Experience vs degree?yound vs old with diabetes?
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Anonymous
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Trying to decide between 2 full time nanny candiates for my 3 year old special needs kid.
I need a nanny to focus on the special needs kid,take him to therapies and work on speech and occupational therapy at home. He doesn't walk or talk and doesnt create additional work that most typical 3 kids do-make a mess,open up cupboards,climb over things etc. I just need someone to talk and interact with him and practice therapy instructions continuously Hours would be 50 per week. Nanny A Young 22 year old graduate in speech language therapy with good grades. No professional nannying experience. Was occasional babysitter. worked at a respite care for special need has some number of hours in clinical observations has a boyfriend here and that is the reason for her wanting to relocate(boyfriend=drama in life?) her ultimate goal is become a speech therapist and the nannying position will help her gain experience towards that goal(so possibly would not be available for too long term like maybe 2-3 years?) Nanny B 48 year old overweight nanny college degree 10+ years experience nannying+daycare mentioned that she has diabetes-(need info if this will be an issue) has an autistic daughter and she worked on her has no plans other than continue being a nanny and be with the same family as long as she can be. do you think the SLP undergrad(Nanny A) be able to understand and follow up on the speech therapist instructions better because of her background and interest? Nanny A is also currently out of state so I have to wait for a month before she can get here for an in person interview. Nanny B lives nearby and I have tried her for part time evening care and did not have any issues so far. I am just wondering about the practicing speech therapy part-which candidate might be better? Also concerned about whether older nanny+diabetes would cause any issues in the quality of care. Thanks |
Anonymous
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Can you try out Nanny B on a full Saturday? Then see what your gut is telling you about her. Have you skyped with Nanny A or only phone/email? Do you know if she's overweight as well? How do their references compare? How long has Nanny B been with former families? |
Anonymous
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I've known too many people to mishandle their diabetes, so it would be a concern of mine. One wrong meal or incorrect insulin injection and they could be a wreck.
If it were my family, I'd want to go with A. The SLP training will be of use to your child, absolutely. Won't he be in some sort of school 2-3 years down the road? If so, I don't think it will be an issue if the nanny wants to move on to an SLP career. |
Anonymous
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I'd have each of them by for a trial full day, with you around but attempting not to be involved at all (just listening/observing), and then go from there.
A young, energetic, recently trained SL nanny would be excellent - but if she has no nannying experience she might not have any idea how much work FT nannying is, particularly with a child who has special needs. It could be that she's completely prepared for it and would shine, or it could be she'd be overwhelmed and burn out quickly. An older, experienced nanny who has a personal understanding of what having special needs can mean, who probably has a great deal of patience and a lot of experience staying calm and trying to think outside of the box (for her daughter) could also be wonderful. A full day would show you how much energy she has (not everyone who's overweight/has diabetes is also low-energy) and how up-to-date her understanding is. It's possible she does a lot of reading on her own to stay on top of latest developments and to learn new techniques, which would put her more on par with Nanny A. OP, I think you need to see them both in action in an 8-10 hour day and then go with your gut. |
Anonymous
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Both sound like good choices. Who do you think your child will prefer. An undergraduate in speech is not the same as graduate but it is good exposure. If you are concerned and insurance will pay, I would go for daily speech or at least 3-4 times a week.
I might lean toward be as she is here in the area and stable. She has babysat and it is fine. She is available. She has a child with special needs so she understands what she is getting into. I would not worry about the health issues. The problem with A is you don't know if she will actually move or stay if she is unhappy. Young with some speech is nice but it is not a requirement (we have a severely speech delayed child). U of MD has a great clinic with student therapists. Depending on what else you are doing, try them or see if they have any students wanting to babysit. |
Anonymous
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Thanks for the replies.
Also I forgot to mention I am from Seattle,WA. Nanny A is a pretty slim girl so no weight issues there. But I am not sure I would be able to test Nanny A for a full day because she doesn't live locally. She would be relocating here only if she gets a job here. She said she can meet me for an interview when she comes to attend a wedding here sometime in July As for Nanny B I had her come for 4 hours for the evening and she did the nighttime routine with the kids. I am having her again for a full Saturday(today) and she is currently working with the kids while I am sitting on my computer typing this. She says she would really love to work with my kid and feels that she can help him.She also got small toys for the kids.She is brimming with ideas on what we can do to help with the sensory issues(make board with different textures,make home made playdoh etc) so she seems eager. Does that seem deseperate though I wonder? But she is not reading his cues as accurately as I would have wanted her to but then it is her first full day with him so am willing to give the benefit of doubt. Like ,she was giving him water and kept the cup back on the table .She and the table were facing my kid..He then stretched out his hand she thought he needed to be picked up and picked him rather than offering the water.He was happy to be picked but after 5 mins again stretched his hand and this time he was closer to the table and the water so she got it and offered the water. |
Anonymous
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When do you need to have the person in place, OP?
I would not feel right about hiring the far away nanny without at least one full day with my child. Seeing that you need to commit before that can happen, I'd have to pass her up. What would you do if she's not working out after the first week? I'd do a week long trial with your local nanny, and decide on her then. Always do a trial period of at least a week. The nanny also needs to see if it's a good fit for her. |
Anonymous
| How is the many going to go to school working 50 hrs a week? She's not, thus not rashly that serious about that degree. Go with nanny b. |
Anonymous
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I find it really curious that the OP keeps changing how many children she has. In the first post she says one child.
At 15.40, she frequently says "kids." 
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Anonymous
| Pp it sounds like the other kids are older and won't need a nanny. She is hiring the nanny to primarily care for theyounger SN kid. |
Anonymous
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OP, you sound like you're going to be tough to work for. I hope I'm wrong, but that's the impression I get from your follow-up post.
Do not hire someone who will need to relocate. Just don't do it. There are tons of qualified nannies here in Seattle - and UW has one of the best speech pathology programs in the country! - and it would be a massive risk to hire someone untested from out of town. That adds on so many extra, unnecessary variables that could go wrong. If you honestly think these are your only two choices, hire Nanny B. If you have her come for a week trial period and still aren't certain she'll be adequate, search locally some more. Not sure why you think the nanny's weight needs to be brought up repeatedly, either? |
nannydebsays
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So, you are considering a young fit girl with no nanny experience but some SN experience and a degree in speech language therapy who wants to become a speech therapist and is moving to your area to be with a boy. You will have no chance to meet her for several weeks, and likely no chance to have her work a trial day until she has moved to your area. She eventually wants to be a speech therapist - does she need to attend Grad school to achieve that goal? How will she go to school and work 50 hours a week, if that is the case? Or an older woman with health issues (Can she pick your child up easily? Have you asked her if her diabetes is under control?) who has nanny experience and personal experience with SN, and who wants to find a new family to stay with long term. She is also enthusiastic and full of ideas to help your child and seems eager to take on the challenge of your position. But you are thinking she seems desperate and unable to read your non-verbal child's signals after spending a whole, what, 12 hours with him, and any other kids you may have. Ok, here's my advice to you: Have the older nanny work for you on a trial basis for 2+ weeks, and then decide if her skills are a match for your needs. Try, during that time, to change your mindset on her from "She's fat and desperate!" to "Wow, she reports her disease is controlled, and her references report NO issues due to her health. And look at how much initiative she has already shown, and how eager she is to help my child!" During this time, also contact ALL of the younger woman's references and ask good, open, probing questions about her childcare skills and how much time she had spent with SN kids. If her references pan out, , and you feel you need to interview her, do so when she visits for the wedding. Of course, my advice to the older nanny is a bit different: I would tell her to give you the courtesy of a trial period, but to keep hunting for a job where her initiative and abilities and experience won't be seen as "desperate" and her potential employer won't focus more on her weight and her disease than on her skill set. |
Anonymous
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A-frickin'-men PP!
OP-you are an ass. |
Anonymous
+10000000000 |
Anonymous
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Unfortunately, there's no correlation between having a degree and being a successful nanny. The requirements for success go far beyond formal "higher" education. It's a small piece of a much bigger picture. Naturally you need certain skills and knowledge, but what you need most, can't be acquired in a classroom.
A four year degree certainly looks impressive on the wall. It might also give some parents bragging rights, if that's what they most care about. For OP, I believe her priority should be finding a nanny who can "connect" with her child. She needs to get out of her head a little, and focus on her gut senses. |