The Seattle Nanny Network | The Puget Sound area's Ultimate Resource for Families

Seattle Nanny Network awarded Best Day Care in Seattle for 2006
Best of CitySearch chooses Seattle Nanny Network Audience Winner and Editorial Winner for Seattle 2006 in the Day Care category.
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Seattle Nanny Network featured in Cookie Magazine
By JJ Ramberg & Jen Rodgers
Cookie Magazine, May 06-June 06

Hiring a full-time caretaker means more than writing one check a week. Here’s a breakdown of what you (and your wallet) can expect.

EMPLOYER PAYROLL TAXES
Cost An additional 7 to 8 percent above the nanny’s take-home pay. All household employers are responsible for paying federal and state unemployment insurance, as well as a matching portion of Social Security and Medicare taxes. If your nanny’s salary is $500 a week, for example, your share of taxes would be an additional $35 to $40 a week.

HEALTH AND WORKERS’ COMPENSATION INSURANCE
Cost It depends on the state, but health insurance ranges from $90 to $500 a month, and workers’ comp is no more than $500 a year.

Providing health insurance isn’t mandatory, but you don’t want the person in charge of your children to avoid going to the doctor because she can’t afford it. Parents can reimburse the nanny for the entire premium or a portion. Workers’ compensation insurance covers the cost of medical care and protects you from a potential lawsuit should your nanny get hurt on the job. Because rules are different in every state (in some, this insurance is mandatory), consult both an attorney and an insurance agent.

BASE SALARY
Cost It depends on the city, number of children, and duties, but it usually ranges from $400 to $700 a week after taxes. Most employers also provide two weeks of paid vacation, seven paid major holidays, five sick days, and overtime pay for any time exceeding 40 hours a week. Don’t forget to factor in annual raises of at least 1 to 3 percent and a holiday bonus (usually a week’s salary).

CAR INSURANCE
Cost It varies, based on location and driving record. If your nanny drives your car, make sure to add her to your policy. If she drives her own car, she’s not covered by your insurance, so check to see that her coverage is at least equal to your own. Depending on how much of her overall driving is nanny-related, she may need coverage for business-related driving. Expect to pay any difference between her old consumer policy and the new business one.

EXTRAS
Cost From $50 to $100 a week. Alaina Smith, placement coordinator for the Seattle Nanny Network, says families should always reimburse nannies for gas used during the workday. Some families pay by the mile (the IRS’s standard rate is 44.5 cents per mile); others provide a monthly gas allowance.

Also, expect your grocery bills to go up, as most nannies expect to be able to eat whatever they want from the family kitchen. Finally, some families choose to pay for their nanny’s cell phone so she’s always reachable, as well as provide her with walking-around money for things like movies, museum trips, and cab rides.

PAYMENT SERVICES
Cost About $20 a month If you want to avoid calculating payroll taxes and filling out W2s and other federal and state forms, you can use a service like paycycle.com, which will manage the paperwork for you. Direct deposit is included, so you can pay your nanny online, transferring the money straight from your bank account to hers. Though the service does add an incremental cost to your child care, if you make a mistake while handling the paperwork yourself, IRS penalties can be steep.

Nanny shows may seem over-the-top but offer practical parenting advice
By Stephanie Dunnewind
Seattle Times staff reporter

Overwhelmed parents and out-of-control kids are prime-time TV fodder these days, but it's not just for sitcom laughs anymore.

Viewers of Fox's "Nanny 911" and ABC's new "Supernanny" are finding dysfunctional real-life families entertaining and even educational — if parents are willing to spend their free time watching someone else's children throw tantrums. After a day with their own kids, it may be a little too much reality for some.

The competing shows place a no-nonsense British nanny in a chaotic home with wild kids and ineffective parents. The nanny observes, tsk-tsks, offers some tough-love advice to parents and imposes control. The programs intersperse interviews with parents and nannies with repeated shots of kids hitting, crying, refusing to go to bed and pitching fits.

"When I saw ['Nanny 911'], I got excited that a show focused on parenting issues," said Thelma Dirkes, staff program coordinator at Parent Trust for Washington Children, a Seattle-based nonprofit that works to prevent child abuse. Despite some drawbacks, "it promotes good, positive parenting techniques and shows that spanking and yelling are tools that don't really work."

ABC's "Supernanny," based on a British show of the same title with the same nanny, Jo Frost, premiered Jan. 17. Frost also wrote a book, "Supernanny: How to Get the Best From Your Children," published by Hyperion this month.

"Nanny 911," which premiered in the fall, ranked about 50th in TV ratings. It rotates several nannies with different families. (Though it aired first, it's actually the copycat.) It's on hiatus but Fox is currently shooting more episodes. When it returns later this season, expect a local twist: A casting producer was in town interviewing Seattle-area families earlier this month.

"These shows address real anxieties that parents feel, that they're not good enough parents and their kids are not as successful as they want them to be," said Steven Mintz, co-chair of the nonprofit Council on Contemporary Families.

Nanny know-how
No yelling. That includes parents.
Everyone listens to each other. No interrupting.
Speak politely and respectfully.
No hitting, punching, sneaky nudging, or slapping.
No spanking.
Rewards must be earned.
Parents must set boundaries and children must respect them.
Enforce rules consistently.
Share parental duties evenly and present a united front.
Stick to a schedule.
Everyone is responsible for his or her own stuff.
Children do chores.
Use good manners.
Keep sugary snacks locked in the pantry.
Source: www.fox.com/nanny911

With fewer ties to extended family, "we often know very little about how others live," said Mintz, a history professor at the University of Houston. "These shows are peepholes into other people's private lives." And let's face it: "People have always liked spying on their neighbor," said author and University of Washington sociologist Pepper Schwartz. "This is just applying the reality TV formula to a new location."

While viewers may have a hard time finding ways to, say, apply survival techniques learned from "Survivor," the nanny shows do highlight practical parenting tips.

Much of the advice is common sense, but parents don't always realize they're not following it. "We don't see how bad it is when we do it," said Schwartz, noting the shows serve as a sort of mirror. "But watching another parent on TV, it's 'Wow, is that what I look like when I yell?' "

The shows' archetypes — overwhelmed moms who don't discipline, uninvolved dads and dictatorial tots — offer a lesson on what not to do, said former Seattle nanny Zipporah Lomax. "A little bit of structure and consistency go a long way," she said. " 'Nanny 911' shows that pretty clearly."

Viewers will fall into two camps: "Those terrible parents!" or "Hmm, I've done that."

After watching an episode where the parents yelled constantly, one couple decided to change. "We only have two kids, but it gets loud in our house a lot," noted a December posting on the "Nanny 911" message board. "So I said to my husband, 'If they can do it, why can't we?'

"My 8-year-old son woke up yelling at me. I got close to him and told him that we are not yelling in this house anymore. That morning was the hardest!"

"Nanny 911" The show's Jan. 12 episode was the last before it went on hiatus. Web site: www.fox.com/nanny911

On the other side is a parent writing on the Seattle Craig's List forum. "The shows make me realize I'm a great parent. Sure, there is always room for improvement, but I'm nowhere close to being as out of control." But that doesn't make for good TV. "My 3-year-old, and 1-year-old twins and I would bore viewers to tears."

No one really expects "reality" TV to be realistic, but how far out are these families with preschoolers who curse at mom, 4-year-olds who still suck on pacifiers and 7-year-olds who won't go to sleep without mom?

"It looks so severe, but in reality, parents face many of the same kinds of behavior in their kids," Dirkes said.

For dramatic purposes, the shows distill a week's worth of interaction into an hour, with repeated clips of the kids' most dreadful manners. Imagine the worst minutes of your worst day flickering on screen over and over. ("Nanny 911" gives participants a prize, such as a trip, at the end; in "Supernanny," a calmer household is the reward.)

"What the nanny reality shows [and other popular shows, like "Desperate Housewives"] reveal through their depiction of dramatic situations is that all parents, at one time or another, will probably feel as though they need some help," noted Alaina Smith, placement coordinator for The Seattle Nanny Network. "The results of seeking assistance in the form of an experienced caregiver can be enormously beneficial."

For Dirkes, the quick resolution of problems is the most unrealistic aspect. As Fox's Web site claims, "a nanny specialist will come to your home, assess the situation and work their incredible 'Mary Poppins'-like magic to transform your terrible tykes into perfect angels."

Dirkes hopes parents don't feel like failures if they can't make such dramatic improvements. "It's the difference between short-term solutions and long-term change," she said.

While some seem over-the-top, profiled families would not be considered "high risk," since they don't struggle with poverty or homelessness, Dirkes noted.

Indeed, what makes the families different from the statistical norm is the number of kids — several of the featured families had five kids, one had seven — and that all are white, financially comfortable and married.

So far, the programs haven't profiled any families of color, dealt with cultural differences or delved into issues affecting single parents, blended families or kids with special needs. "Supernanny" will feature a Latino family in an upcoming episode and if it returns next season, producers are "definitely interested" in single parents and more minority families, an ABC spokeswoman said.

The shows certainly don't reflect a real nanny's job, said Lomax, who recently moved to Canada, but she and a fellow nanny still got together weekly to watch "Nanny 911." "We laugh when they pan to the nanny's face and we have the same reaction," she said. "We say, 'Thank God our kids are not that bad!'

"I don't think by any stretch these families are the norm," she said. "I've never experienced that kind of pandemonium."

Suzanne Royer McCone, president of Seattle-based Annie's Nannies, says the shows haven't prompted emergency calls. While nannies sometimes feel they're a family's "saving grace," "parents don't tell us they need help that way," McCone said. Instead, parents turn — rightly — to their pediatricians for behavioral issues.

Annie's Nannies places caregivers where they'll fit in with a family. "We don't come in with a book of rules," Lomax explained. "We sit down with parents and talk about their ideas about discipline. We're here to facilitate a smooth household rather than come in and educate."

So what's next? If reality TV continues borrowing from across the Atlantic, the BBC could offer several shows, including "Who Rules the Roost?," where working moms and dads take turns staying home with kids full time and "The Parent Trap," where 20somethings still live with their parents.

Share the Care
Northwest Baby & Child and NWBaby.com, by Becky Mollenkamp, March 2003

Like any expectant mother, Michele Wingerson of Renton, started worrying about childcare early in her pregnancy. She knew she wanted one-on-one care for her son, but she also worried about his socialization.

After scouring the Internet for ideas, Wingerson came up with the perfect solution-a nanny share. Such an arrangement allows two families to share one nanny. Wingerson approached a pregnant neighbor and the two families agreed to the concept. By pairing up, each family could afford a high-quality nanny while also avoiding the dreaded "only child syndrome."

Nanny sharing is a trend that has been quietly gaining momentum over the last decade. Emily Dills of Seattle Nanny Network has seen demand for nanny shares grow recently. So much so, in fact, that the placement agency is adding a section to their website devoted to the practice.

"We are placing more nanny share arrangements as families economize," Dills says. "They are realizing that sharing a nanny full time is roughly the same cost as a good daycare, but with tremendous added benefits."

Full-day care in a facility can easily cost $10,000 a year, according to the Children's Defense Fund. Although it is impossible to find a full-time nanny for that amount of money, when two families pool about that much it becomes more feasible.

In the Northwest, nannies typically charge $10-$16 an hour, depending on experience. By splitting the cost in half, families who could not typically afford a nanny now can, and those who could have paid only for a lesser-qualified nanny can now buy the very best.

"By sharing the costs, we were able to get a better quality and more experienced nanny," Wingerson says. Her nanny, Naomi Patterson, has nine years of experience.

Both the families and the nanny benefit from these arrangements, says Eva Harkness, co-founder of the National Association of Nannies. Patterson agrees.

There are several ways to nanny share, including a split schedule that gives each family use of the nanny for half the week. More common, however, is an arrangement such as Wingerson's, where the nanny cares for children from both families in one of their homes."My families pay less than a single family would for a nanny, but I make more than I would working for just one family," Patterson says.

Such an arrangement requires a lot of planning. Before ever hiring their nanny, Wingerson and her neighbor first discussed their parenting styles to make sure they were in sync. They even took the extra step of taking personality tests. Once they were certain it was a good match, they drew up a detailed contract, which outlined things such as-how much each party would pay, particularly if either family had additional children; who would cover vacation and sick days; and how to handle pay increases and taxes.

Finally, the families interviewed, chose a nanny together, and completed another detailed contract with her. The nanny contract had the traditional information on pay and benefits, and included details on the families‚ parenting philosophy-such as agreed disciplinary actions, and how much television the kids can watch.

A detailed plan and constant communication are the keys to a successful nanny share, says Dills. She suggests that the families have regular meetings to discuss any concerns. Additional meetings that include the nanny are also important.

If families in a nanny share fail to work together well, the arrangement is doomed. Dills says there are so many variables that could upset the relationship-from fears that one family's child is getting more attention, to anger over whose home is being used more-that the families must be solidly committed to making it work.

"People tried to discourage us from doing this," Wingerson says. "There's a lot of opportunity for tension-friendships have broken up over it."

Luckily, Wingerson took all the necessary steps to make sure her situation would be a success story. For cautious and concerned parents like Wingerson, nanny sharing can be a perfect solution to childcare needs.

"It has worked out great for us," Wingerson says. "I wanted personalized care for my son but I also wanted him to be around other children. This is the best of both worlds."

Member Profiles: Kirkland-based nanny business named Better Business Bureau customer service award winner
Kirkland Chamber News, November 2002

The Seattle Nanny Network Customer Service Award Winner

Pictured with the President of the BBB from left to right
are Nicole Hemphill, Liza Haggard and Emily Dills
of The Seattle Nanny Network, Inc.

The Seattle Nanny Network, Inc. is a nanny agency placing professional childcare workers in permanent and temporary positions in the greater Seattle area. Based in downtown Kirkland, they just recently celebrated their 5th year in business and accepted an award from the Better Business Bureau and US Bank for Excellence in Customer Service. The award was presented by the President of Alaska Airlines at the Westin Hotel in November. Each finalist was recognized by their peer’s, customer’s, vendors or employees as a company that stood out among Northwest businesses.

The company has catered to hundreds of local families by providing highly qualified and educated childcare workers to private homes, corporations and special events. In the past five years the company has seen dramatic changes in the industry. The level of professionalism displayed by applicants and the salary and benefits packages offered by clients have improved markedly.

The past year has seen the development of a new and exciting division of the company: Executive Domestic. Owner Emily Dills developed the concept as a response to the needs of the higher end clientele the agency already serves. The new division offers personal assistants, chefs, catering and estate managers.

The most popular division of the company is the sitter referral service, headed up by Liza Haggard, a three-year veteran of the firm. Clients can call on the agency to provide last minute sitters when their own childcare falls through or their children are on vacation from school. For more information please visit the company website at www.seattlenanny.com or call their Kirkland office at 425-803-9511.

“I love history, especially Kirkland history,” said Downtowner Emily Dills, president of Seattle Nanny Network, Inc. here in Downtown Kirkland. “Its [history is] fascinating.”

She should find it interesting. She is the great granddaughter of Downtowner Charles Burckhardt. He was the president and owner of the Washington State Shipyard in Houghton. He also built the art deco streamlined automobile ferry “Kalakala” currently resting on Seattle’s Lake Union awaiting restoration.

We were meeting in the conference room of her office. The whole basement of her home in the Norkirk neighborhood has been converted to an office to accommodate her business. We sat down after she had closed for the evening.

Seattle Nanny Network celebrated six years in business last November. “It is an outsource and referral service for high-end in-home childcare. We also do placements in churches and synagogue daycares. We represent the top three percent of the industry,” Emily said. She quantified the high-end: “We want the reputation of [representing] the crème-de-la-crème. They’re absolute professionals.”

Emily mentioned that everyone knows first aid, some of the nannies have medical backgrounds and many are certified nursing assistants. They certainly must be. The initial step is to answer a six page questionnaire while also providing five references. The next step is a two-and-a-half hour interview.

“We’re emotionally involved with the families. We walk a lot of people through their pregnancies. We have a very wide range of clients, including people losing a mate to death, then needing fulltime help they didn’t anticipate needing,” she said. The client families also go through considerable screening.

“What these people are looking for is a teacher,” Emily said. “The majority of the nannies have four year degrees. Several are elementary teachers making a career change. All of the people have a very strong background in childcare. A lot of people want to go into teaching, but when they see what they would make as teachers…” her voice trails off.

Emily became a nanny while in college and worked for several different agencies. Considering how the agencies used an answering machine and the kitchen table, she commented to herself: “I can do this.” Thus, Seattle Nanny Network, Inc. began.

She describes her business procedure: “We’ve shaken up this industry. We wear suits to work, have a website and answer the phone. We have taken this industry into the corporate setting.”

I asked for her warmest moment in the Nanny business. “ I have them every day,” she replies after commenting what a hard question to answer, then launching into a response. “I hear compliments on the nannies and staff all the time. I got an email the other day,” she says as she shows me a full-page email praising her nanny.

She is a doll collector. Opening the glass doors on a ceiling high walnut cabinet, she explains this is only a little bit of her collection. The rest will be brought out when the house she and her husband are building is completed. Picking up one doll lovingly, she shares the doll’s history. “I bought her when I was twelve with a $125 I earned babysitting.”

Seattle Nanny Network can be reaches at 803-9511 or via the website at www.seattlenanny.com.

Local Tax Rules for Nannies
New Arrival Excerpt, Seattle’s Child and Eastside Parent Newspaper, Spring 1999
By Cheryl Murfin Bond

Emily Dills, head of the Seattle Nanny Network, sums up the subject of nanny taxes and insurance coverage best: “The laws around domestic employees are very confusing. It’s important to know your legal obligations to protect yourself and your nanny.’

In Washington, a parent who pays a nanny more than $1,000 during any one quarter on the tax calendar is considered an employer and must pay quarterly state unemployment taxes. Employers are required to pay state taxes on all four quarters of that year—even if the nanny was paid less than $1,000 in other quarters.

In order to be on the tax up and up, you must file a Master Application with the Employment Securities Office to become an official domestic employer. The agency will then set up a tax account for you, assign you state business identification numbers, and send you quarterly reminders.

You are not required to purchase Workman’s compensation insurance for your nanny unless you have two or more full time employees working in your home. Workman’s compensation is insurance provided through the state that pays an employee’s medical expenses and wages if he or she is disabled on the job.

Still, providing Workman’s comp for your nanny has one major benefit. It ensures that she cannot sue you if he or she is injured while in your home, says Washington State Department of Labor and Industries spokesman Steve Valadra (see Resources.) Before3 you sign up for the state insurance, however, be sure to check your homeowner’s policy to see if similar coverage is provided there.

Washington’s mandatory auto licensing and insurance rules apply to nannies. If the nanny is driving your family car, be sure she’s covered under your family’s auto insurance policy in the amount of $25,000 for single injury, $50,000 for all injuries, and $10,000 for property damage, the minimum coverage required by state law. IF the nanny drives his or her own car while working for your family, make sure the nanny’s personal auto insurance covers business use (this can usually be done by adding a low-cost rider to the policy) or will pay claims on accidents that happen when the nanny is driving your child around. Be sure to get your nanny’s insurance company to put its business coverage policy in writing, and get a copy of the business-use portion of your nanny’s insurance contract.

Finally, providing health insurance is not required in Washington. In fact, the state-operated Washington Basic Health Plan offers no program for employers to cover single employees. Your nanny can obtain personal coverage through the state insurance program, and you may wish to reimburse him or her for that coverage. But whether you pay the nanny or a private insurance company to provide health coverage, be sure to talk to an accountant to learn how to claim the coverage when you file your federal taxes next April 15.

The Seattle Nanny Network, a nanny placement and networking agency, offers parents useful, timely information on household employer tax obligations and other issues. The agency also publishes a newsletter. Check out the networks Web site at www.seattlenanny.com or call 206-374-8688

For information on unemployment tax obligations or the Master Application process, call the Washington State Employment Securities Department at 360-902-9373 in Olympia or your local Employment Securities tax office, listed in the blue pages of the phone directory.

For information about Workman’s compensation insurance, call the Washington State Department of Labor and Industries at 206-281-5400.

Meet our Advertisers: Seattle Nanny Network
Northwest Baby and Child, Spring 1999
by Sarah Kalagian

It started as a support group for nannies; a place nannies could gather socially and network professionally. But Seattle Nanny Network (SNN) founder Emily Dills, then herself a nanny, quickly saw that more was needed. Four years later, SNN has expanded far beyond its original concept.

Today, SNN offers several areas of service. Since 1997, SNN has offered placement services to meet permanent and temporary childcare needs of client-families. It continues to function as a network and support group for nannies, whether or not the nannies are working in SNN placements. The support services emphasize a goal of professionalizing the nanny’s career and helping to reduce nanny “burnout” and turnover. SNN is also an Educational Support Association, offering employers and nannies a national training program entitled, The Nanny Training Institute™ Nanny Essentials Training, which was developed in part by the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC). Additionally, SNN offers tax and payroll services, nanny health insurance resources, a newsletter and countless other miscellaneous services to nannies and families.

Unlike other nanny placement agencies, SNN is the only agency that will not publicly list job descriptions in local papers to attract nannies. SNN prides itself in the knowledge that its nannies are specifically seeking a career in the childcare industry as opposed to general employment.

Dills invites calls from Northwest Baby and Child readers who are thinking about hiring a nanny or who are “just curious” about any aspects of the possibility. She notes that when two families share a nanny, the cost per family is about the same as a good day care center, with the benefit of the children being at home. SNN offers full-time, part-time, and summer-only placements, as well as full and part-time Temporary Childcare Services™. Please see their ad on this page.

Meet the Business: Seattle Nanny Network,
Seattle’s Child and Eastside Parent, May 1998

Unbeatable, friendly, and personable customer service. Absolute professionalism. Precedent-setting screenings. Whether you are a nanny or a searching family, expect these things and more at The Seattle Nanny Network, Inc. SNN has taken the art of matching high quality in-home child care providers with discriminating Puget Sound families to a new level, striving for nothing less than total family and nanny satisfaction.

“We want to set a high industry standard for how we treat our clientele, and our families and our nannies are our clientele,” stresses SNN executive director Emily Nichole Dills. To achieve this, SNN upholds placement standards and nanny work practices set by the International Nanny Association.

Through its professional memberships and its alliance with the national Nanny Training Institute, SNN strives to improve the image, working conditions, and professionalism of nannies here and throughout the nation.

The nanny network was started by Dills, a former nanny, in 1995 to give local nannies opportunities to network professionally and gather socially. The goals of the network and more recent placement service are threefold: To educate parents about the complicated process of hiring a nanny; To guide nannies and families through that process to a comfortable match; To provide support and resources for Northwest nannies through professional development training, social events, a lending library, newsletter, web site, and more. SNN is an information clearinghouse for parents, covering issues such as above-the-table nanny payment, tax obligations, and child care worker standards and expectations.

SNN relies on one of the most thorough nanny screening processes in the country. Background checks go back seven years and include driving records, education confirmation, and a criminal history check in every the state the nanny has resided in. References are interviewed in-depth, their responses recorded. Nannies and parents complete a lengthy application and interview to insure compatibility. The lengthy process “is an investment in our reputation and in our clients happiness that we are very proud of,” says Jennifer Rouse, SNN recruitment director.

Whether you are seeking a nanny, need resources and referral as a nanny, or interested in training as a nanny or for your nanny, call or visit The Seattle Nanny Network, Inc. It’s Seattle’s nanny connection.

Refrigerator Door: Information for Parents and Others Who Care about Kids
Seattle’s Child and Eastside Parent, February 1998

Nanny Network
Looking for a nanny? The Seattle Nanny Network, Inc. (SNN) is a resource For families seeking highly qualified, professional nannies who are well suited to their family’s needs. Founded in 1995 as a nanny support group, SSN [sic] expanded to become a placement agency in 1997. SNN also offers post-placement services to nannies such as a monthly newsletter, educational workshops, social gatherings, and a library of child-care-related literature.

SNN works with a network of companies and child-related services to clients, including optional tax and payroll for nannies, health insurance, and membership benefits such as the “Nanny Card,” which allows free or discounted access to local attractions for nannies and their families.

For more information, visit the SNN offices at 417 Denny Way, No. 302, Seattle, or call 206-374-8688 or 888-439-5437 (KIDS).