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Part Two – Hiring the Right Nanny

There is an old saying that “knowledge is power”. In this case it is your best ally. Just as you plotted your way through the agency interview and reference checking phase, you have to do the same investigative digging on each Nanny you think might have something to offer you and your family.

The rule of thumb for hiring a Nanny: Give yourself plenty of time.

Never rush through an interview either. You need time to go through every question on your list, to get a feel for one another and how the Caregiver responds to your child(ren) and vise versa.

Making a comprehensive list of questions is a necessity. Yes it is time consuming. And if you think your list is too long . . . so what? How many of us have sat through interviews that have lasted the better of two hours? It is your family’s safety and well-being at stake here. You have to do whatever it takes to make you absolutely certain this is the right person to hire. For a comprehensive list of “tough” questions, see our Hiring a Nanny Worksheets and Forms.

Ask The Right Questions

No question is too personal or too tough. Granted there are laws in each state or province that an employer is not allowed to ask. Contact your local labor relations board for these and work around them. Be as creative as possible. And don’t forget to ask for the all-important criminal records check, medical report and drivers abstract. With these you’ll gather hordes of information on a potential Caregiver’s criminal record background, her ability to both physically and mentally deal with children on a daily basis, and if this is the type of person you want driving your children to all those fun filled extracurricular activities.

What makes things a bit tricky here is that parents don’t feel comfortable asking the tough questions? Well get over it. You have to move outside your comfort zone whether you like it or not, after all, there may well be not so nice tradeoffs involved in making the decision not to ask the tough questions. Your children don’t need to pay the price for homework left undone.

Open ended questions, what if scenarios, and questions that avoid the yes/no answer give you the best response to your interviewing inquisition. They do more than give a simple answer, they ask the applicant to expound on her answer . . . to tell you how she handles spilled milk instead of just saying “yes” she can remain calm and level headed when it happens three times during a single lunch.

While you’re asking questions, give the potential Nanny time to respond. Let her mull each question over. In fact, you should refrain from constantly jumping in with conversation there is a bit of silence. Your job is to control the interview, to guide it along, but not to make it a chat session. You are here to gather information, not make an instant friend.Ask yourself if the Nanny’s answers correspond with your wants for your child, with your philosophy on child rearing.

Interviewing

For most people, setting up an interview time when their spouse and children will be around works best. It gives you the opportunity to watch how the Caregiver interacts with your child and allows for a second opinion when it comes time to collaborate on the interview and decision to hire. If your spouse is unable to attend the interview, have someone else be there with you. We’ve all sat through interviews where there was more than one interviewer. Why should you conduct your business any differently? Besides, the person you invite to join you can pick up on little nuances you may not have being so concentrated on the interview itself.

Never make a hiring decision on the spot. No matter how wonderful you think the applicant may be, you need time to review your notes, to talk about the interview with your partner, to think rationally about what has transpired. This is obviously easier said than done given the huge demand for in-home Caregivers. Nanny jobs are a dime a dozen these days. Needless to say the good ones go fast. This is no reason to rush in. In fact, conducting a second or third interview with a Caregiver is as acceptable in this instance as it is in any other business hiring session.

Of course, you won’t let a Caregiver slip away without giving you a list of at least three work related references. Unless you know for certain this is not the Marry Poppins for you. Then who cares. But for those applicants who strike your fancy, checking references is a way to verify the “claims” made during the interview. You’ll kept notes won’t you?
Checking References
Checking each and every reference is an absolute must. No checking just the number in the middle of the list or contacting the first referee (the actual name of a reference contact) and no others. What you find out from one reference may turn out completely different from the next one.

In most cases, the references you opt not to check, may be more important than the ones you choose to check. Each applicant should offer you a minimum of three non-related referees in addition to the work related list. Begin each reference checking session with a well-prepared list of questions.

There are two basic ways to check references:

1. Telephone interviews, which remain the most efficient method giving
you a live and unedited report on the Nanny’s background and
character.
2. Written references, which are more time consuming but ideal if you
are having trouble contacting a referee by telephone (sending a
questionnaire attached to a “please fill out” letter and self-
addressed-stamped envelope. For a comprehensive list of verification
inducing reference checking questions see our Hiring a Nanny
Worksheets and Forms.

During your reference checking remember that anything that makes you remotely suspicious is reason enough not to hire the applicant, or in the very least an indication that you need to do some further investigation.

As for the criminal record check or police clearance, the applicant will have to get this on her own by going down to her local police department and requesting one. Or, you can have the applicant fill out an Authorization for Background Check Form, that allows you to do the background investigation yourself. Any Caregiver who refuses to produce a current criminal records check is to be avoided outright. You want to verify the certificate by asking to see an actual copy of the records check, not a photocopy. Make sure the certificate is not over two years old. If it is tell the applicant you want it updated before you’ll even consider her for your job.

A medical note, verifying the applicant’s mental and physical health can be obtained by the Caregiver’s family doctor. A driver’s abstract can be purchased at any vehicle registration bureau.

The most effective way to handle the decision making process after the interview and reference checking sessions, is to work through an Assessment Sheet, particularly if there is more than one applicant that interests you and your family. Ideally you’ll list what you liked about each Caregiver, what areas of concern you have (so that you can follow this up with yet another quick interview either in person or over the telephone), your overall feelings, and then finally your child’s overall feelings.

The National Statement on Quality Child Care (Canadian Child Care Federation) outlines the following as the seven most important areas parents should be concerned about with regards to quality child care.

1] Caregiver Qualifications

Includes:

* Staff members who have at least one year ECE or child development education
* A commitment to continued education through a combination of training courses, seminars, books and association newsletters
* A genuine interest in both the children and the family
* An ability to outwardly express affection
* A happy personality.

2] Child Development

Includes:

* Programming that involves physical, social, intellectual and emotional learning through a variety of activities and play materials
* A daily balance between indoor and outdoor play; quiet and active times; group activities and individual activities
* An opportunity for children to initiate activities
* A daily routine children can become familiar with and anticipate
* Children in a quality child care setting are happy and playing contentedly when parents arrive to pick them up. They bring home art work, show enthusiasm for going to the place of care, and repeat songs, games and stories they have been taught.

3] Child/Staff Ration & Group Size

* Play a very big role in quality child care. Children learn more and socialize better in small groups where the caregiver can provide them with more personalized interaction and caring.
* The number of children cared for by one adult should be low, as should the size of the group – no matter how many adults are present. This is particularly important for infants and toddlers who require more one-on-one nurturing
* Family daycare home providers should have no more than six children, including the provider’s own children, at one time. Of those, there should be no more than one infant under 18 months.

4] Health & Nutrition

Includes:

* Good handwashing techniques of staff and children
* Separate diaper changing areas away from food and food preparation areas
* A sick room
* Overall cleanliness of staff and facility
* Sick child policy
* Involvement of community health practitioners such as a physician, dental hygienist, health nurse
* Up-to-date health records and immunization requirements
* Medication and emergency medical treatment permission slips
* Food prepared according to the federal food guide, i.e., morning and afternoon snacks, proper meals, posted menus
* Food served in small groups that are properly supervised.

5] Safety

Includes:

* Emergency telephone numbers posted by each phone
* Written plans for emergencies that are clearly posted in each room
* Working smoke detectors, fire extinguishers and sprinkler systems
* Well-stocked and accessible first aid kit
* Staff members who have a valid first-aid and infant CPR certificate
* Stairwells that are not cluttered
* A minimum of two exits.

6] Parent/Caregiver Relationships

Must:

* Be one of mutual respect
* Include daily communication either (hopefully) oral or written
* Include frequent parent/provider consultations
* Include an open environment where parents are welcome anytime, in any part of the facility without notice
* Include bulletin boards for notices, menus, activities, field trips, and parent communications.

7] Partnerships

Includes:

* Providers who are associated with local organizations, agencies and local training institutions, who work hand in hand with licensing boards to maintain the minimum standard of care
* Membership in local, provincial/state and national organizations
* The use of community resources such as libraries, schools, museums, and help children learn more about the world around them.

Resources

The National Statement on Quality Child Care
Canadian Child Care Federation
#306, 120 Holland
Ottawa, Ontario K1Y 9Z9

At childcare.net, we strongly encourage parents to monitor their child care arrangements to ensure they remain safe and of good quality. We’ve even published workbooks on the topic, such as our Warning Signs of Poor Child Care and Monitoring Your Child Care Arrangements. And with the ever-growing placement of real-time video cameras in daycare centres, parent’s can handle the task from the convenience of their work computer. Even parents on the go or without access to a computer will soon be able to check in on their children through the Internet on their cell phones thanks to forward-thinking companies like Watchkids.com.

While daycare centers and family daycare homes have open-door policies that let you visit your child anytime, not all parents are able to leave work during the day. For these parents, access to a daycare video system where they can pop online and see how their child is doing, is well worth the nominal month service fee.

Parents who sign up for a center’s video service log on at least six times a day, on average, for 15 minutes at a time, notes Bonnie Rotham Morris, in her New York Times article, Webcams Focus on Day Care. “Parents who are watching say the service is the balm that soothes their guilt about leaving their children in day care for stretches as long as 12 hours daily.”

Video Systems

Daycare video systems also enhance parent provider communication. Instead of asking the teacher how a child’s day was, parents can ask specific questions about their child’s behaviour or eating habits, or simply have a chuckle about a silly thing they saw their child do. Likewise, parents can strike up a conversation with their child on the ride home about the art project of the day or the book they read with the teacher.

But parents aren’t the only one’s who benefit from from a daycare real-time video system. The centres themselves have a lot to gain from installing the program. This type of service helps generating new enrollments and increase revenue opportunities. It reaffirms a complete open-door policy enhancing trust, communication, and goodwill between staff and parents. Above all, it soothes a parent’s worries and concerns when they see, first hand, how wonderful and caring employees at a centre are.

How does it Work?

Real network cameras that do not need to be connected to a PC are installed in centre classrooms and positioned on the children’s favorite gathering places. No cameras are pointed at diaper-changing stations, bathrooms or administrative offices. Authorized parents can then log in with a unique user name and password enabling them to view streaming images of their children via an Internet connection.

Today, companies like WatchKids, provide free cameras and the servers that drive the video over the Internet. For a nominal monthly fee parents can have fun watching their child play and learn. Watchkids also provides an online community that allows the childcare provider to communicate with the parents through a secure message system. As a monitoring system for child care, the peace of mind such systems provide is priceless.

When parents begin the all encompassing task of looking for child care, their thoughts are focused on locating safe, quality child care where the center or home is warm and inviting and the caregiver is friendly and loving.  Few parents are concerned about how a center operates, where their fee go, or just who is responsible for planning the center’s program.  Fewer yet even know about the difference in profit and non-profit centers.

From the outside, much like a book, they all look the same.  It is only upon further inspection that these differences become apparent. Non-profit centers, in many states, provinces and territories, are eligible for a majority of the funding allocated to child care services. This funding might include, capital funding, startup funding,  a per child fee grant and parent subsidies.

Profit

Private, or profit centers, on the other hand, rely on parent fees to operate.  While this in no way determines the care the private operator provides, it does severely limit the program in that in order to remain competitive it must rely on the cost reducing measures to maintain even the basics like art supplies, learning materials and repair bills. The time spent worrying about how to stay ‘in the black’ would be better served in thinking about enhancing a program or receive accreditation.

What difference does funding make?  It allows directors and their staff an opportunity to attend courses and seminars.  It purchases better equipment, keeps facilities upgraded.  It benefits the little people for whom is intended, the children.

Non-Profit

Non-profit centers, in order to receive funding, must be run by a board of directors, composed of at least 51% parents.  Who better to determine the services and programs best for their children than parents.  Further, this board is accountable for ensuring the money
it receives is being invested in the families it serves.

The Canadian Day Care Advocacy Association, in their paper
“Value For Child Care Dollars: Avoiding False Solutions to Child Care Funding” states, “Clearly, to ensure the beat use of tax
dollars, direct public investments in a comprehensive, high quality system serving all Canadians families must be under non-profit auspices.” Studies prove that when given the opportunity parents would choose a non-profit center.  Given the difference in how a center is operated and funded, it will continue to be a growing  trend in child care.