Posts Tagged ‘Miami nanny agencies’
Instant Nanny-Priority Shipping Please!
Special thank you to Stanford Park Nannies for sharing this blog with us!
“You missed the last few episodes of ‘Mad Men’ recently; but don’t worry, click click, within seconds the entire season is in your queue! Your family is hungry… NOW! Click click, and soon…. ding-dong! Meal delivered! Instant solutions at the click of a mouse—great, right?
In this day and age, we are accustomed to having our needs filled in an INSTANT, and often times we will settle for nothing less. I can’t tell you how often we see our busy clients growing more and more anxious about the time it takes to hire a nanny. After all, you can post and ad online and see hundreds of available nannies ready to hire now, so why, oh why, does it take so long to hire YOUR nanny? If you can spare 3 minutes, allow me to explain why, when it comes to hiring a nanny, patience is a virtue.
– Your Nanny Soul Mate
Anyone can check the “search criteria” boxes that define availability, years of experience, and education level, resulting in the message that “350 Nannies Are a Match!” Considering the fact that you are selecting a person who will become an extension of your parenting team, your “matching” criteria should go well beyond the check boxes.
When I meet families, I focus my attention on subtle characteristics and while they may seem insignificant, they are actually the core basis that forms a critical picture of the best match. Consider parenting style and personality attributes alone; is she a loud talker, and you’re a soft talker? Are you a straightforward communicator and she avoids confrontation at all costs? This type of matching takes time, and requires deeper evaluation beyond basic check boxes.
– Digging, Sleuthing, and Checking It Twice
Although our clients understand that we conduct background checks and call references—much like families do on their own—they don’t always understand how in depth that process can be. When you are hopeful about a possible nanny “match,” you may quickly call 1 or 2 references and assume that you have covered all your bases. Since you like the nanny and are eager to close the deal, you hire her quickly and cross your fingers that it will work out. After all, you are a busy parent with diapers to change, groceries to buy, crying children to console, and sibling fights to referee.
By contrast, our research team is on duty 5 days a week, 8 hours a day, with ONE purpose—to VET. They specialize in digging deep into each nanny’s work history, questioning, verifying and relentlessly investigating every detail. This information helps us to completely understand a nanny’s skills, personality attributes, and natural tendencies. Families can almost be blinded by a 5-star review, or an excellent reference, but we are trained to look past that. Is this process tedious and time consuming? Absolutely. Is it worth it? Always.
– Word of WHOSE mouth?
Word of mouth referrals can lead to a successful hire, and can be a big time saver!
When a nanny is referred to you by a friend, you have observed her dedication to your friend’s family and know she is trustworthy, so you open your doors to her without hesitation. What you haven’t done is taken the time to consider YOUR needs and how they may differ from those of your friend.
I recently spoke with a mom who did just this. She was confused and disappointed because she thought by hiring her friend’s nanny she had found a quick and reliable solution. She couldn’t understand why their relationship wasn’t working. During our long conversation, we explored her specific needs as well as her family’s characteristics and style. It became clear that the nanny she hastily hired was indeed a great nanny, but not a great nanny for HER.
So while you sit and dream of the day when you can order an instant nanny and rush the shipping, it is helpful to remember that taking some extra time now could provide your children, family, and nanny with a long lasting and successful relationship. Trust me—leave the click- clicking to Amazon and eBay!”
Understanding Nanny Taxes
Tax season has started and many of you are working on filing your taxes. TLC for Kids has received a few calls today about how to handle nanny taxes. We are not tax experts, so we recommend using Breedlove and Associates for all your household employment needs. Here is some information from Breedlove on nanny taxes.
Paying taxes tends to invoke negative feelings for most people. Fortunately for household employers, there’s a silver lining– tax breaks. As long as you and your spouse are working or are a full-time student and have at least one child under 13, you’re in a great position to make back most, if not all, of your nanny taxes. Here are two ways you can save:
1) Dependent Care Flexible Spending Account. Many companies offer their employees the option to set aside up to $5,000 of their pre-tax earnings into a Dependent Care Account to pay for childcare expenses. This means there is no federal or state income tax, Social Security tax or Medicare tax on $5,000 of either you or your spouse’s income. Depending on your state and your tax bracket, this deduction will save you anywhere from $2,000 to $2,300 per year.
2) Child Care Tax Credit. If you don’t have access to a Dependent Care Account, you can claim the Tax Credit for Child or Dependent Care (IRS Form 2441) on your federal income tax return at year end. If you have one child, you can save up to $600 per year (20% on up to $3,000 in childcare expenses). If you have two or more children, your savings will be up to $1,200 per year (20% on up to $6,000 in childcare expenses).
Great News! If you have two or more children under the age of 13, you can use a combination of these two tax breaks in order to achieve a maximum of $2,500 in tax savings.
For many families, the tax breaks will offset a large portion of the employer tax costs. This is especially true for those employing someone on a part-time, seasonal or NannyShare basis.
We hope you find this helpful. Please call TLC for Kids St. Louis 314-725-5660 or TLC for Kids Miami 305-256-5905 for your child care needs.