Annie’s Nanny Network

We’ve recently been informed by our household tax specialists, Breedlove & Associates, that an existing tax law is now getting a lot more attention given our current economy and the increase in unemployment claims. If you are a nanny who does any on-call and/or temporary nanny work, you need to be aware of this law and the new attention it’s getting. If a family pays more than $1,000 per quarter in combined wages to all temporary household employees, they are obligated to contribute to the state and federal unemployment insurance funds.  If a family choses to adhere to this law, it will flag each household employee to the IRS.  While there is no tax-withholding obligation on the front end for the nanny, the IRS could use this information to check to see if these wages are being claimed on the nanny’s tax return.  Therefore, it is always a good idea to track all your income throughout the year, even if it’s just temporary work.

For more information, feel free to contact Breedlove & Associates. They are willing to explain this law further and answer any questions you might have.

Tags: nanny community, nanny taxes, seattle nanny, temporary nanny

As with any career field, staying on top of the most current information and skills is important. By adding to your knowledge base with continuing education courses, you not only make yourself a better nanny but also make your resume stand out from the pack.

There are several options in Washington state for achieiving education goals. The first is the STARS program. This program is designed to improve childcare through basic training and continuing education. It is mandatory for anyone working in a licensed facility, but it is also available to nannies as well. They offer several options for completing the basic 20 hour program, including online courses, site-based courses, and self-paced correspondence courses. The fees range from $95-$155, depending upon the course you choose.

The second option is to get an AA or BA in Early Childhood Development from a local community college or university. The Washington State Department of Early Learning offers scholarships, apprenticeship programs, and access to various continuing education opportunities.

There are also many organizations that support nannies and early childhood educators. The Washington Association for the Education of Young Children is dedicated to improving the quality and accessibility of early care and education programs for children birth-eight years old. They have regular classes, workshops, and publications all centered around increasing knowledge. The Northwest Nanny Association is a non-profit nanny support group in your own backyard! Their goal is to promote education in the field of childhood development, social networking, and advocacy for the nanny community. The International Nanny Association is another nanny support group whose goal is to serve the in-home childcare industry by providing education, information, and guidance.

Last, but not least, is networking with other nannies. By forming playgroups and your own nanny support groups you can share information-not only the educational kind, but stories good and bad. Being a nanny is a very rewarding career, but it can also be isolating at times. Getting out and meeting other nannies can help you feel more connected and satisfied in your career.

Tags: continuing education, nanny blog, nanny community, nanny jobs, nanny jobs seattle, seattle nannies

At Annie’s Nannies we are very involved in the community and routinely donate our services for various charities and community organizations.  On April 28th, as part of our on-going support of the Program for Early Parent Support (PEPS), we donated childcare at their 11th Annual Luncheon.  The Seattle Children’s Museum donated space for us to utilize.  Ten of our nannies volunteered their time to care for thirty children who ranged in age from 12 months to 4 1/2 years.  The children participated in craft activities, explored the museum and had a lot of fun!  The nannies also enjoyed themselves.  The parents were quite happy to know that their children were in good hands while they enjoyed the luncheon.

Nannies Andrea, Amanda, and Amber with their charges exploring the

developmental activity in the Curiosity Corner.

Nanny Kim with her charges eating lunch in the party room.

Nanny Amber with her charge in the Curiosity Corner.

Nanny Sarah with her charges after exploring the Children’s Museum.

Thank you to all the nannies that participated!! We couldn’t have done it without you!

Tags: event childcare, nanny, PEPs, seattle nanny, seattle nanny community

Ah, Spring! The hint of Summer is just around the corner. Slightly warmer days and more daylight. What could be better? But of course, Spring also brings lots of rain to our area! We pooled our resources and came up with some fun (and free!) Springtime activities to do indoors on rainy days, and some ideas for outdoor activities on the rarer nice days.

INDOOR ACTIVITIES:

1. Indoor camping- Throw a sheet over your kitchen table and camp out underneath. You can sing campfire songs, make s’mores in the microwave, and pretend to go fishing. If you have access to a small pop-tent, these can be set up indoors temporarily and provide hours of entertainment.

2. Write and Illustrate a book- With construction paper and some crayons, the children can become authors and illustrators. If old enough, let them write their own stories and illustrate them (either by drawing pictures or cutting photos out of old magazines) or for younger children, you can write down their story as they dictate it to you.

3. Treasure Hunt- Hide a small treasure (a bag of candy, new game, etc.) somewhere in the house. Use post-it notes to write clues and hide them throughout the house. Each clue leads to another clue, until finally the last one will lead the children to the “treasure.”

4. Café Kids. Let the kids create restaurant menus of items you have in the kitchen. Take turns giving lunch orders to each other (or you). Let everyone be the kitchen staff to prepare the lunches, and then switch to become the customers who get to eat the delicious meals they’ve ordered!

5. Oversized painting- Tape several large sheets of paper together on the backside or get a large role of butcher paper. Fill a few containers with different colors of finger-paints and give the kids a box of strange items to make their painting with. Try: a spaghetti strainer, a balloon, a mop head, sponges, rain boots and any other objects you see lying around!

OUTDOOR ACTIVITIES:

1. Bubble art- Just about every kid enjoys bubbles! Create your own bubble solution with dishwashing liquid, water, and a teaspoon of sugar. Pour into a shallow container with a wide open mouth and then use odd objects to create your bubbles. String, rubber bands, the spaghetti strainer, straws, slotted spoons and anything else you can think of make some fun bubbles! When the kids tire of making bubbles, add a few drops of food coloring to the bubble solution and have them blow bubbles that pop onto white paper. The result will be an artistic masterpiece made from the rainbow colored bubbles!

2. Scavenger Hunt- Create a list of 20 or more things that can be found naturally outside in your area, things like pinecones, specific flowers, nuts, etc. Send the kids on a scavenger hunt to try and collect one of each item on the list. This can be done as a group effort, or each child can compete with the other to see who can find the most objects the fastest.

3. Yard sale- Help the kids organize a yard sale. They can price their unused toys and clothing and other items that it’s time to get rid of. Set up the tables outside with the items to sell and handle the “customers.” Anything that doesn’t sell can be donated to a local charity or placed on ebay (and the kids could use the money to buy themselves something they want).

4. Plant a container garden- Many vegetables and herbs can be grown indoors or outdoors inside containers. Let the children pick some varieties to grow and tend to them throughout the spring/summer. It may even convince them to eat a vegetable if they know they grew it!

5. Be a tourist- Pretend to be a tourist in your own town and nearby locations. Use maps to discover landmarks, attractions, and parks that you’ve never gone to, and plan trips to visit each. There are many interesting things around Seattle that are free. For example: the Aurora Bridge Troll, the downtown Seattle Library, various musuems offer free days, and of course all the wonderful parks!

Tags: bellevue nanny, free kids activities, kids activities in seattle, nanny, seattle nanny

Job hunting is never a pleasant task, especially in a down economy. The recession has definitely affected us in the Seattle area and we’ve seen a change in not only the amount of jobs but salary levels as well. There are still good jobs to be had, but the competition for them is fierce. So, here are a list of tips to make yourself stand out to potential families:

• Be prompt and be responsive! If a family is taking the time to call you for an interview, call them back right away. If you are going to an interview, arrive early. If you have to cancel, call and email the family. Do not assume they will get your email or your voicemail!
• Be realistic and negotiable! If there are 10 people with equal credientials vying for the same position, it’s not a good idea to be inflexible with regards to salary. We are not saying you should take less than you’re worth, but remember to be open to other types of compensation like paid time off and help with health insurance.
• Make your resume shine! Make sure all your paperwork represents you in the best way possible. Correct grammar and spelling mistakes. These are just not excusable when there is spell check! The old idea that your resume needs to be one page long is not really applicable anymore. Make sure you list ALL of your relevant experience, no matter how far back. It doesn’t matter if a job was 10 years ago and you no longer have a reference, it shows your work history and your professionalism. List your work experience in chronological order with the most recent job first. Make sure you detail out the ages of the children and give a brief summary of your responsibilities.

Tags: eastside nanny jobs, nanny, nanny jobs, seattle nanny jobs

Effective January 1st, 2009, the standard IRS Mileage reimbursement rate will change to $.55 cents per mile (down from$.58 1/2 cents per mile). If you are driving your own vehicle for work you should be reimbursed for any driving done as a job requirement.

We’ve had a lot of questions lately regarding the appropriate dress for household interviews. Determining what to wear can be tricky as jobs in the domestic setting do not always follow conventional professional guidelines. Here are some basic guidelines to keep in mind:

For the first interview, the safe choice is to dress “business casual,” as first impressions are very important. At the same time, you do not want to wear something that is so formal that it doesn’t give you mobility to get down and interact with the children. A nice pair of slacks and a nice top or collared shirt is a good option.

If the family does invite you back for a second interview or a “working interview,” then a nice pair of jeans and a nice top is appropriate. Since you will be interacting with the children more, you need to wear something that will allow you to easily get down on their level and play with them. Avoid dangling earrings and necklaces that the children can grab a hold of and pull.

Keep in mind that the first impression you make is one of the most important things when meeting potential employers, and first impressions can never be erased!

We often get questions from families and nannies about making health insurance part of the overall compensation package. Typcially nannies secure an individual health insurance plan and then the family will pay all or a portion of the monthly premium. There are tax incentives for families and nannies. Here is some more information to get you started:

Health Insurance Premiums Are Considered Non-Taxable Compensation

Because health insurance is critically important, the government uses tax incentives to encourage employers to provide coverage for their employees. Therefore, household employers can provide health insurance premiums and have it be considered non-taxable compensation. This means the entire amount of the premium is tax-free to you and also tax-free to your employee - making it a great way to increase the “take-home” pay for an employee without increasing your out-of-pocket costs.

Insurance Providers

By law, health insurance must be bought through state-licensed providers. Due to the increasing self employment pool in America, more health insurance companies are beginning to offer comprehensive plans for individuals. Because there are still some illegitimate insurance providers in every state, we recommend that you exercise caution and allow ample time to research the various providers in your area. There are also various websites that can be very helpful in comparing plans from different carriers. Here are a few we’ve found.

http://www.ehealthinsurance.com/

http://www.ehealthlink.com/Washington/Default.asp

Coverage Options

Generally, there are four types of health plans (from least expensive to most expensive): (1) Catastrophic Care, which covers hospitalization only; (2) Health Maintenance Organizations (HMOs), which offer full coverage if you utilize their medical facilities and/or their limited choice of physicians; (3) Preferred Provider Organizations (PPOs), which offer full coverage through large physician networks; and (4) Indemnity Plans, which allow patients to see any physician at any medical facility - no limitations at all. Within each of these types of plans, there are numerous options on deductibles, co-pay amounts, prescription benefits, emergency care benefits, etc.

Costs

Unfortunately, getting an accurate quote for an individual health plan involves more than a quick phone call. There are many options and each comes with different levels of coverage and costs. In addition, the individual being covered will be a key factor in the cost of the plan; age, weight, health condition/history, lifestyle, where she/he lives, etc. will contribute to an overall health profile and be used to determine the amount of the monthly premium. Because of the customized nature of the process, it takes a little time to obtain accurate price quotes. For general budgeting, however, you can estimate premiums ranging from $200 per month to more than $350 per month.

Information supplied by Breedlove & Associates. Founded in 1992 - by household employers for household employers - Breedlove & Associates is a full-service, full-support tax & payroll service. They have served more than 11,000 clients and processed more than $1 billion in household payroll. For more information regarding employment taxes call 1-888-273-3356 or visit www.breedlove-online.com.

Tags: health insurance, nanny, nanny blog, nanny health insurance, seattle nanny

Fall can be a wonderful time in the Pacific Northwest.  There are lots of great fall-themed events like pumpkin patches, corn mazes, harvest festivals, and all the Halloween parties!  There are lots of farms within a short drive of Seattle. Some charge fees, and some are free. Taking children to a farm is a great way to expose them to where their food comes from.  Here are a few links to help you get started!

Fall City Farms in Fall City, WA

Remlinger Farms in Carnation, WA

Craven Farm in Snohomish, WA

Biringer Farms in Everett, WA

Tags: fall events, fun activities in Seattle, nanny

What does your online presence say about you? Just four short years ago, job searchers did not have to worry about this question. Now it can actually make or break a job offer. Websites like Facebook and MySpace are a fun way to stay connected with friends, but what you say about yourself, what pictures you post and what others post about you can be significant.

We recently had a family call us and tell us about a nanny they wanted to hire through another source. They were very excited about this nanny and were preparing an offer for her until they saw her Facebook account. It had posts and pictures about her drinking escapades. The family was immediately turned off and did not offer the nanny their job.

A New York Times article discussed the issue of setting your account to private. Most users assume that if they do this, only their “friends” will be able to see what they post. But, there are multiple ways around the privacy setting. Simply put, if you don’t want anyone else knowing about your private life do not post it online!

There are ways to capitalize your online presence to help you with your job search. In an article on MyCareer.com, they give lots of tips about how posting photos, videos and resume highlights online can actual help attract potential employers. As a nanny, posting pictures of you with children you care for, discussing your childcare experience and posting amusing stories can be beneficial.

Tags: nanny jobs, online presence, seattle nanny