When you hire a nanny you need to make sure that she is the best person for the job. You do not, after all, just want to leave your kids with just anyone. The person should be responsible, likes kids, be able to have fun, and still know when it is time to be serious.
A Few Pieces of Advice
One of the most important things you do before you hire a nanny is make sure you get at least three references. Make sure you contact all of these references and ask them specific questions about her performance. Ask them if they would hire her again, if they liked how she handled the children, why she left, and any other little bits of information that you can think of. If you can not get a hold of the three references ask for some more references until you talk to three people.
Have the nanny fill out an application just like she would have to at any other place of employment. Make sure you get all of the vital information like her birth date, social security number, and other names she may have gone by in the past. Get her college school name and any other schooling she may have had in the past. Ask her to list her last five employers. Make sure that these employers are not from the three references. Also get in contact with these people to see how well she performed at her job there. Get the phone number, address, and name of the previous employer.
If you decide to do a background check on her you need to let her know and have her sign a piece of paper authorizing you to do a background check on her. Make sure that you see if she is hesitant to sign the paper. If she is then she might be hiding something from her past. Can you really trust a person who may be hiding something from a person she will be working for? If you do not feel comfortable trusting her around your kids then do not hire her.
Check the information that she gave you to her previous places of employment. Make sure that the information matches up correctly. Call the relative and make sure that she is really related to them. If she is not related to them then she is obviously lying to you, and if she feels comfortable lying to you now she will keep on doing and just get more comfortable lying to you in the future.
If you find that all of the information checks out with the person but you are still a little leery of hiring her then do not hire her. You need to hire a person that you can trust which your children. Also before you hire the nanny make sure the children are comfortable around her. There is nothing worse than hiring a nanny who if perfect but the children do not like her. If the children do not like her than they are not going to listen to her very well. So make sure that the children like her that way you will get respect from both the nanny and your children.
Gregg Hall is an author living in Navarre Beach Florida. Find more about this as background check at http://www.ez-backgroundcheck.com
Monday, October 29, 2007
Thursday, October 25, 2007
How To Hire Child Care Providers
If you have built your knowledge and understanding on starting a day care center, your business should be off the ground and become profitable. Once it has become successful, you may need to consider hiring additional help to assist you in the running of your business.
Parents expectations are high, and if you are hiring additional child care providers, you need to make sure that the person is the right one. Here are some steps that you need to take when hiring a person:
Firstly, you do not need to be too strict on experience even though it is important. Your employees should have some character references from friends or relatives whom they babysat for. Make sure you call them and ask them a few questions to see if the answers give you a feel of whether this is the right person for you.
A person with a few good character references will be a better person to hire than a person with lots of experience but does not have many good references to show for it. You can always build up their knowledge and experience while on-the-job running the day care service.
Secondly, a day care service requires lots of commitment and dedication so ensure that your staff are able to stay committed to their job for a long time. If the child care providers in your day care center keep changing, it does not reflect well on the center. Parents feel insecure about putting their children in your day care center, and may start losing confidence with regards to the quality of the service that your center is providing. A high turnover rate is also bad for the children. They will feel uncomfortable seeing new faces all the time.
Children are looking for consistency, love, and reassurance that they are in a safe environment. The provider should engage in regular conversation with the children present in day care center. So make sure that the staff you hire loves the job and stays committed.
Thirdly, when hiring an assistant, you need to give a detailed job description to the person. Make sure that the person understands his/her job requirements before starting work. This helps to prevent any misunderstandings that might arise after your employee starts work. Be patient with your employee and repeat yourself till the person fully understands the job of being a child care provider.
Last but not least, have a probation period (usually a month) for your employee to see whether he/she is suitable for the job. Observe your employee closely during this trial period, making sure that he or she truly has a heart for children, love the children and demonstrate lots of patience towards the children. Do not be afraid to terminate the person if things do not work out. Protecting your business and the quality of the day care service is your top priority.
The above steps serve as a guide to help you to hire the right child care providers for your day care center business so it can grow into a wildly successful business.
Miriam Boh is an entrepreneur and owns StartingDayCareBusiness.com. To learn how to effectively hire the right child care providers for your day care business so as to keep the business going and growing, visit http://www.startingdaycarebusiness.com for more information.
Parents expectations are high, and if you are hiring additional child care providers, you need to make sure that the person is the right one. Here are some steps that you need to take when hiring a person:
Firstly, you do not need to be too strict on experience even though it is important. Your employees should have some character references from friends or relatives whom they babysat for. Make sure you call them and ask them a few questions to see if the answers give you a feel of whether this is the right person for you.
A person with a few good character references will be a better person to hire than a person with lots of experience but does not have many good references to show for it. You can always build up their knowledge and experience while on-the-job running the day care service.
Secondly, a day care service requires lots of commitment and dedication so ensure that your staff are able to stay committed to their job for a long time. If the child care providers in your day care center keep changing, it does not reflect well on the center. Parents feel insecure about putting their children in your day care center, and may start losing confidence with regards to the quality of the service that your center is providing. A high turnover rate is also bad for the children. They will feel uncomfortable seeing new faces all the time.
Children are looking for consistency, love, and reassurance that they are in a safe environment. The provider should engage in regular conversation with the children present in day care center. So make sure that the staff you hire loves the job and stays committed.
Thirdly, when hiring an assistant, you need to give a detailed job description to the person. Make sure that the person understands his/her job requirements before starting work. This helps to prevent any misunderstandings that might arise after your employee starts work. Be patient with your employee and repeat yourself till the person fully understands the job of being a child care provider.
Last but not least, have a probation period (usually a month) for your employee to see whether he/she is suitable for the job. Observe your employee closely during this trial period, making sure that he or she truly has a heart for children, love the children and demonstrate lots of patience towards the children. Do not be afraid to terminate the person if things do not work out. Protecting your business and the quality of the day care service is your top priority.
The above steps serve as a guide to help you to hire the right child care providers for your day care center business so it can grow into a wildly successful business.
Miriam Boh is an entrepreneur and owns StartingDayCareBusiness.com. To learn how to effectively hire the right child care providers for your day care business so as to keep the business going and growing, visit http://www.startingdaycarebusiness.com for more information.
Monday, October 22, 2007
Five Easy Steps for Choosing the Best Babysitter
Babysitters are entrusted to care for the most precious people in your life. Here are five steps you can follow to make sure you hire the best candidate for the job.
Step One: Ask trusted community members for recommendations.
Some of the best babysitters come from referrals of other parents who have found a babysitter they are delighted with. Ask friends, relatives, and moms you meet in the supermarket or on the playground. In addition, you may want to ask preschool teachers or early grade school teachers for recommendations and advice. These early childhood experts often keep a list of recommended sitters, and they may even provide babysitting services themselves.
Step Two: Interview the prospective babysitter.
Ask for references and call several families whom the babysitter has worked with. Also during the interview, ask the candidate if she has any special qualifications, such as first aid training or CPR certification. Ask her what she would do in the case of emergencies such as accidental poisoning or choking. And do not be afraid to ask the potential sitter about her personal habits, such as swearing, smoking, or drinking. If you are interviewing a younger sitter, you may want to ask about Red Cross Certification. Red Cross babysitting courses are designed for 11 to 15 year olds, and instruct participants on such topics as first aid, diapering and feeding, as well as safe and age appropriate toys and games. The interview with your prospective sitter is also the time to work out such details as the rate of pay and transportation to and from the job.
Step Three: Make sure you choose someone who is experienced enough to handle your children at their present ages and stages.
Infants, in particular, will require special care and experience. Toddlers and school age children can have a lot of fun with a younger sitter, but make sure to provide the sitter with a list of emergency numbers, including contact information for nearby relatives and neighbors, as well as your family physician. Of course, you will need to leave detailed information as to where you are going and when you will be returning. Write down your cell phone number for both the babysitter as well as for your children, if they are old enough to call you themselves. Make sure to keep your cell phone with you and turned on at all times while you are away.
Step Four: Give the babysitter a clear idea of your expectations, as well as the House Rules.
If you have older children, it is a good idea to explain house rules, including bedtime and meal instructions, to the babysitter in the presence of the children. This will minimize any objections the children might have in your absence. (Many sitters are familiar with the "but mom says we do not have to go to bed until 11" routine.) You will also want to discuss any special expectations you have about the way discipline issues are to be handled.
Include specific rules that may affect each individual child, such as "No snacks before dinner." And remember to include rules you expect the sitter to follow (such as no visiting friends, no long cell phone calls, no loud music). Discuss special instructions personally when the sitter arrives at your home, and reiterate them in a set of written instructions for her reference, as well.
Step Five: Make sure to discuss with the children what kind of behavior you expect from their babysitter.
Discuss with them what abuse is (physical and verbal) and instruct the children to tell you immediately if the babysitter does something to hurt them or to make them feel uncomfortable. If your children are sufficiently old enough, instruct them to call you if anything occurs that they think you should know.
Jamie Jefferson writes for several popular websites,including http://www.bestselfhelp.com , http://www.susies-coupons.com and http://www.momscape.com where you can register to win gift cards from top online merchants.
Step One: Ask trusted community members for recommendations.
Some of the best babysitters come from referrals of other parents who have found a babysitter they are delighted with. Ask friends, relatives, and moms you meet in the supermarket or on the playground. In addition, you may want to ask preschool teachers or early grade school teachers for recommendations and advice. These early childhood experts often keep a list of recommended sitters, and they may even provide babysitting services themselves.
Step Two: Interview the prospective babysitter.
Ask for references and call several families whom the babysitter has worked with. Also during the interview, ask the candidate if she has any special qualifications, such as first aid training or CPR certification. Ask her what she would do in the case of emergencies such as accidental poisoning or choking. And do not be afraid to ask the potential sitter about her personal habits, such as swearing, smoking, or drinking. If you are interviewing a younger sitter, you may want to ask about Red Cross Certification. Red Cross babysitting courses are designed for 11 to 15 year olds, and instruct participants on such topics as first aid, diapering and feeding, as well as safe and age appropriate toys and games. The interview with your prospective sitter is also the time to work out such details as the rate of pay and transportation to and from the job.
Step Three: Make sure you choose someone who is experienced enough to handle your children at their present ages and stages.
Infants, in particular, will require special care and experience. Toddlers and school age children can have a lot of fun with a younger sitter, but make sure to provide the sitter with a list of emergency numbers, including contact information for nearby relatives and neighbors, as well as your family physician. Of course, you will need to leave detailed information as to where you are going and when you will be returning. Write down your cell phone number for both the babysitter as well as for your children, if they are old enough to call you themselves. Make sure to keep your cell phone with you and turned on at all times while you are away.
Step Four: Give the babysitter a clear idea of your expectations, as well as the House Rules.
If you have older children, it is a good idea to explain house rules, including bedtime and meal instructions, to the babysitter in the presence of the children. This will minimize any objections the children might have in your absence. (Many sitters are familiar with the "but mom says we do not have to go to bed until 11" routine.) You will also want to discuss any special expectations you have about the way discipline issues are to be handled.
Include specific rules that may affect each individual child, such as "No snacks before dinner." And remember to include rules you expect the sitter to follow (such as no visiting friends, no long cell phone calls, no loud music). Discuss special instructions personally when the sitter arrives at your home, and reiterate them in a set of written instructions for her reference, as well.
Step Five: Make sure to discuss with the children what kind of behavior you expect from their babysitter.
Discuss with them what abuse is (physical and verbal) and instruct the children to tell you immediately if the babysitter does something to hurt them or to make them feel uncomfortable. If your children are sufficiently old enough, instruct them to call you if anything occurs that they think you should know.
Jamie Jefferson writes for several popular websites,including http://www.bestselfhelp.com , http://www.susies-coupons.com and http://www.momscape.com where you can register to win gift cards from top online merchants.
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