Thursday, October 8, 2015

APNA CONVENTION THIS WEEK IN SCOTTSDALE!


Our Caring Nannies staff is excited about the 2015 APNA annual conference starting this week in Scottsdale at the FireSky Resort and Spa. We have motivating and insightful speakers. We're looking forward to meeting first-timers as well as old friends, and even more we're excited about learning how to hone our skill-sets so we can improve our nanny and domestic staffing service and better serve our families.  APNA is a highly principled organization made up of hard-working, smart and creative industry leaders and we are proud to be a part of it. Caring Nannies is happy to be a sponsor this year.  


Conference Speaker Spotlight: Rosalind Prather
 
Rosalind Prather is a Trusting Connections Co-Founder, a nanny placement agency and sitter service based in Tucson, Arizona. She helped grow Trusting Connections from a small 2-woman operation to a growing full-service agency of over 60 employees and oversaw the agency's expansion into the Southlake, Texas market. She currently serves as the Marketing and Client Relations Director and travels between Texas and Arizona to head the marketing and sales efforts of both locations. 

Rosalind is above all, the proud mother of two girls and has a deep understanding of the joys and struggles of family life and parenting. As a successful "momtrepreneur," Rosalind is very passionate about sharing her insights with aspiring woman business owners to inspire them to believe that being a mom and a business owner is a beautiful possibility. 
Rosalind will lead attendees in Anatomy of a Successful Sales Call on Saturday,
October 10.  
About Association of Premier Nanny Agencies 
The Association of Premier Nanny Agencies, established in 1993, promotes best business practices in all areas of the nanny placement and household staffing industries.
Media Contact
Ginger Swift, APNA President
400 South Colorado Blvd. Suite 310
Denver, CO 80246
303-321-3866

Beth

Monday, March 23, 2015

AM I PAYING MY NANNY ENOUGH? 2014 NANNY SALARY AND BENEFITS SURVEY

The INA has just released the results of their 2014 Nanny Salary and Benefits Survey. Compare what your nanny is getting.



The International Nanny Association has released the results of their 2014 Nanny Salary and Benefits survey, done in conjunction with Survey Design & Analysis, a professional research firm.
The purpose of this annual survey is to collect data on the state of the nanny industry, to see if the profession is keeping up with the economic gains in the US. A new twist is that for the first time, the survey included international data, especially from Australia. Australian salaries are a bit higher than the US. One online source,  quoted $15-$25 per hour or an average of $20 for an Australian nanny. Some of the new questions this year were designed to determine how additional training and experience affects salaries. 
Comparisons were made back to the 2012 INA Nanny Salary and Benefits survey to highlight trends. 

General trends-

Only 8% of responders were live-in nannies, a trend we have definitely seen in Arizona, where live-in nanny placements have become increasingly rare. Also not surprisingly, 85% of respondents have some college education, and three fourths work full-time. The percent of full-time nannies is up 7% since 2012. Happily, 67% have a written work agreement in place, but this number goes up to 80% if they were placed by a ‘brick and mortar’ agency like Caring Nannies. Caring Nannies sees a written working agreement essential for long term satisfaction and longevity in the nanny/family relationship. However, only half of the respondents reported that what they’re actually doing on a daily basis matches their written list of duties.
Reporters included 38% who described themselves as nanny/house managers. 72% have more than 5 years of experience in the profession.

Additional salary findings-
  • The average salary is $18.66, which is up $1 from 2012
  • Salary increases are up - 49% got increases in the past 12 months, compared to only 38% in a more cautious 2012.
  • The more experienced and educated nannies tend to get the higher salaries. No surprise there.
  • Annual bonuses hit 60%, up from 53% in 2011.
  • Families paying their nannies legally topped out at 64%.

Nanny benefits-
  • In 2012, 66% of nannies received paid holidays, now down to 57%, and 62% get a paid vacation.
  • “Guaranteed pay”, money given a nanny when the family is on an extended trip, or when Grandma comes to town, is at 71%.
  • Health Insurance is still an unusual benefit for the nanny profession, staying at 10% for full health insurance and 12% for partial. This is an area for employers to consider, as it gives the family and the nanny healthy tax breaks ,initiated in 2012 for employer provided health insurance.

Where are nannies finding their jobs?
39% got their current job through brick and mortar nanny referral agencies, and 34% online, a 10% increase from 2012.
The INA tells us that “Survey Design and Analysis’ concluded that improved economic conditions are evident in the nanny industry; with higher hourly rate, more bonuses, more full time work."

They see technology changing the industry via greater use of online classes, online job postings, and more families using payroll services. Education level and experience of nannies and most aspects of the nanny job have stayed constant since 2011.
See the complete survey at  2014_INA_Salary and Benefits Survey.

Beth

Sunday, February 8, 2015

WELCOME TO OUR NEW NANNY RECRUITER



Our beloved nanny recruiter, Ashley Thrall, has gotten married, and now Michael has taken a position at a law firm in Durango, Colorado. Congratulations, Ashley and Michael!!!! We miss you both!

We're excited to announce that Kristen Tourek has taken her place and is a quick learner!!  Kristen has a wide background in childcare plus administrative assistant skills. She's worked in church nurseries, and assisted in the children’s department organizing curriculum. Additionally, she spent a year as teacher at a preschool working primarily with two-year-olds, and as a one-on-one tutor for grade school students. She brings a love of families and children, and has a passion to build successful connections between the two.
 
Born and raised in Arizona, Kristen is currently attending school at Arizona State University, working on a degree in Graphic Information Technology, and when she’s not working, she enjoys drawing, painting, scrapbooking, and spending time with family. Kristen is doing nanny recruiting, reference checking, filing and is learning to do Temp placements. We're especially happy that Kristen is very techie, and is helping us with our social media. Welcome aboard, Kristen! 

Beth 


Monday, February 2, 2015

2015 STANDARD MILEAGE RATES ANNOUNCED BY IRS



Nannies and families, take note: The IRS has announced that the business reimbursement for business travel has gone up!

Gas has been going down radically, and 
Costco's posted rate today is $1.65. We're all saving money every time we fill up. However, the IRS has announced that for business mileage, their rate has actually gone up slightly. Last year the rate was 56.5 and the new rate for 2015 is 57.5. 

So you may be wondering why families will be paying more for errands their household staff run. Medical mileage as well as driving for volunteer work has stayed lower. 


Beginning on Jan. 1, 2015, the standard mileage rates for the use of a car, van, pickup or panel truck will be:
  • 57.5 cents per mile for business miles driven, up from 56 cents in 2014
  • 23 cents per mile driven for medical or moving purposes, down half a cent from 2014  
  • 14 cents per mile driven in service of charitable organizations
  • Moving use: 23 cents a mile

The way the IRS sets the standard mileage rates is based on an annual study of the fixed and variable costs of using a car, including depreciation, insurance, repairs, tires, maintenance, gas and oil. The rate for medical and moving purposes is based on the variable costs, such as gas and oil. The charitable rate is set by law.

Why is the business rate up and the moving and medical rate down? The business rate adjustment takes into account all the costs associated with owning a car, including insurance and repairs, while the other adjustment primarily takes into effect oil and gas costs.

There is another option. The standard rates are the simple option for taxpayers to use. The other option is to claim deductions based on the actual costs of using a vehicle. In either case, you need to keep records to prove how far you drove and when and for what purpose.

Be sure to use these new rates to reimburse your nanny or household manager starting this month!


 
Beth