Trusting Connections Nanny Agency

Rosalind Prather

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Tips on Finding Safe Child Care

child careWhether you are first-time parents or veteran parents, we all reach that inevitable day when we will have to leave our kid(s) to head back to work. According to the National Association of Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies, more than 11 million children under the age of 5 are in some type of child-care setting every week.

Finding a proper and safe child care is vital for both the parent(s) and their children, especially during the early stages of the child’s development. There are several types of childcare to choose from, but finding the perfect one is a long process and often requires a significant amount of time. Whether you choose a day care center, family child care, neighbor or friend care, or in-home care, there are a few basic things parents should insist upon before settling down and making the call. At the end of the day, your kid’s safety is top priority.

If you having difficulties deciding which option of child care to go with, here are some tips to better help you narrow them down and weed out those deemed unfitting.

Observe

When you are visiting a potential child-care site, pay close attention to how the staff interacts with the children. Observe whether the caregiver is proactive with the kids or being attentive with toddlers. Infants require lots of attention, love, care, and an interactive relationship with adults during the prime of their social development phase. Parents should also inquire about the site’s child-to-care facility ratio if social interaction is an important factor when choosing child care. (The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends a ratio of one adult for every three babies up to 24 months of age.)

Consistency, Reliability, and Commitment

Kids need consistent care and often form an attachment to their caregivers. Parents may have a set schedule or may desire to have the same person take care of their kids. Some child-care facilities and agencies offer services in finding a child-care provider that can commit to your schedule or commit a minimum of one year. Some have reliable services, like Trusting Connections Nanny Agency, who offers 24/7 back-up care for unpredictable sick days when you sign up to be a member. If you’re considering a care center, ask about their staff’s turnover rate.

Seek Compatibility

Make sure your parenting style is clearly communicated and understood. Find out whether you and the child-care provider share the same views on sensitive topics such as discipline, entertainment allowance, feeding time, etc. Ask about any uncertain policies (such as urgency fees, sick-days, etc.) facilities might have so you won’t get any unpleasant surprises later.

Unscheduled Visit and Drop-Ins

With today’s technology, everything can be done online including finding child-care providers. However, it may be more beneficial for you to look and inspect the site to see whether they meet your needs and expectations. It is a given that any child-care environment is expected to be clean, childproofed and well equipped with educational toys and books; parents should also consider other details before signing up. Do infants and babies share the same play area as older children? How are the play rooms set up? According to Parents.com “a room or separate area dedicated solely to swings and bouncers may look appealing at first glance, but keep in mind that growing babies need plenty of floor time to develop and strengthen their muscles”. If you have in-home provider, pop in unannounced from time to time to see how things are going.

Open Communication

If you are considering an in-home child-care provider, try creating a plan which involve consistent communication between you and your child-care provider. Let them be aware of what’s going on with the child before handing them over and seek the same level of information when you come home. Set up a schedule for caregivers to call or send text messages throughout the day to keep you updated.

Trust your Intuition

Call it mother’s intuition, parents know when something doesn’t feel quite right. Do thorough research, read reviews, and schedule a time to meet with the care provider(s) to “feel them out”. You may like what you read about a center/agency online but felt completely opposite after meeting face-to-face and that’s okay. Keep looking. Your child deserves to be placed under a provider that offers good, nurturing, and safe child care. If you have second thoughts, continue to look for other options.

Expect and Accept Change

We mentioned seeking out a child-care provider that is consistent, reliable and could commit, but we also know you’re not obligated to just one permanent caregiver. If things don’t pan out the way you anticipated, you can always make a switch.

We hope these tips help you narrow down your child-care options. Remember you are the essential source of care and love in your child’s life and with the right choice of child care, you can head off to work with one less worry.

**Note: Some tips are taken from parents.com

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New Year, New Nanny?

The winter holidays are over but the flu season is far from that. As students plan to head back to school, teachers and parents are preparing for the sickness that is prevalent this time of year. Daycare Centers and School Districts are asking parents to not send their child to school if he or she show any symptoms caused by the influenza virus. Parents may find themselves in a dilemma and are sometimes forced to miss work in order to care for a sick child. In these cases, our reliable nanny agency is just a phone call away.

Arizona is currently seeing the highest number of cases since the Arizona flu season began. According to the Arizona Department of Health Services, as of December 23, there have been been 5,051 laboratory-confirmed cases of influenza across the state this season, 1,920 cases being confirmed in the last week alone.

Trusting Connections Nanny Agency membership includes an in-home consultation where our experts will get to know your family’s needs to provide personalized child care. All nannies provided by Trusting Connections are fully-screened, agency-employed, high-quality professionals to ensure your family receive superb child care for your kids. Members will have access to Trusting Connections’ 24/7 emergency back-up care, 365 days a year. This means no running around frantically finding a sitter; Trusting Connections can typically provide a nanny to arrive within 90 minutes of each request. Having a reliable nanny agency offer parents great peace of mind knowing they can count on a nanny to be there for their children at a moment’s notice. Whether you need child care, school pick-ups or drop-offs, we holds true to our reputation as the most reliable nanny agency in the area.

Reliable and safe for any day or season, you can count on us to provide nothing but the best for your child. To register and become a member at Trusting Connections Nanny Agency, visit www.trustingconnections.com.

 

 

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Why Nannies Need Agencies to Find the Best Nanny Jobs

 

Nannies- why should you work with an agency when you can easy create an online profile on a nanny finder site and find nanny jobs on your own? The answer may surprise you. Click here to find out 6 key reasons why you may be selling yourself short and taking needless risks by going online and why working with your local agency is the best way to find your next dream job.

Our agency has recently expanded our service areas and is looking to add 20+ nannies to our team of exceptional child are professionals. We also have a number of families seeking a full-time, permanent placement with a compatible nanny. Click here for a list of our current Tucson nanny jobs.

We hope you’ll apply because we have access to some of the best nanny jobs in Southern Arizona. Don’t believe us? Hear what other nannies have said about their experience working with our agency. Our agency is unique in that we place career nannies in high-paying, professional, full-time positions but we also have an extensive team of agency-employed nannies and sitters that work with our member families, churches, corporations for event staffing and more. Click here to read more about why you should choose us.

Stop trying to find the best nanny jobs on your own! Your search ends here! APPLY TODAY! Our application is quick and easy to fill out and you will receive a prompt response.

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Top 5 Sitter Safety Tips Every Parent Needs to Know

Written By: Rosalind Prather, TC Co-Founder

When it comes to the safety and well-being of children, one can never be too cautious. We recognize that not all families are able or wanting to use an agency to find sitters or other childcare providers and we believe that knowledge is an incredibly important aspect to keeping your kids safe. So we want to share some expert advice that we hope will help you if you decide to hire a nanny on your own.

Here are our Top 5 Sitter Safety Tips.

1. Online nanny finder sites should be used with extreme caution. Anyone can create an online profile. Often times, candidates who respond to our posted positions, disappear when they find out we are an agency. Why? Because the “bad apples” like flying under the radar. And an online site is a place where they know they will not encounter as much scrutiny or a thorough vetting process. If you do decide to use online sites, understand that they are not agencies. The website has not personally met the nanny or sitter behind the screen. So be sure to do your own extensive screening process before offering a candidate the position. Our agency has a DIY Screening and Consulting program for families that want to find a nanny on their own but still want to use our robust screening tools. Click here to learn more about all the screening tools you can purchase a la carte.

2. Background checks and background investigations are not the same thing. Many online nanny finder sites tout “background checked” candidates but what does this mean? Families also feel that if they have purchased a subscription to an online background check program that they are getting a thorough screening. However, many of these online background checks only scratch the surface and simply give you a false sense of security. Only a licensed, private detective (which is what our agency uses) can give you a thorough, in-depth analysis and fact-based, unbiased information on a nanny or sitter you are considering for hire. Private detectives have access to additional databases that online sites do not and can also identify inconsistencies and misrepresentations in information.

3. Just because someone you know and trust referred someone, doesn’t make that sitter safe. People commonly refer nannies and sitters who go from one family to the next but no one has ever taken the time to do an actual background investigation and screening process. Referrals should be given the same careful screening as any other nanny or sitter you are considering. Any nanny worth having is one that will be happy to undergo a hefty vetting process. When a nanny or sitter you are considering is uncomfortable or impatient with this, consider it a major red flag. Background checks are only one piece of the screening process. Click here to learn more about other important parts of the screening process including reference checks and drug tests.

4. Honesty really matters. If a sitter or nanny can lie about the small stuff they can lie about the big stuff. While it might not seem like a big deal when your nanny fibs about her age, exaggerates her experience or says she fed and watered the dog when she really forgot to, this is not something that should be taken lightly. You should consider what other untruths you have been told and how this could affect the quality of care your family is receiving.

5. Interviews and reference calls are a must. (Even for your occasional date-night sitter who lives down the street.) Anyone who is spending any length of time with your kids should undergo a formal, in-depth, in-person interview.  When interviewing, be sure to ask “open-ended” questions, or questions that require more than a “yes or no” answer. For example, rather than saying, “Do you like to read to children?” you could ask, “Tell me about your favorite children’s books and why you enjoy them.” The second question will tell you a lot more about a person that the first. You will also want to take it further and talk to previous employers or families the nanny has worked for. Reference calls should also aim to dig deep into a candidate’s past performance. To get the right kind of information, ask the reference to rate the nanny in areas that are a priority to you and explain their reasoning. You should also be comparing the information the nanny gave you in the interview with the information shared by her references to look out for any inconsistencies. Consider verifying each reference as well. There are programs that enable you to cross-check someone’s name and phone number to ensure you are speaking to the correct person.

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Planning for Postpartum – For New or Expecting Moms and the People Who Love Them!

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By: Colleen H.  Laszakovits RN-BSN, CPD, CLE of Your Family’s Journey

Colleen is a local Postpartum Doula that we recommend wholeheartedly! She is going to share some food for thought for us that is relevant to any new or expecting mother and the people who love them.

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Who can you call to help?

Picture this if you will, close your eyes and take a deep breath!

It is your first night home with your new baby. You feed, burp, change and swaddle the baby and place her gently in the bassinet next to your bed.  You pull the covers up to your chin and settle in, it’s only 9:48pm but you feel like you haven’t slept in a week. You quickly fall asleep from sheer exhaustion but within 20 minutes your little one is up and hollering for something. You think, you CANNOT be hungry AGAIN!  You throw the covers off and go to pick up this screaming little red cherry who is loudly exercising her lungs.  You cuddle her on your nice warm chest, speak to her in a quiet voice and sway back and forth to get her to calm down.  She gently nods off and you tip toe over to the bassinet and place her inside. You crawl back into bed and this same scenario plays over and over ALL night long till finally the sun comes up.

 You are exhausted! That Mack truck that you heard about has crashed through your front door and hit you HEAD on. Your back, shoulders and arms are sore from holding the baby in various positions to keep her from crying.  Your bladder is full and you need to change your pad. You discover diapers on the floor because you missed the diaper genie when you changed the 5th diaper at 3:14am. You look down and notice that your bra is undone and your left breast pad is missing, you can’t find your hair tie to pull your hair back and the dog is excitedly dancing at your feet because he is ready for breakfast.

 You hand off your sweet, beautiful, perfect angel to your husband and peer over to see she is sound asleep on his chest, your heart explodes with LOVE and the silent tears silently roll down your cheeks.  Welcome to parenting!

 You grab your phone to capture this moment and see a text from Colleen, checking in to see how your night went and remind you that she will be there at 10am with breakfast burritos. You cry some more, just because! You can’t wait to see Colleen, she always makes you feel safe, heard, not judged, and helps you tap into your own instinctual abilities.

 You think about taking a shower, brushing your teeth and combing your hair but your husband taps the couch next to him to come sit down and snuggle.  You sink into his side and place your head on his shoulder, he gently kisses your head and tells you how amazing you are and how much he loves your new family. You take a deep breath, smile, wipe your tears and KNOW you totally GOT this!

 

What feelings did this scenario bring to your mind? Fear, excitement, sense of calm, overwhelmed, supported, loved?  Memories of your own postpartum period?  When you plan ahead, you will never be alone, whether it is just you and your partner or you have loads of family and friends ready to help out however you need. Talk to any parent and they will all tell you how overwhelming the first couple weeks can be with no support or resources to call on.

A postpartum plan is a starting point for discussions about how your family will adjust to life with a new baby.

The goal of this plan is to help parents identify people and resources BEFORE they are needed thus making their transition into parenthood a little easier.

As a postpartum nurse, doula and consultant one of services I offer is how to create and effectively use this postpartum plan.

Most expecting parents educate themselves, talk to friends and family members, research and plan for how to have the best pregnancy, labor and delivery, however their postpartum period is commonly overlooked and they assume they will just “figure it out.”

I like to compare pregnancy to planning a wedding; a lot of time and energy are invested in creating the perfect outcome (safe & healthy mom/baby to beautiful day to start your new life together.   When you get a positive pregnancy test (you start googling everything, eat better, take vitamins, schedule doctors/midwife appointments, educate yourself on all your labor and delivery options, buy maternity clothes, decorate the nursery and pick out cute decor, buy baby books and take childbirth education classes.  Planning the perfect wedding day includes researching invitations, picking dresses, florists, hair, make-up, colors, venues, time and day, music, food, etc). The postpartum period is kind of like the actual marriage (no one really plans for that)!

Having a postpartum plan in place allows you to focus on the remaining weeks of pregnancy and not fear the parenting journey that is ahead of you.

Can and will you survive your postpartum period without making a plan? Absolutely, but why not take some of the guess work out of it and plan ahead so when you are not at your best (mentally, physically or emotionally), it will already be taken care of.

There are so many little things that you can do today to make your first couple weeks smoother.

Now, I hear you say, I have family in town and they will help out and take care of things.  My reply is AWESOME, FANTASTIC, so happy to hear that.  I love working with the entire family. There is always room for more care and support when a new baby comes along.  Most family members and friends are of great help, however, I am a professional who offers current, evidence-based and non-judgmental services to you and the entire family.  If you are worried that your family members need some up-to-date information, let’s all get together and I would love to answer their questions so they can be the best possible support to you as you recover.

 Some of the topics we will discuss in detail are:

 What does your ideal postpartum period look like to you?

SLEEP: yes, you will get some

Infant feeding: breast, bottle or both

Parenting philosophy’s

Sibling Adjustment

Pet Adjustment

Meals

Self-care

Roles & responsibility changes in the relationship

Mental health

Work/School/Life Balance

Mom Groups

Resources

 With over 18 years’ experience in the postpartum and breastfeeding fields I am a wealth of knowledge and expertise.  I will adapt to meet whatever needs you and your growing family have and I work closely with amazing community partners to help out however your family needs as well. My passion is to support you and your family to have a positive, empowering postpartum experience and feel confident as parents.

Don’t get stuck not knowing who to call or who to ask for help.  Don’t give up when you reach your frustration point. Plan ahead so when challenges arise, you can take a deep breath, re-visit your postpartum plan and call me.

A few hours to plan is all you need to put your mind at ease. Let me know when you are ready! I’ll be waiting to hear from you.

Check out this great article about better preparing moms for what is to come AFTER the pregnancy  https://www.whattoexpect.com/wom/pregnancy/0125/how-ob-gyns-should-be-preparing-expecting-moms-even-better-for-baby.aspx

Who do YOU know that could benefit from my SERVICES:

A grandparent who has a son or daughter who is expecting?

Is your best friend going to have a baby soon?

Does your co-worker hang out in your office asking you questions?

Did your neighbor recently deliver?

Do you have out of town friends or family members who could benefit from a consultation about support services?

 Gift certificates are ALWAYS available and make fabulous and unique Christmas and baby shower gifts.

 

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Childcare 101: Music Education & Child Development

By: Kate Scally, Childcare 101 Guest Blogger

I am very excited to be a guest blogger for Trusting Connections! As the mother of a young child, I first ran across this group on Facebook and was impressed by the positive reviews and the posts/resources that this group offers. I am so happy that a childcare service like this exists for Tucson parents.

My post today focuses on the importance of music exposure and education in all stages of a child’s development, and some wonderful musical opportunities available for your children here in Tucson. Now, I’m sure you’ve heard something about how important music is for a young child’s development. As a local singer and music teacher, I see this first hand in the students that I work with every day, and I often get asked the question, “When should my child start music lessons?” I usually refer them to this wonderful article, which explains when more formalized lessons should begin:

PBS Article: What’s the Right Age to Begin Music Lessons?

When a child is between the ages of birth to age 3, music instruction should be fun and informal–for example, my daughter is almost two, and absolutely loves to dance (we have several special “dance” dresses already). One of our favorite things to do is put on a song and dance around the room. I incorporate some simple dance and directional movements, such as “reach up and wave your hands” and “stomp your feet,” but for the most part I allow her to move around on her own, praising her for her wonderfully creative movements. We also have many rhythm instruments she likes to use, such as shakers, drums, tambourines, etc. She recently got a plastic guitar from the dollar store, and she loves to strum it and sing along while wearing her sunglasses like a rockstar. Although these activities seem like play, they are in reality building important gross and fine motor skills, and the child is gaining valuable listening and ear training skills, as well as physical coordination.

I really enjoy bringing my daughter to Pima county libraries’ stay and plays and storytimes, which incorporate movement, songs, and dance. Click here to check out events near you.

As your child grows, more formal music instruction in school and through private lessons and camps is very important for brain development and emotional growth. Here are just a couple of articles that go into more detail:

Washington Post: “Music Lessons Spur Emotional and Behavioral Growth”

Time Magazine: “How Music Can Change Your Brain”

I am a performer and music director with the local “Arizona Rose Theatre Company,” a wonderful, family based community theatre company that offers a broad range of youth programming. After teaching music and singing to students of all abilities and working in many different environments over the years, I am proud to say that the Arizona Rose’s teaching environment is by far the most positive and nurturing that I have experienced. I have seen students grow in confidence and blossom in our classes and camps. This summer we are offering a youth musical theatre camp for ages 7-17 that will culminate in a performance of Disney’s “The Jungle Book.” Students will receive training in acting, singing, and dancing in a supportive, nurturing environment from highly qualified teaching artists. For more information, please check out our website.

Phone: 520-888-0509

The camp is July 11-29th, but the registration deadline of June 1st is fast approaching. We try very hard to keep all registration costs low, and we do have a couple of scholarships available through our local sponsors, so please let us know if you need financial assistance. There are also opportunities for you to sponsor a young artist through donations or buying an ad in our program. Registration is going fast, so please check out our website and sign up now! If you have any questions, please feel free to email me at: katescallysoprano@gmail.com.

Our childcare 101 series helps educate local families and nannies on a variety of childcare and child development topics. Want to be a guest blogger? Contact Rosalind at info@trustingconnections.com

 

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