Thursday, August 21, 2014

This article makes having an aupair seem almost free and so much better!


 (CNN Money)
It seems like a parental dream: A college-educated babysitter shows up, leads your kids through homework, dinnertime and a masterpiece art project, cleans the house and then gives you a report card of how the evening went.
This dream can be a reality thanks to high-end babysitting services in New York City, but it comes at a price -- up to $33 an hour.
That's more than twice the rate NYC parents typically shell out for sitters. And it's a far cry from the paid-in-pizza, put-the-kids-in-front-of-a-TV approach many suburban families are used to.
Sitters Studio, a network of more than 100 caretakers in New York and Chicago, charges about $25 for one child, and the rate goes up depending on how many kids are at home. There's also a $20 booking fee each time a parent reserves a sitter and a four-hour minimum.
That means for one night out, a one-child family would pay $120.
Kristina Wilson, Sitters Studio's CEO, said that while the cost is high, parents are getting a lot for their money. All their sitters are required to show up ten minutes early with a tote bag filled with "artistic toys," abide by a no-TV policy, and they are required to make sure all homework and household tasks are complete.
Plus, because the company doesn't pay sitters in cash, the service is able to provide families with full documentation of what they paid. This means they can apply for Child and Dependent Care credit on federal tax returns.
Related: 'The most surprising cost of raising my kid'
"On top of the picking children up from school and mealtime, the kids will get a unique artistic experience every time," she said. "If our sitter works with a child to come up with a ballet or a piece of art made out of recycled materials, at the end of the night, they will fill out a report card to let the parent know what they created and how it helped with self-esteem and general creative thinking."
A number of babysitting services have cropped up to capitalize on the high price parents are willing to pay.
Hamptons Babysitters, established to cater to vacationing families in the famed, ritzy beach towns on New York's Long Island, sets parents up with CPR-certified sitters who are 18 and over, have passed background checks, and are guaranteed to show up on time.
"We usually get families who maybe don't have their nannies or usual sitters out at the beach, but want to be able to go out and leave their children with a sitter they can trust," said Chloe Laundrie, a 22-year-old Hamptons Babysitter who just graduated college with a degree in elementary education. She is now running the service's business end as well.
There's a three-hour minimum, and the service charges $25 an hour for one child, and $33 for three. On top of this, there's a $25 booking fee.
Related: Kumbay-OMG! A $16,000 price tag for summer camp
These rates are shockingly high, even given the fact that babysitters in New York are ranked the most expensive in the country.
The average hourly rate for one child in New York is $15.34, according to a survey of 7,500 families conducted by UrbanSitter. That's $1.21 more per hour than the national average, and even beats out babysitter rates in other big cities like San Francisco, Los Angeles. D.C. and Boston.
By comparison, the national average hourly pay for preschool teachers is $15.11, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics -- and that's for teaching a whole class. And of course, the federal minimum wage is $7.25 an hour.
Related: How much will it cost to raise your child?
Laundrie said that parents don't seem to mind the cost.
"I hear moms say they can't put a price on childcare," she said. "Even though the [rates] are a little bit higher, they understand most of the time."

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

Sunday, August 3, 2014

FAITH IN CHILDCARE


An au pair brings friendship and comfort to a mother with two special needs boys.
There is a daily routine at Diane Sherwood’s home: get the boys up, dressed, fed and prepared for the day.
While this appears to be a normal routine for most families, Diane wouldn’t be able to work and provide for
her special needs boys without the help of her au pair, Gaby Itzel. Diane has had five wonderful cultural
exchange au pairs from AuPairCare and has experienced how these au pairs can really become part of the
family But Gaby was the first to stay beyond her initial year. Knowing the special challenges involved, she
chose to stay with Diane and her boys.
A single mom who works from home as a
Director of Finance and Human Resources for the
Pennsylvania Restaurant & Lodging Association,
Diane has always attempted to find the elusive
balance between family and work. Over five years
ago, a career move to North Carolina and then to
the Kansas City region took her away from her
family in Pennsylvania, which also meant she lost
the childcare that was provided by her close knit
relatives. Unable to work without childcare, she
began seeking live in
childcare options that would
allow her to continue to be present yet work from
home. She determined that au pairs were the
answer as live in
care was critical. Both her
young boys are special and high needs, requiring
reliable and special needs experienced childcare.
After much research, Diane decided to use
AuPairCare’s services because she felt the au
pairs from AuPairCare met her specific needs.
“All of our au pairs have been amazing,” reflects
Diane. “The au pairs were always sweet and
friendly, and while they all took great care of my
boys I was fortunate to have the added benefit of
forming deep personal friendships with some of
them.”

Gaby has been no exception. Early in the interview process during their Skype sessions, Diane was drawn
to Gaby’s positive personality, also noting her excellent English which she learned in El Salvador at her high
school. She discovered that despite this being Gaby’s first experience as an au pair, she brought with her a
wealth of special needs childcare experience and skills from having spent time working with special needs
children at her church. This piqued Diane’s interest. She went on to learn that faith was an important
cornerstone to Gaby’s life. This was the final piece to selecting Gaby as Diane’s own religious beliefs are
important to her daily life. After many Skype calls with Diane and her boys, Gaby arrived in March of 2013.
Gaby does what other AuPairCare au pairs do –
she engages and provides exceptional childcare.
In conjunction with their special education in the
public school system, she creates fun and
inspiring activities adapted especially for these
boys that often involve the whole family. The boys’
unique medical problems create special
challenges, and Gaby has learned to provide the
treatments when Diane is working. But it isn’t just
the medical care that is a challenge. Anyone that
has a child with any form of disability knows the
physical, mental and emotional toll it can take and
sharing these challenges with another person is
critical.
“Gaby has become one of my favorite au pairs,” said Tajana Alvegard, AuPairCare’s Area Director for
Kansas City. “Despite Gaby’s young age, she is a very mature, patient and is able to be there for the host
mom as well as be there for the kids. The host mom and au pair have a great relationship and it has turned
into a real friendship. She has a heart of gold.”
Their friendship extends past their mutual bond of the boys. They both worship together at Life Church in the
Kansas City area. This dynamic, outreach oriented
church offers foundational values, some of which include
genuine community, local outreach and world missions. Gaby spends much of her time here, involved with
the college ministry on Tuesdays and the children’s faith programs, as she is deeply rooted in any form of
volunteerism.
“We can all learn something from her,”
added Tatjana. “Gaby always reaches out
to the new au pairs when they arrive to
make them feel welcome. She’s also
always the first to help or pickup
au pairs
for meetings if they need a ride.
Throughout their relationship, Diane and
Gaby have acknowledged that their
relationship is stronger and deeper. Only
a few weeks ago, Gaby had the day off
and texted Diane in the evening and
asked her to have dinner. Diane was very
touched by this because Gaby had chosen to spend her free time with her having dinner out together as
friends.
“God wants me to help others,” shares Gaby. “Diane and the boys are changing my life and I’m being taught
about faith in an entirely different way. When I went to visit my family in El Salvador, I didn’t realize how
much I was going to miss my [American] family. My love for Diane and the boys grew even more when I was
gone and I found myself homesick for them.”
Diane couldn’t agree more.
“She has become my right hand, sister, daughter and best friend all in one,” said Diane. “She’s a package
deal! I can’t imagine my life without her. God is certainly blessing my family.”
 








End of Summer water safety

Only a few more weeks of summer left. Don't let down your guard while at the pool, lake or ocean when you are watching children. A child can drown in only a few inches of water so be careful. Stay off your phones and the virtual world. Be Present in this world and enjoy the last weeks of summer and sun!