Help me figure out childcare

[Anonymous]

I'm thinking about going back to work full time - my kids are 6 and 3. Older child will be in school full time 9-3:25. Younger child is signed up for prek MWF 12:30-3. I'd like to get a nanny because of all of the pickups and drop offs (we walk to school) and because I think it will be logistically easier especially since I haven't worked in years and know this will be an adjustment for everyone. I'm thinking I'd ask the nanny to do light cleaning during one of the preschool days but are we just stuck paying them for the other two? I realize I could use 2 people (one for before preschool and one for after) but if I want one nanny for the schedule above, is my only choice to pay them while both kids are in school?

[Anonymous]

You've got to pay for those hours. It's only 7.5 hours a week. If she does the laundry and some light cleaning, those hours are already eaten up.

[Anonymous]

your kids will get sick and will have lots of days off for holidays and summer, so nanny in the hours is extremely helpful unless you want to take off from your new job all the time

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:You've got to pay for those hours. It's only 7.5 hours a week. If she does the laundry and some light cleaning, those hours are already eaten up.

Ok this is something that's done then? Wasn't sure if people would balk at a schedule like this.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You've got to pay for those hours. It's only 7.5 hours a week. If she does the laundry and some light cleaning, those hours are already eaten up.

Ok this is something that's done then? Wasn't sure if people would balk at a schedule like this.

Some people will balk. Others are happy to do it. We had our nanny for 5 years and, for the last 6 months, both kids were in school. It was a wonderful luxury that we couldn't really afford; our house was spotless and we never had to worry about sick days or teacher inservice days or whatever. And our nanny was happy to do it.

[Anonymous]

Yes you have to pay. A lot of people have a nanny to do drop off and pick up 5 days a week and pay for all the hours in between.
Also you need to be very specific about the light cleaning. Dishes? Dusting? Or just wiping down the kitchen table or what?
Most parents I know who have a nanny on a schedule like yours (which allows for very little down time) have them do kids things like the kids laundry only or making meals for the kids or tidying up their playroom or things like that.

[Anonymous]

You could also get an au pair with the schedule you have in mind.

[Anonymous]

Just put in your ad the hours you're looking for and the duties, and make sure you're clear in the interview. It will be appealing to some and not to others, for example when I was interviewing nannies, one woman who I liked very much had a HS age daughter and would have been happy to get home to her in the afternoon, unfortunately I needed more hours.

Our nanny has been a wonderful addition to our family. Kids are 5 and 2. Our younger son naps for 2-3 hours a day most days, so kind of the same in the end. She finds things to do when he is sleeping that contribute to the household.

Also, definitely true what the above PP said about off days. Maybe other counties are different but Arlington has about 100 early release days, it seems like.

[Anonymous]

We have a nanny and some days she would be paid while the kids were in school (our youngest was in preschool 9-12 in the mornings, some mornings my husband or I would drop him off, but some mornings she would arrive at 8 and take him and then go back home).

She is a lifesaver for our household and does a ton of stuff besides taking care of the kids. She does all the kids' laundry, our laundry, tidies up, does some cooking, and is sometimes home if I order grocery delivery and will put them away.

I think in advertising for the position you just have to be very clear about your expectations and pay accordingly. We have 3 kids (2 are in school, but she watches them after school) and pay $22/hour plus time and a half when she has overtime. We also pay for gas and almost all of her health care monthly premium. She makes close to $50,000 a year. She works on average 37-38 hours a week, but during our busy time at work she can work 45 hours and sometimes as few as 35. She gets 15 paid vacation days a year, minimum (often more if we are gone on vacation or I give her days off during the holiday season).

[Anonymous]

I would pay the nanny and use her full time. What a huge help it will be not to have to worry about scrambling to make it to after school pick up on time, the endless weather closures, sick days, etc. Believe me, this would be very helpful. She could also help you run a few errands on the preschool days.

[Anonymous]

My child goes to preschool (2x for four hours last school year, 3x for 4 hours this coming year) and we pay the nanny for those hours. Absolutely. It's only fair. It's supply and demand and if you want a great nanny, you have to pay and be fair.

If you want her to do some light cleaning or laundry or other errands during that time, that is reasonable. I know friends who do that. We did not, just because we both have flexible schedules with reasonable hours and already have a cleaning person, and laundry really isn't that much of an overwhelming time kill. She does often put laundry away when it inevitably piles up though which I really appreciate.