Nannies & Au Pairs: Hiring In-Home Childcare gives you the legal and practical lowdown on hiring – and maintaining – the best in-home childcare, from keeping a household budget to avoiding au pair agency scams. Read up on how to:
find the ideal candidate, independently or through an agency
conduct interviews and background checks
navigate the IRS, immigration and agency rules when hiring an au pair or nanny
Includes helpful checklists and real-world examples!
Find the right in-home childcare provider for your family with this comprehensive guide
About 60% of married mothers use some form of childcare for preschool-age children. But finding a nanny or au pair is a complex process rife with legal and practical considerations. What are the various options for childcare in the home? How do they compare? How much responsibility should the childcare provider have? How can I make sure my child is safe? And how much will all this cost?
Nannies & Au Pairs: Hiring In-Home Childcare gives you the tools you need when you’ve decided that the best option for your child is in-home care, whether you’re a new parent or returning to work after a period of staying at home. This book gives you the legal and practical lowdown on hiring – and maintaining – the best in-home childcare, from keeping a household budget to avoiding au pair agency scams. Read up on how to:
find the ideal candidate, independently or through an agency
conduct interviews and background checks
calculate a salary that's both competitive and within your budget
navigate the IRS, immigration and agency rules when hiring an au pair or nanny
share care with another family or arrange cooperative agreements
keep a nanny or au pair happy enough to stay with your family
fire a nanny who isn't working out
Complete with helpful checklists and examples of real-world situations from both nannies’ and employers’ perspectives, Nannies & Au Pairs is the only book to give you legally accurate, comprehensive information on safely selecting and managing the best in-home care for your children.
There are no actual forms, but sample job application and employment agreement are included, plus checklists of questions to ask prospective nannies and nanny agencies.
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1. Making the Choice: A Nanny or Another Form of Child Care?
Beyond Mary Poppins: Child Care Options
Budgeting for Child Care
Hiring Part-Time Nanny Care
2. Sharing a Nanny With Another Family
Sharing a Nanny—Advantages and Disadvantages
Setting up a Share Arrangement
Dissolving a Sharing Agreement
3. Who’s Your Ideal Nanny? Listing Priorities
The Credentials and Experience Your Nanny Should Have
Live-In or Live-Out?
Beyond the Basics: What Else Do You Expect?
4. What’s Fair, Yet Affordable? Pay, Vacation, Other Terms
High Enough, But Not Too High: Setting the Pay Rate
Creating a Package of Benefits
5. “I Need to Fill Out a What?” Tax, Immigration, and Payroll
Verifying Your Nanny’s Immigration Status
Withholding and Paying Taxes From Your Nanny’s Salary
Buying Insurance
Paying With Pretax Income: Dependent Care Accounts
Getting Money Back: The Child Care Tax Credit
6. Job Available! Getting the Word Out
Tap Your Network: Finding a Nanny Through Word of Mouth
Read All About It: Checking Ad Listings
Placing Your Own Ads
Hiring a Nanny Through an Agency
7. You Meet at Last: Prescreening, Interviewing, and Background Checks
Prescreening Applicants by Phone
Make-or-Break Conversations: Reference Checks
Asking Nannies to Fill Out a Job Application
Getting to Know You: The Interview Process
Test Run: Hiring a Nanny for a Trial Period
Is She for Real? Background Checks
8. The Au Pair Option
Who Gets What in This Cultural Exchange
Choosing Your Au Pair Agency
Choosing an Au Pair
9. Getting Your Employment Agreement and Other Instructions on Paper
Drafting an Employment Agreement
Creating a List of Emergency Contacts
Creating a Medical Treatment Authorization Form
Assembling a Notebook of Other Important Instructions
10. Day by Day: Developing and Adjusting a Routine
Mints on Her Pillow? Preparing the Room for a Live-In Nanny or an Au Pair
Orientation and Training
Talkback: Creating Communication and Feedback Systems
Conducting Formal Reviews
Taking Vacations Together
Taking Trips Without the Kids
11. How to Keep a Nanny You Like
The Bare Minimum: How to Keep Your Nanny in the Job
Little Extra: How to Make Your Nanny Happy
12. Coping with Trouble, and Ending the Nanny Relationship
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