Trusting Connections Nanny Agency

Industry Insights

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Small Business Saturday – Get 10% Off

Small Business Saturday – The History

Started and coined by American Express in 2010, Small Business Saturday® aimed to encourage people to Shop Small and bring more holiday shopping for small businesses. According to American Express, in 2011, “the Senate unanimously passes a resolution in support of the day, and officials in all 50 states participate.” And this movement continues to grow every year. 

Additionally, in 2018, “business associations, nonprofit trade groups, municipalities, and public officials started to unite, forming a Small Business Saturday Coalition to encourage everyone to Shop Small. Nearly 100 corporations lend their official support to the movement.”

Join The Movement – How You Can Participate

Be a part of the Shop Small movement on Saturday, November 30th by supporting local, small businesses. This season is all about giving – to family, to friends, to strangers. But furthermore, you can also give back to your community, too. Your participation helps support local economies and promotes vibrant communities.

Before you head out to your local mom and pop shop for some Christmas presents, consider booking one of our nannies so you can run your errands kids-free. Our Nanny Agency is committed to providing families safe and reliable childcare or any and every occasion. 

Mention this special Small Business Saturday promo code at the time of booking and receive 10% off your nanny on Saturday, November 30th: SHOPSMALL19. This offer is only valid for care requests placed for Saturday, November 30th. 

Get Exclusive Discounts With Other Small Businesses

Trusting Connections supports local, small businesses through our Membership Discount Program. Did you know that members of our agency get exclusive discounts at participating retailers? Learn and explore all the exclusive offers our small business favorites have extended to your family!

Explore All Discounts

And finally, Trusting Connections want to thank all of our families for allowing our small business to thrive. We are so grateful for your business and support over the years. It’s an honor to serve our families, give back to our communities, and become an agency that delivers dependable and reliable childcare. 

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Celebrating National Adoption Day

November is National Adoption Awareness Month and National Adoption Day is Saturday, November 23rd. The awareness day was founded by Dave Thomas Foundation for Adoption, Congressional Coalition on Adoption Institute, Alliance for Children’s Rights and Children’s Action Network in 2000 and is now celebrated nationwide.

According to nationaladoptionday.org, “National Adoption Day is a collective effort to raise awareness of the more than 125,000 children waiting to be adopted from foster care in the United States.” 

Did You Know – Facts and Numbers

Facts are taken from a recent report posted by the Administration for Families and Children, a branch within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Resources. 

  1. Over 123,000 children and youth are waiting to be adopted. They are also at risk of aging out of foster care without permanent family connections. (AFCARS report)
  2. Of the 123,000 children and youth waiting to be adopted:
    • 52% are male
    • 48% are female
    • 22% are African American
    • 22% are Hispanic
    • 44% are Caucasian
    • The average age is eight years old
    • 11% are between 15 and 17 years old
    • The average time in foster care is 31 months
  3. Approximately one in five children in the U.S. foster care system waiting to be adopted are teens.
  4. Only 5 percent of all children adopted in 2017 were 15 – 18 years old.
  5. The risk of homelessness and human trafficking is increased for teenagers in foster care.

TC Celebrates by Offering Free Childcare

As a nanny agency who is dedicated and committed to helping families and children thrive, we support this day with something special.

In honor of National Adoption Day, we are giving 5 hours of FREE childcare to any Phoenix family in our agency that has an adopted child or is a foster parent. Enjoy a date night or a mom’s night out, because you deserve it!

If you want to take advantage of this, please reach out to by emailing info@trustingconnections.com.

This offer is only valid for care used on November 23rd.

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Heart of Excellence Award 2019

This year’s interNational Nanny Recognition Week is September 22-28, 2019. It’s a week to celebrate and bring awareness to the invaluable work of nannies all across the world. And this year, Trusting Connections is asking families to participate in nominating a nanny who they feel is worthy of our Heart of Excellence award!

What is National Nanny Recognition Week?

According to NNRW.org, National Nanny Recognition Week is a week during which “families, businesses, and the media will be encouraged to focus on the positive aspects of the nanny profession, the important role nannies play in the lives of the families and the wonderful contribution they make in the lives of the children they care for.”

Nominate A Nanny For TC’s Heart of Excellence Award

Nominate a nanny who you feel deserves to win TC’s annual “Nanny Heart of Excellence” title. We often don’t take the time to express our appreciation for the many ways our nanny makes a difference in our lives. The lucky nanny will win a gift basket ($100 value) filled with pampering and fun items that will sure to make the nanny feel loved and adored!

Contest Details:

  1. The nominee can be a nanny who has recently worked with your family or sometime in the past. It can be a current nanny of Trusting Connections or any nanny outside of our agency. It can also be a formerly placed nanny through TC’s Placement services.
  2. The submission deadline is Friday, September 27th.
  3. The winner will be announced Monday, September 30th on our social media channels.

Nominate a deserving nanny by filling out the form linked in the button below! If you have any questions, email kim@trustingconnections.com.

Nominate A Nanny

INA Special Offer

The International Nanny Association will be having a Recognition Celebration Sale during the week of INNRW. In honor of the services nannies do for the children and families, they are offering $15 off their membership fees.

INA is offering their Childcare Professional Memberships for ONLY $40 and Newborn Care Specialists Memberships are only $160. This is a discount of more than 25% off.

Nanny employers can purchase these memberships as a gift to their nannies. Gift memberships can be purchased individually or in packages of 10 through INA’s Estore for $40 each. 

Sale ends midnight US Eastern Standard Time on Sunday, September 29, 2019. 

What is INA?

The International Nanny Association (INA) is a non-profit organization whose mission is to “serve as the umbrella association for the in-home childcare industry by providing information, education, and guidance to the public and to industry professionals” since 1985. For example, INA issued a research study in 2017 about the Nanny Tax Compliance where the results of the study were presented at the 2018 IRS Research Conference. You can read the findings here. 

INA members consist of nannies, nanny employers, nanny agencies, educators and industry service providers all over the world. Over the last 33 years, INA has worked to “professionalize the industry by setting high standards for industry professionals and nanny agencies.”

Nannies are Heroes Too

Lastly, Trusting Connections want to sincerely thank you all of our current and former TC nannies. We wouldn’t be here if it wasn’t for the care our nannies bring to our families. Nannies are truly heroes without capes. They work behind the scenes, and we want you to know that we love, cherish, and appreciate everything you do. 

Thank you to all the Mary Poppins in the world. Happy interNational Nanny Recognition Week! 

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Nannies + Babysitters – Are you being paid fairly and legally?

Here at Trusting Connections Nanny Agency, we strive to be nanny advocators and industry educators. If you are a nanny, babysitter, maid, house manager, or a family assistant, you are entitled to all the basic benefits an employee should get. Learn what you should be receiving with this informative video below from Trusting Connections’ Co-Founder and Co-Owner, Rosalind Prather.


Nanny Tax + Misclassification

Did you know the IRS always considers nannies and babysitters as employees, not independent contractors?

Whether you are working for an agency or privately with a family, you should be given a W-2 at the end of the year if your salary or pay reaches $2,100 or more. A common misclassification most nannies and babysitters experienced is being considered as Independent Contractors. An indicator that you have been improperly classified is when the agency or family gives you a Form 1099. As an employee, you should be getting a pay stub that articulate the numbers of hours you’ve worked and the taxes that your employers have paid on your behalf. You should also be entitled to other benefits like minimum wage, overtime pay, and required in some states, paid sick leave.

Why Does This Matter?

So what’s the difference between a W-2 and a 1099? What’s the harm in receiving the wrong form before filing your taxes? It hurts you more in the long run than you think

1) You are being double taxed
Normally, a portion of your taxes should be covered by your employers such as social security and Medicare. With a 1099, you are paying both the income tax you are responsible for paying and the employer’s share as well. So even though a $50,000 job may sound like a sweet deal, you’re looking at a huge cut after you calculate all the taxes you’ll be paying.

2) Employment Verification Issues
If you are paid cash under the table or improperly classified, it can be disadvantageous when you need to verify employment. Income verification is required when you buy a car, rent an apartment, or request for unemployment benefits. It may not be an issue now but can become a huge dilemma in your future.

How To Protect Yourself

1) Do Your Research + Ask Questions
 So how do you prep and protect yourself from these legal issues and nuisances? Before getting hired, we encourage you to sit down with the agency or family and review your rights as a legal household employee. If you are currently being paid cash or getting a 1099 at the end of the year, inform and educate them. Give them the benefit of the doubt as some may not be aware of the legalities for household workers.

If the agency or family is not willing to give you proper tax documents, there are ways and actions you can do to better protect yourself. There are two IRS forms you can fill out – Form 4852 and Form 8919, depending on the situation and circumstances.

Click here for From 4852
Click here for Form 8919

2) Join An Agency
To prevent and avoid the stress and legal matters, join an agency like Trusting Connections. We employ all of our nannies and babysitters. We follow legal guidelines to ensure our employees are well taken care of. This includes paying the portion of your taxes, getting a consistent bi-weekly paycheck, receiving a W-2 at the end of the year, earning overtime pay, and accruing sick leave (for those working in the state of Arizona).

We Truly Care

As former nannies, we are passionate about supporting and advocating for nannies and babysitters all over the nation. We believe the work you do is so important. Your impact in the lives of families is significant and you deserve to be treated fairly.

We are happy to be a reliable resource for you, whether you are a TC nanny or not. Give us a call or email us for any questions. You can also swing by to any of our three office locations to meet and talk.

Tucson Office: 3390 N. Campbell Avenue #100 Tucson, Arizona 85719
Phoenix Office: 1490 S Price Rd, Suite 210D Chandler, AZ 85286
Dallas-Fort Worth Office: 751 E Southlake Blvd. #122 Southlake, TX 76092

Here are other resources and articles you should read regarding nanny taxes:

Nanny Tax: Pitfalls and Need-to-Knows for Your Taxes
Why Professional Nannies Want to be Paid Legally

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34th INA Conference – Recap

As a nanny agency who continue to strive and be industry educators and nanny advocates, Trusting Connections was proud and honored to attend the 34th Annual INA Conference, hosted by the International Nanny Association, on March 21-24, 2019 at the Jung Hotel in New Orleans.

For most of our staff, including me, this was our first time in the wonderful city of jazz. This conference was not only a great learning experience for me but also an opportunity for me to explore and see what this infamous city that brought all the saints marching in has to offer. And, it did and more.

34th INA Conference Welcome Reception

It was my second time attending the INA conference; my first one was last year in Tucson, where TC is home-based. You can read about my INA Conference experience here. This year was a record high, with more than 250 attendees from all around the world, from Switzerland to Uganda. Everyone came together to learn and connect.

I want to highlight some key takeaways I took from the conference but first, I want to rave about a few things I got to do in this historic city.

Food. Food. Food.

  • Shrimp & Grits
  • More delicious food!
  • Gumbo

First of all, there’s no doubt when it comes to food in New Orleans, especially seafood. Crabs legs, crawfish, shrimp, fish, and so much more deliciousness. But let’s not forget about the gumbo, po-boys, jambalaya, and grits. Let’s not forget the sweets – the beignets, pralines, and king cakes too! What I’m trying to say is that I ate good food. I ate a lot.

Historic Buildings, Horrific Tales

TC Team getting pumped up before our ghost tour! L to R: Caroline, Mallory, Sabrina, Rosalind, Kim, Ana

Our wonderful boss is a big fan of the paranormal. Did you know New Orleans is one of the most haunted cities? We booked a ghost tour to end our Friday night. A 4-mile walk from one building to another, following the chilling stories that each one carried. And of course, that included the infamous LaLaurie Mansion. Our staff also got to thoroughly explored the French Quarter. We visited Cafe Du Monde, Jackson Square, the Saint Louis Cathedral, and the Mississippi River.

A City That Loves Jazz

  • Saint Louis Cathedral
  • Night Art Market at Frenchmen Street

One of the top things I listed on my “to-do” was to visit a jazz bar/lounge. My co-workers and I visited Frenchmen Street and the popular Bourbon Street. New Orleans is truly a city filled with jazz music lovers and artistic individuals. The sounds of trumpets, saxophones, clarinets, bass, drums, and guitars fill the air, from dusk to dawn.

INA Conference – Key Takeaways

The INA conference was as eye-opening and remarkable as the city lights and festivities. Above all the things I got to experience in New Orleans, attending the Conference offered me one of the most insightful, educational, and informative lessons about the nanny industry.

Here are a few key takeaways I personally took from this conference:

  1. Always have the egg and yolk in any conversation you have and use ‘because’. Have intention and reasoning to back up that intention in your daily decision-making process.
  2. When it comes to speaking and public talking, use and explore the full range of your voice. It’s important to use your diaphragm to create different tones.
  3. It’s all about body posture. They way you sit, stand, and move can change the message you are trying to convey.
  4. Social Media is always changing. Their algorithms are updated every week. To attract your target audience, you have to study the metrics and pattern of your social media channels.
  5. Nannies, Newborn Care Specialist, and Childcare Professionals are important people. They play a big role in a family’s life. They existence is vital and paramount in a child’s life – especially during their developmental phase.

Let The Good Times Roll Indeed

In conclusion, the 34th INA Conference was a great opportunity for the Trusting Connections’ staff to get together and bond. We saw one of our nannies there and couldn’t be more proud of having her learn and grow with us. Above all, the workshops, seminars, round tables, presentations, and conversations were so insightful. I learned so much more than I hoped for during those three days. I met wonderful like-minded people who are passionate about childcare and businesses who carry a similar vision as Trusting Connections’.

Finally, I want to end my recap post with a short video of our Co-Founder and INA’s secretary on the Board of Directors, Caroline, taking a moment to recognize all childcare professionals. Because of their passion, hard work and dedication in childcare were what made this conference possible.

34th INA Conference Caroline’s Speech

I hope to have more of our TC nannies attend next year’s conference as well as other childcare providers around the nation to join. You won’t regret it.

Oh, and did I forget to mention that next year’s conference is going to be in Montreal?

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Gift Ideas For Your Nanny For National Nanny Recognition Week

We will be celebrating nannies all over the nation next week for National Nanny Recognition Week. According to NNRW.org, National Nanny Recognition Week is a week during which “families, businesses, and the media will be encouraged to focus on the positive aspects of the nanny profession, the important role nannies play in the lives of the families and the wonderful contribution they make in the lives of the children they care for.”

Did you know nannies are legally recognized as household employees? That means our nannies are and should be acknowledged as professional childcare providers and caregivers.

Nannies and other childcare providers play a vital part in the children’s life. Busy working families rely on nannies to provide the attention and care for their kids during the most important stages of the child’s development. The significant role nannies play is crucial in the family’s life and with NNRW happening next week, this is THE perfect time to show your love and appreciation to them.

Trusting Connections have gathered up some great gift ideas that you can give to your special nanny next week! Trust me, these gifts will leave a big smile on their faces!

 

trusting connections nanny agency

Nanny Bag

Drive to your local Target and pick up one of these super cute Nanny Bags. They are so versatile and fashionable. This way, your nanny doesn’t have to carry three different bags every time she takes the kids to the park!

 

trusting connections nanny agency

Personalized Jewelry

Nothing says we appreciate your hard work and love you as much as a personalized jewelry piece. Check out Something Remembered to see all the selections and items you can choose from. They are known for their special and customized items for any occasion to make a person feel special on their day!

 

Trusting Connections Nanny Agency

Spa & Salon Package

We all know nannies are super hard workers. Running around and chasing after the kids every day can leave the body sore. Reward your nanny with a spa package so she can take a long and deserving relaxation session! Reach out to your local spa and salon to purchase some gift certificates/package today.

 

Trusting Connections Nanny Agency

Bath Relaxation Gift Basket

A nanny deserves a much needed long bath. Gift her/him a gift basket filled with her favorite scented candles, lotion, bath bombs, and essential oils. Bath and Beyond carry numerous gift baskets you can choose from, including some DIY items so you can customize!

 

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More Vacation Days

Make her/his day by surprising her/him with a few days off. Add some vacation days to their agenda so they can enjoy making personal plans! Rewarding a nanny a few extra days off can drastically influence their job motivation and increase job satisfaction. Show your appreciation by giving him/her some personal time.

 

trusting connections nanny agency

Adult Coloring Books

Almost all nannies engage in some form of arts and crafts activity with the kids they are looking after. It can be fun, but also stressful when it comes to the mess! Adult coloring books will help relieve the nanny’s stress and help them focus and relax. You can easily purchase one on Amazon as well as your local craft store, so grab one today! The nanny can also enjoy coloring her book while the kids color theirs!

 

trusting connections nanny agency

Keurig – Cofee & Tea Set

From helping the kids get ready for school all the way to help parents tuck them into bed, the nannies’ schedule can be quite busy and sometimes, they may need a bit of a pick-me-up. And you can help by gifting them a Keurig! Whether they are a tea person or a coffee fan, having a Keurig within reach can give them a quick coffee/tea break before getting back to their hectic daily schedule.

 

There are so many other ways you can show your love and appreciation to your nanny next week. Reach out to her/his friends and family and see what’s her favorite perfume, her favorite artist, restaurant, hobbies, etc. This will make your gift more personal and special, knowing that you put thought and research into this. Let show our nannies all the love and acknowledgment they so deserve!

 

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