I am a nanny who has posted here before. There is a good possibility that I will be taking on another child in addition to the three that I currently work with. The two families live on the same road and our "home base" would stay the same but we'll just have another child. I was wondering if anyone has nannied for two families at the same time and could offer advice. The two moms and I are going to sit down with all of our concerns/questions about how this would work and I'd just like some input. What are things we should work out before this begins? The only things I've thought of are payment and vacation time/days off... I'd love any advice!
Monday
Working Out a NannyShare
I am a nanny who has posted here before. There is a good possibility that I will be taking on another child in addition to the three that I currently work with. The two families live on the same road and our "home base" would stay the same but we'll just have another child. I was wondering if anyone has nannied for two families at the same time and could offer advice. The two moms and I are going to sit down with all of our concerns/questions about how this would work and I'd just like some input. What are things we should work out before this begins? The only things I've thought of are payment and vacation time/days off... I'd love any advice!
This pretty much covers it:
ReplyDeletehttp://www.4nannytaxes.com/news/Nanny-Share-Arrangements-Reduce-Costs.cfm
Good luck!
I did a NannyShare for about a year and it worked well for me. It was actually 2 Grandparents who had custody of Grandchildren and they worked together
ReplyDeleteI was already working for Family T and it was Family T that approched me about Watching Family J.
I was with Family T Monday thru Friday from 9:00-12:30 for Girl 1, age 4 and 3:30-5:00 for Girl 1 and Girl 2, age 6 and all day Wednesday for Girl 1. although I usually just napped or watched TV during the middle, I rarely left.
Family J needed help Tuesday thru Friday from 1:45-5:00 for Girl 3, age 9months, so it filled that gap in the middle for me nicely! Since Family T girls were older, I brought in my own Pack N Play for Girl 3 and set it up in a spare bedroom. There were a few times when the Grandfather of Family T would come home early which made it a little difficult with an extra kid, meant I couldn't leave early.
Both families were AWESOME to me. From the beginning with Family T I brought my own 5 month old 2-3 days a week too! I was sorry to lose Girl 3 after a few short months but the Grandfather passed away so the Grandmother needed more full time care and couldn't afford a nanny(even though I charged WAY below what I should have) and had to go with state paid daycare. :(
Good luck! I would suggest getting everything is writing, hours needed, expectations with each child, disipline, pay.
I'm been in a nannyshare for about 6 months now and I absolutely love it. The children are 10months and 2years so there are some age issues that needed to be worked out.
ReplyDeleteIf possible I suggest keeping the share at one house, which between houses can be confusing and annoying. I would also make sure that the "guest" child have a pack n play for naps and make sure it's in a guest room or empty quiet room during naptime. That being said, make sure you are the one that sets the schedules. Keeping the children on the exact schedule is key to a successful share. I would try to have both children eat the same meals as well, saves you a headache.
Basically I run my share like I would if it was just one family with two children. Both the families I work for give me complete control over the children when I'm with them which makes everything simple. Do not work for two different families that have different views on childcare, discipline, eating and sleeping habits.
As for vacations ask each family to coordinate at least one week if not more, checks should be given on the same day by both. Keep track of hours.
Just write everything down in a contract for each family, make specific contracts for each family detailing everything. If everything is handled before it makes it simple.
I would also cover:
ReplyDeleteWho pays for mileage for outings, if you drive your car?
What the "sick child" policy is and what happens if YOU are ill?
Where the "new kid" will nap or have quiet time?
How you expect to be paid 52 weeks per year, and that you will need to choose 2 weeks of vacation time yourself.
Make sure all parents are on the same page WRT rules and acceptable behaviors
Who gets to have the final say on activities?
Clarify what happens when a child is sick (as Tales said). Also, who provides supplies. If the share will be at only your current house, will the joining child always bring their own diapers, wipes, tissues, juice, food, blanket, sunscreen, etc. Although some of these things can seem small, those minor costs can add up after a while.
ReplyDeleteI also agree with Tales from the Nannyhood about making sure you get paid 52 weeks per year. Usually in a nanny share, each family is paying slightly reduced rates, and you don't want to get into a situation where one family is cancelling last minute, leaving you with only 1/2 or 2/3 of your income.