louis and South Florida. If you need reliable, energetic, and professional child care this summer visit our website at tlcforkids.com Or, email us at tlc@tlcforkids.com.
Tips for traveling with a nanny this summer
Our friends at Regarding Nannies have some great advice when traveling as a nanny. 
To some, it seems like the ultimate gig. You get to travel to tropical islands and exotic foreign destinations with all of your expenses included — plus your regular salary. But while outsiders may hear “all-inclusive trip to the Jamaica,” a nanny hears “a long flight, a new location, no toys and strange food.”
Though you may actually serve sandwiches on a blanket multiple times on the trip, being a travel nanny is no picnic; it’s work. And unlike your usual set up, where the parents go to work and you’re at home in familiar territory with the kids, it’s all new, to you and your nanny family. So before you pack your bags, it’s important to prepare, communicate and set expectations that will ensure that everyone has a successful trip.
Continue reading 5 Things You Need to Know When Traveling as a Nanny
Jump on over to our Facebook page and share with us what helps you when traveling as a nanny.
Newborn Care Specialist Training
Interested in becoming a Certified NCS or advancing your skills as an NCS? Newborn Care Solutions is bringing their popular Foundational training to West Palm Beach, July 21-22 and you can take advantage of this training!
TOPICS COVERED:
- What is an NCS and how is that different from a Doula, Night Nanny or Traditional Nanny. define/explain
- Doula: Define/explain similarities and differences..
- Night Nanny: Define/explain similarities and differences.
- Traditional Nanny: Define/explain similarities and differences.
- Basic Newborn Care
- Building a Nursery
- Special needs of preemies
- Caring for Multiples
- Caring for and building up a post-partum mom: One of the most important jobs of a NCS and why.
- Signs of Post-partum depression and what to do: Covering the major symptoms of post-partum depression and how to handle it (before baby even comes home).
- Recognizing signs of various feeding issues: Reflux, tests, treatment and options. Tongue tie, to clip or not to clip, pyloric stenosis – what is it and what can be done, how to feed a baby with a cleft palate.
- Recognizing signs of food allergies and intolerance’s in infants
- Major Methods of sleep training: Sharing the most common methods of sleep training and how they differ from one another.
- Getting your NCS Business off the ground: Do I need to be “certified” and if so, how do I get it? What are my first steps?
- How can I get more experience so clients will hire me? What legal issues/insurance issues do I need to address? Do I need a resume’? What should be on it? Do I need a contract with clients? How do I get paid? What if a client cancels? What if I get the babies sleeping through the night early and the client wants to terminate my contract early? My client bounced a check, now what? My client forgot to pay me, now what? How do I explain to clients on the phone what I do without spending all day on the phone and without giving away all my talents?
- Tax Overview: What are my tax obligations? Does my client pay taxes on me? My client wants to pay me with a business check?
- Contracts with clients: What needs to be in it? Do I really need it? The client doesn’t want one.
- Liability insurance: Do I need it? Why? Where can I get it?
- Educating Agencies about what I do: Do I need to work with agencies? What do they need to know about what I do in order to “sell” my services to the client?
- Green Practices: My new client wants to use eco-friendly products. What does that mean exactly, do they really work and how do I help her set up a green nursery?
‘Tully’ Through the Eyes of a Newborn Care Specialist
I spent a lovely afternoon at the movies in South Miami watching “Tully” with TLC Miami’s most loved and requested Newborn Care Specialist Patricia Demerite. Even though reviews have been mixed we really enjoyed the movie.
Tully spoke to each of us in so many ways. As a parent of 2 and owner of TLC, I could relate to the chaos and sleep deprivation of a Postpartum mom and the demands of a special needs child while managing a household. Patricia, who has helped over a dozen families over the last 5 years navigate the demands of adding a new baby to a family could relate to the the sensitive nature of working in an intimate family environment. Throughout the movie Pat would lean over to me saying things like “she should wash her hands when she walks in the house,” “she shouldn’t be wearing that midriff,” and “she needs to give the mom more personal space.” When things get weird in the movie and she brings Tully to the bedroom we both look at each other like ‘ok, now this is really weird.’ At the end of the movie we discovered the reason for a lot of the immature oversharing behavior and took a sigh of relief.
After the movie Pat and I discussed Marlo’s (mom) lack of support. We both questioned why Marlo was not willing to take the gift of the night nanny when offered. Why is there a stigma that women have to do it all? Had Marlo accepted help or at least engaged the support of her husband and family she might not have ended up where she did. ***I don’t want to give away any spoilers!***
Postpartum depression and manic behavior require professional help. Hiring a Newborn Care Specialist will not treat postpartum depression. But Patricia and I both feel that the help would have given Marlo support and perhaps directed her to the right professional. Like Marlo, many moms suffer sleep deprivation and loss of identity aftee the birth of a baby. This is because they feel they like they have no support and help. Hiring a Newborn Care Specialist can help moms get on track to feel like themselves again.
Reach out to Chrissy Wheelington, TLC’s Newborn Care Director, to learn more about the different newborn services TLC offers.
Written by Sharon Graff-Radell owner of TLC Family Care.
The Art of Swaddling
As the Newborn Care Director for TLC in St. Louis and Miami, I love to share articles about caring for newborns and their families. Many parents are looking for information about keeping their newborn safe and secure. TLC is partnering with Parenting Resources to train postpartum doulas, newborn care specialists and baby nurses so that they can assist new parents.
This article by a mom talks about the benefits of swaddling. Swaddling is the art of snugly wrapping a baby in a blanket for warmth and security. It can keep your baby from being disturbed by his or her own startle reflex, and it can help keep the baby warm for the first few days of life. Do you remember trying to swaddle your babies once you came home from the hospital?
“Swaddling is an art, really, and through two children, I never mastered it. Both of my babes were happy and content in the hospital, when they were wrapped like little burritos by those capable nurses in the postpartum unit. That all went downhill once we got home. I tried to re-create those magical bundles, but no matter what I did, within minutes their arms had busted out, and they were anything but calm. It was my first mom fail.”
Click here to read the full article and get the step-step-by step instructions on how to swaddle like a pro!
The “Uber” of babysitting has just arrived in St. Louis!
St. Louis based TLC for Kids is partnering with the technology company, Sitter, to revolutionize the childcare industry with the “Uber of Babysitting”
Over 30 years ago, TLC for Kids pioneered the industry by being one of the first to provide quality, professionally screened childcare to their clients. Now, as one of the nation’s top nanny agencies, they are transforming it again. Together with Sitter, they’re on a mission to radically simplify the way parents book, pay and find high-quality babysitters. Parents can now use Sitter to book one of TLC for Kids’ fully screened, professional nannies with a tap.
This partnership combines the decades of TLC for Kids’ skilled vetting and matching expertise with the cutting edge technology required to support today’s parent. Parents don’t have time to sift through thousands of unscreened caregivers online, nor do they have the expertise required to ensure the caregiver they find online is capable of keeping their child safe. With TLC for Kids and Sitter, parents save time and worry less by getting a sitter screened by experts on-demand, skipping the ATM, and saving all the critical information (emergency contacts, allergies, etc.) their sitter needs.
“A cleared background check just tells you a potential sitter is not a criminal. It doesn’t mean they’re good with kids. We’ve devoted our lives to developing an expertise in finding the best childcare providers. Now, we’re thrilled to be able to give parents access to them in the most convenient way possible.” says Stephanie Graff, President of TLC for Kids.
Current members of TLC for Kids have access to this new technology as part of their membership. Families in the St. Louis area who are not current members can access and use the app for free for a limited time. Join the Sitter app now to book screened TLC for Kids caregivers.
The only thing left for parents to do is get out of the house. They can rest easy knowing TLC + Sitter have them covered!
To get started using TLC caregivers through the sitter app, visit our TLC/Sitter page.
Easter Ideas That You Can Do With The Kids
Easter is right around the corner. We found these quick, easy and entertaining activities you can do with the kids, guaranteed fun for all. 
Easter Bunny Bread – now who wouldn’t want to sit down to a wonderful meal and enjoy bunny shaped bread, made by the kids!
Marshmallow Peeps Cupcakes – Are you a fan of Peeps? These cupcakes will be a crowd pleaser.
Check out our Pinterest Board full of Easter ideas!
And there’s still time to make that Easter Basket! Our favorite …. you can never go wrong with books and candy!
Summer Nannies Are Here
When Spring Break hits parents start thinking about summer and summer childcare.
TLC for Kids can help you with your summer childcare needs. We have wonderful nannies that are interested in securing work for the summer. Hiring a nanny is the best option for St. Louis families’, whether you are looking for full-time or part-time childcare.
Hiring a summer nanny from TLC is like having your very own camp counselor! Summer nannies will schedule fun parent approved outings for the kids like going to the amusement park, swimming, museum, bowling, play groups, the zoo and more. TLC summer nannies will also do tutoring over the summer so that your kids are on track for their upcoming school year.
Since we have so many nannies available, we are able to offer our registered clients substantial savings on a summer placement. Give me a call to discuss discounts for full-time, part-time, and long term temp (up to two months) placements.
Click on our summer nanny parent application to start your search. You can save $100 if you start your search by March 31st. If you have any questions please give us a call.
And don’t forget we have great babysitters available for weekends, days, and evenings too.
Already have a summer nanny? For each referral you send us you will earn credits toward upcoming TLC services.
Happy Spring!
Summer Childcare is here!
Spring Break is here and that is when parents start looking ahead to summer. Planning and registering for camps is a full time job! Instead, let TLC for Kids help you find great childcare this summer.
TLC can help you with all your summer childcare needs. We have fun and experienced nannies ready to make this summer a great one for everyone. Whether you are looking for full-time or part-time childcare, hiring a nanny is the best option for families.
Hiring a summer nanny from TLC is like having your very own camp counselor! Summer nannies will schedule fun parent approved outings for the kids like going to the amusement park, swimming, museum, bowling, play groups, the zoo and more.
Visit our website to learn more about TLC’s summer nannies. You can also fill out the parent application on line to get your search started.