Fall is just around the corner and that means that millions of children will be getting ready to head to kindergarten for the first time. This is an exciting and sometimes nerve-wracking time for the children as well as the parents and their nannies! As a nanny, you have a special role in the child’s life in regards to preparing them for school. Here are some important tips and getting the kid(s) in your care prepared for their first adventure in school.

Working as a nanny is not only job, but it’s an emotional investment. Nannies come to love the children they take care of and when the children start school, saying goodbye can be hard. Even though the child may not need all-day care as they once did, keeping a nanny on full time can still be very beneficial for families. If that is what happens, then the family and the nanny will need to sit down and discuss job duties and how the routine and job will need to change. Kindergarten is either full day or half day, depending on the school and school district and having the nanny available for the child before or after school, as well as sick days and school holidays, can be extremely beneficial.

You’ve hired a nanny and you think she’s a perfect fit for your family. Great references and experience. You and your kids get along with her well and things are seemingly working out great. But then, she gives her notice. What went wrong? Maybe it’s not her, but it’s you. Here are some reasons why good nannies and caregivers often quit their jobs.

A HWS referral partner who operates a nanny referral agency recently contacted our office with the following question:

Newborn care specialists are a relatively new form of specialty nanny. Formerly known as "baby nurses," the NCS typically cares for a newborn for the first several weeks to the first several months of life. They are specialists on working with newborns, premature babies, and multiples such as twins and triplets. The NCS partners with the new parents, educating them as required on infant care, provides care for the baby so mom can rest and recover, and helps the infant develop good feeding and sleep schedules and patterns.

Your children are in elementary school full time and you and your partner are working full time. After school childcare is a priority. Your son wants to participate in an after-school computer program once a week, and your daughter wants to play fall soccer. Mom and dad have demanding jobs, and just getting a healthy dinner together can be a major challenge. You wonder, are there after school nannies?

Peter Schutz, motivational speaker and the former CEO of Porsche, famously opined “Hire character, train skill.” In the business world it is easy to understand this philosophy. Character is ingrained, you can and should train specific skills. How does the role of character translate into the nanny hire?

Your relationship with your nanny is strained and you come home on Friday and she tells you she is done. Or you open an email or text on Saturday to the news your nanny quit. Things are going well, but your nanny gives you two weeks notice that she is moving to a new job. Whether it is on good terms or bad, there are things a family MUST know and address when the nanny leaves.

Update: 2020 reimbursement maximums are $5,250 ($437.50 monthly) for an individual and $10,600 ($883.33 monthly) for a family.

Update: 2019 reimbursement maximums are $5,150 ($429.16 monthly) for an individual and $10,450 ($870.83 monthly) for a family.
Update: 2018 reimbursement maximums are $5,050 ($420.83 monthly) for an individual and $10,200 ($850 monthly) for a family.

Helping your nanny, caregiver or other household employee pay for health insurance on a tax free basis was complicated by provisions of the Affordable Care Act in 2013. In December 2016 the 21st Century Cures Act was enacted, making it much easier for household employers as well as other small employers to provide  tax free health benefits to household employees.