Random Activity
There are currently no activities/events scheduled in the calendar. Please check back soon as we update often.
Recipe Exchange
Sandwich on a stick
Ingredients: Bread, cheese, diced ham, grape tomatoes, lettuce, pickle, olive. Directions: Cut up cubes of bread, cheese, and ham. Slide the cubes onto a skewer with other foods your child likes... More
Ingredients: Bread, cheese, diced ham, grape tomatoes, lettuce, pickle, olive. Directions: Cut up cubes of bread, cheese, and ham. Slide the cubes onto a skewer with other foods your child likes... More
Search
Community
rustic furniture,log furniture
Re: Summer getaways
Re: Looking for playgroup
Group Discussion help..?
Preschools
Re: Summer getaways
Re: Looking for playgroup
Group Discussion help..?
Preschools
Photo Fun
Milk lessonAlthough animals are a still a big part of 4-H, these days members learn public...
More info
Columns
It is our hope that parents will benifit from the Parent Pages columns. Please feel free to leave comments, or ask questions.
Calling for reinforcements
Posted on Tue, March 10th, 2009
Written by: J.B. Baker, Editor
email: cdparentpg@aol.com
Hiring help can be a blessing for busy families
No one said being a new mother was easy, those first few days or even weeks home from the hospital can be overwhelming, not to mention exhausting. Getting a little extra help during that time can make all the difference to a mother who may still be recovering from birth, has another child at home or may even have to return to work.
In decades past, new mothers often turned to family members, perhaps her mother or mother-in-law or a grandmother or sister to help out, but nowadays, because of distance or other circumstances, that assistance can’t always be counted on.
Increasingly, many families decide that hiring help is their best option. Whether it is a baby nurse, mother’s helper, a baby sitter or nanny or au pair, bringing someone into the home to help can relieve the burden for parents and allow them to spend more time with the new baby.
“When people hear of a nanny they think ‘live in’ and say, ‘We can’t afford that kind of service,’” said A New England Nanny Agency Director Melissa Schoonmaker. “However, there is a full range of help you can receive -- from baby nurses who can stay from a few days to a few months to provide overnight care so mom and dad can get some rest, to mother’s helpers for mom’s who may just need an extra set of hands to a live-in or live-out nanny who can not only provided child care but take care of household duties.”
Kristin Grosso, of Greenfield Center, regularly hires help from A New England and wishes she used the service sooner.
“If I had known how much easier it made everything I would have hired help five years ago, when my son was born,” she said. Grosso and her husband Chris, have two children, Nicholas, age 5, and Caroline, 3. A few years ago she discovered the local agency that helps place hired help into homes and found that hiring sitters and nannies from a service was much more efficient than seeking out her own childcare.
“It is wonderful to have the opportunity to just call the agency and always get someone who is great,” Grosso said. “I was really, really impressed with how knowledgeable the nannies were. They communicated with the kids, they bake and do artwork, and they play games. I like that the kids are stimulated and learning instead of just passing time.”
Grosso’s family has a cadre of child care providers they like and that they ask the agency for on a regular basis, about six times a month, including some overnights. Grosso was most impressed that the service took time to find out what her wants and needs were.
“The nanny service makes it very, very simple and they make a big effort to get the right people to me,” she said. “It’s so professional. They care about every client, they match people well, and the nannies are on time. I think most people think the price will be outrageous, but it really is reasonable.”
Another option for families who have a spare room, is bringing an au pair into the house to live for a year. Au pairs, who arrive from more than 40 countries, are usually between the ages of 18 and 26 and provide live-in childcare.
They can care for children for up to 10 hours per day for a total of 45 hours per week. In exchange for providing childcare, au pairs receive room, board, and a stipend.
An au pair’s responsibilities can also include dropping children off and picking them up from school or activities, helping children with homework, assisting in keeping the children’s rooms clean and cooking light meals for the children.
“It is a great opportunity for a family to learn about a different part of the world, a different country,” said Nina Kryzak, a local coordinator for Au Pair USA/Interchange. “Children often learn words and phrases from whatever country the au pair is from and perhaps experience different meals. And in exchange, the au pairs are offered new experiences. One au pair from Thailand who had never seen snow was able to go skiing with her host family.”
The entire program is authorized and overseen by the State Department, and, as with any federal program, the host family must agree to abide by requirements and regulations.
The family must also accept the au pair into their home and treat them as an extended family member, provide meals and a private room, arrange for them to take classes, give them a paid vacation and a weekly stipend of $176.95 a week, according to Kryzak.
Michele Teague found the au pair program was a perfect fit for her family and is currently hosting her third au pair.
Teague, who lives in Guilderland with her husband William, and children Liam, 4, and Lillian, 3, said the program appealed to her because of the cost of paying for daycare for two young children and the hassle of packing them up early in the morning to get to another location seemed overwhelming.
“I would highly recommend the program,” Teague said, “Not only is it a great child caring option, but a great experience for the whole family. The worst part is when the year is up and we have to say goodbye.”
For information about A New England Nanny you may contact the company at 348-0400 or visit the Web site at www.anewenglandnanny.com.
For information about Interexchange/ Au Pair contact local coordinator Nina Kryzak at 355-2005 or visit the Web site at www.AuPairUSA.org.
You can contact cdparentpg@aol.com with any questions. Also, feel free to post comments below.
Readers had this to say
Guest 04/13/09
Fees for an aupair are in excess of 7000 and that is for one year not including the stipend weekly. A New England nanny is a fraction of that and you may have your nanny for one year or 5 years and never pay those fees again! Plus our nanny is local and knows the area. Comment about this article.
Posted on Tue, March 10th, 2009
Written by: J.B. Baker, Editor
email: cdparentpg@aol.com
Hiring help can be a blessing for busy families
No one said being a new mother was easy, those first few days or even weeks home from the hospital can be overwhelming, not to mention exhausting. Getting a little extra help during that time can make all the difference to a mother who may still be recovering from birth, has another child at home or may even have to return to work.
In decades past, new mothers often turned to family members, perhaps her mother or mother-in-law or a grandmother or sister to help out, but nowadays, because of distance or other circumstances, that assistance can’t always be counted on.
Increasingly, many families decide that hiring help is their best option. Whether it is a baby nurse, mother’s helper, a baby sitter or nanny or au pair, bringing someone into the home to help can relieve the burden for parents and allow them to spend more time with the new baby.
“When people hear of a nanny they think ‘live in’ and say, ‘We can’t afford that kind of service,’” said A New England Nanny Agency Director Melissa Schoonmaker. “However, there is a full range of help you can receive -- from baby nurses who can stay from a few days to a few months to provide overnight care so mom and dad can get some rest, to mother’s helpers for mom’s who may just need an extra set of hands to a live-in or live-out nanny who can not only provided child care but take care of household duties.”
Kristin Grosso, of Greenfield Center, regularly hires help from A New England and wishes she used the service sooner.
“If I had known how much easier it made everything I would have hired help five years ago, when my son was born,” she said. Grosso and her husband Chris, have two children, Nicholas, age 5, and Caroline, 3. A few years ago she discovered the local agency that helps place hired help into homes and found that hiring sitters and nannies from a service was much more efficient than seeking out her own childcare.
“It is wonderful to have the opportunity to just call the agency and always get someone who is great,” Grosso said. “I was really, really impressed with how knowledgeable the nannies were. They communicated with the kids, they bake and do artwork, and they play games. I like that the kids are stimulated and learning instead of just passing time.”
Grosso’s family has a cadre of child care providers they like and that they ask the agency for on a regular basis, about six times a month, including some overnights. Grosso was most impressed that the service took time to find out what her wants and needs were.
“The nanny service makes it very, very simple and they make a big effort to get the right people to me,” she said. “It’s so professional. They care about every client, they match people well, and the nannies are on time. I think most people think the price will be outrageous, but it really is reasonable.”
Another option for families who have a spare room, is bringing an au pair into the house to live for a year. Au pairs, who arrive from more than 40 countries, are usually between the ages of 18 and 26 and provide live-in childcare.
They can care for children for up to 10 hours per day for a total of 45 hours per week. In exchange for providing childcare, au pairs receive room, board, and a stipend.
An au pair’s responsibilities can also include dropping children off and picking them up from school or activities, helping children with homework, assisting in keeping the children’s rooms clean and cooking light meals for the children.
“It is a great opportunity for a family to learn about a different part of the world, a different country,” said Nina Kryzak, a local coordinator for Au Pair USA/Interchange. “Children often learn words and phrases from whatever country the au pair is from and perhaps experience different meals. And in exchange, the au pairs are offered new experiences. One au pair from Thailand who had never seen snow was able to go skiing with her host family.”
The entire program is authorized and overseen by the State Department, and, as with any federal program, the host family must agree to abide by requirements and regulations.
The family must also accept the au pair into their home and treat them as an extended family member, provide meals and a private room, arrange for them to take classes, give them a paid vacation and a weekly stipend of $176.95 a week, according to Kryzak.
Michele Teague found the au pair program was a perfect fit for her family and is currently hosting her third au pair.
Teague, who lives in Guilderland with her husband William, and children Liam, 4, and Lillian, 3, said the program appealed to her because of the cost of paying for daycare for two young children and the hassle of packing them up early in the morning to get to another location seemed overwhelming.
“I would highly recommend the program,” Teague said, “Not only is it a great child caring option, but a great experience for the whole family. The worst part is when the year is up and we have to say goodbye.”
For information about A New England Nanny you may contact the company at 348-0400 or visit the Web site at www.anewenglandnanny.com.
For information about Interexchange/ Au Pair contact local coordinator Nina Kryzak at 355-2005 or visit the Web site at www.AuPairUSA.org.
You can contact cdparentpg@aol.com with any questions. Also, feel free to post comments below.
Readers had this to say
Guest 04/13/09
Fees for an aupair are in excess of 7000 and that is for one year not including the stipend weekly. A New England nanny is a fraction of that and you may have your nanny for one year or 5 years and never pay those fees again! Plus our nanny is local and knows the area. Comment about this article.