Share Care Payroll Questions

When it comes to setting up a payroll account for a nanny share care arrangement, a few tips can save lots of heartache downline!  Here’s 4 Tips to get you started right:

#1Each family needs to set up their own payroll account to compensate their nanny at 50% of the agreed-on hourly rate to include overtime.  This rate must be at least the minimum hourly rate so check your city and county for exact rates.  In San Francisco the minimum rate is $12.25, effective July 2016.

#2The contract should include the hourly rates for those hours when the nanny is caring for both children, i.e. 50% of the agreed on hourly ‘share care rate’ and the hourly rate when a nanny is caring for only one of the children, i.e. the ‘single child-only rate’.

#3If a nanny is caring for one of the children part of the week in a shared arrangement and part in a non-share care arrangement, e.g. 20 hours as share care and 20 hours as single child, payroll must reflect the different hourly rates for work performed.

#4Keep in mind that any overtime will be based on the ‘blended’ rate, i.e. if your nanny is working over 9 hours a day then she is paid overtime based on the average of both the share care and the single child only rate.  Overtime is to be paid for all hours over 9 / day or 40 hours/week.

My Home Pay is an expert in setting up payroll for share care arrangements.  Here's a great article from their blog on the subject:   http://www.myhomepay.com/Answers/NannyShare

The Use of Technology in a Child's Life

Parents, nannies, teachers and childcare organizations are in a heated discourse trying to understand whether and how to incorporate technology in a child's life. Looking at the use of technology from a relationship perspective helps. Here's a short article on this point of view. <a href="http://www.fredrogerscenter.org/2017/02/23/role-relationships-childrens-use-technology/" target="_blank">http://www.fredrogerscenter.org/2017/02/23/role-relationships-childrens-use-technology/

How To Create a Professional Nanny Portfolio

We had a lively and very informative workshop at Chirp!  Nannies met to learn together about the essentials of what goes into a professional portfolio, how to create a resume and how to prepare for and shine during an interview.  For those unable to attend, here's some resources to get your started:

Creating a Resume:   https://www.livecareer.com/resume-examples/personal-services/nanny

List of Action verbs for a Great Resume: https://www.themuse.com/advice/185-powerful-verbs-that-will-make-your-resume-awesome

Sample Interview Questions:  http://www.huffingtonpost.com/helen-moon/nanny_b_2147549.html

Chirp would love to hear from you when your portfolio is ready!  Send it along and we'll contact you to discuss opportunities with Chirp's clients!

Nanny Share Care Arrangements: 4 Tips to Setting Up Payroll

When it comes to setting up a payroll account for a nanny share care arrangement, a few tips can save lots of heartache downline!  Here’s 4 Tips to get you started right:

#1  Each family needs to set up their own payroll account to compensate their nanny at 50% of the agreed-on hourly rate to include overtime.  This rate must be at least the minimum hourly rate so check your city and county for exact rates.  In San Francisco the minimum rate is $12.25, effective July 2016.

#2  The contract should include the hourly rates for those hours when the nanny is caring for both children, i.e. 50% of the agreed on hourly ‘share care rate’ and the hourly rate when a nanny is caring for only one of the children, i.e. the ‘single child-only rate’.

#3  If a nanny is caring for one of the children part of the week in a shared arrangement and part in a non-share care arrangement, e.g. 20 hours as share care and 20 hours as single child, payroll must reflect the different hourly rates for work performed.

#4  Keep in mind that any overtime will be based on the ‘blended’ rate, i.e. if your nanny is working over 9 hours a day then she is paid overtime based on the average of both the share care and the single child only rate.  Overtime is to be paid for all hours over 9 / day or 40 hours/week.

My Home Pay is an expert in setting up payroll for share care arrangements.  Here's a great article from their blog on the subject:   http://www.myhomepay.com/Answers/NannyShare

The Importance of Daily Quiet Time

The month of December can be a whirlwind. Between school events and holiday parties, families visiting and shopping for gifts, it’s no wonder everyone’s a bit worn out come January.

You may not be able to completely quell the holiday fuss, but a good way to help kids remain calm through it all is to build in a little quiet time each day. Not only does daily quiet time give parents and Nannies a much-needed breather, but it gives kids time to be self sufficient, and to develop their own skills and thoughts without worrying what anyone else is thinking.

So how does one go about incorporating this quiet time?

Naturally, if you begin a daily quiet time when kids are very young, it will become an expected part of their daily life.

For small children who are still napping, a good way to begin is to let them take a stuffed animal or board book to bed with them. If they don’t fall asleep, they may play with their toys in lieu of napping. When they wake up, they’ll get used to playing independently for a few minutes before calling out for attention.

For older children, let them know that you’re going to start incorporating a quiet time into each day to help everyone in the family relax. Begin with 15-30 minutes, and work your way up to an hour or more over time. Before quiet time, help your child select a few toys or books they would like to play with, and then set a timer so they know when quiet time will be over.

Three tips for a successful quiet time:

1. Be consistent. If quiet time becomes a routine, there will be no question asked when the daily time comes. To make sure it sticks, try to have quiet time at the same time each day on every day that you’re home.
2. Rotate activities. Help children choose what toys and books they want to play with during quiet time, and if siblings want to play with the same toys, make sure they rotate each day. Older children will know they are responsible for choosing something to entertain themselves, and there will be no excuses if they become bored.
3. Be patient. Kids may take some time getting used to having a daily quiet time, and may come out of their room multiple times at first. Take the time to patiently walk them back to their room each time, and remind them that they need to stay there for the rest of quiet time. Eventually, they’ll realize that this is a daily activity that’s here to stay.

How do you incorporate daily quiet time in your household? Please share with us in the comments.

Photo Credit: Jessica Lucia/flickr

Happy Holidays from all of us at Chirp: Connecting Families and Nannies!