Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand this anger toward agencies at all. I have turned down a few agencies that wanted to work with me, yes, but the ones I've used have been marvelous and all were founded by former nannies (and currently staffed by nannies less than 5 years out of the "field"). I suppose I was assuming this was typical - but isn't it? Isn't it usually ex-nannies who know the market and decide to start an agency? Or have I got that wrong?

Some nanny agency owners are lawyers and MBA's who recognized a very lucrative opportunity for tremendous profit. Few, if any, of them have any significant experience and training in early childhood development. That would explain your success with agency owners who were first nannies for many years.

Oh interesting, thank you for clarifying. I didn't realize and you're right, it certainly explains the success I've had with the agencies I've used.

Anonymous wrote:I don't understand this anger toward agencies at all. I have turned down a few agencies that wanted to work with me, yes, but the ones I've used have been marvelous and all were founded by former nannies (and currently staffed by nannies less than 5 years out of the "field"). I suppose I was assuming this was typical - but isn't it? Isn't it usually ex-nannies who know the market and decide to start an agency? Or have I got that wrong?

Some nanny agency owners are lawyers and MBA's who recognized a very lucrative opportunity for tremendous profit. Few, if any, of them have any significant experience and training in early childhood development. That would explain your success with agency owners who were first nannies for many years.

I don't understand this anger toward agencies at all. I have turned down a few agencies that wanted to work with me, yes, but the ones I've used have been marvelous and all were founded by former nannies (and currently staffed by nannies less than 5 years out of the "field"). I suppose I was assuming this was typical - but isn't it? Isn't it usually ex-nannies who know the market and decide to start an agency? Or have I got that wrong?

You can be part of the problem or part of the solution but anonymous rants on a message board do nothing to solve the problem.
Glenda Propst
Co Founder of the first nanny organization run by nannies for nannies NAN 1992-2005

Anonymous wrote:

nannydebsays wrote:PP or PP's who have spent so much time complaining about the INA:

Perhaps you (all) should channel your energies into creating the nanny-only organization that you so desperately seem to want.

With all the passionate kvetching you've done here, you could instead have already completed paperwork to file as a business or a non-profit, started a publicity campaign, and elected a board of directors.

Why not address the problems being raised? Are you saying you feel it's hopeless and it will continue to be "business as usual"? The agency conflict of interest issue, for instance, is bound to explode as more and more nannies become informed.

If you have as a goal forcing the INA to completely change the way they operate because you, or 100 or 10000 people feel the way they operate is wrong, then yes, your goal is unachievable, and your cause is hopeless.

If you have as a goal establishing a new "nanny only" group that you and your fellow 100 or 10000 people who hate the INA will run without any agency involvement, you should go for it, get that new professional organization started, and let us all know the name, the names of the board of directors, and the membership requirements, organization rules, how the org will be funded, who the ubiquitous "lobbyists" will be, why your org is worth supporting...that is an amazing goal, and I would never dream of calling it "hopeless" because I like people who think big.

So, yeah, you have a lot to do if you're going to take a stand for change. Time to stop moaning about what you can't change, and doing something about what you might be able to change.