New York Nanny Bill of Rights - Will Colorado do the same?

DENVER, Colorado (June 25, 2010) -Earlier this month, New York lawmakers have passed bills to require overtime pay after eight-hour workdays and at least one day off weekly for more than 200,000 housekeepers, nannies and other domestic workers in the state. Advocates say that if Gov. David Paterson signs the measures into law, New York will become the first state establishing those rights for household workers. Lawmakers still have to reconcile differences in the bills. Governor's spokesman Morgan Hook said Paterson would review the legislation. Federal minimum wage laws already apply. Sen. Diane Savino, D-Staten Island, said the legislation would not apply to casual laborers like baby sitters and occasional house cleaners. It would take effect Jan. 1, 2011.

Is Colorado Next? Other advocacy groups (http://www.domesticworkersunited.org) are trying to get similar legal protections in states where there are large numbers of nannies, such as Colorado and California. Becoming known as, "The Domestic Workers' Bill of Rights", advocates say that, this legislation would give workers legitimacy and guidance to employers. According to the Colorado Department of Labor & Employment, the number of childcare workers, which includes nanny care, in Colorado will make a steady increase from 14,220 jobs in 2006 to over 18,000 jobs by 2016.

"This legislation looks at human resources issues for domestic workers," noted Heather Lowrance, owner and founder of Mommies Helping Mommies-Nannies & Domestics, LLC (www.mommieshelpingmommies.net). "Nannies without the protection of an agency as well as those who hire nannies without an agency operate at their own risk when it comes to background checks, compensation and the entire employer-employee agreement. The critical and most fragile person in jeopardy is the child who is depending on the success of the private parent-nanny arrangement. It is important to keep the children as the top priority. Thinking of the parent who is on the path to hire a nanny or baby sitter and to "go it alone" without guided candidate/family screening, drug screenings, background checks, reference checks, customized matching of candidate-to-family requirements, subject matter expertise, post-placement support, agency tools and resources, etc. is at best, stressful. Families want resolution. We're here to provide the best solution."

In 2010, the International Nanny Association (INA) updated its recommended practices for nannies, placement agencies and domestic employers. These newly expanded publications (available at www.nanny.org) include an educational section on legal responsibilities for household employers and suggested items to be included in a nanny/family work agreement. INA has also revised its Nanny/Family Work Agreement to include information on overtime law. INA will continue to keep its members abreast of developments regarding the proposed legislation.


Labor & Work

Many Colorado families who employ babysitters, nannies or others who work in the home may be very much unaware of the progress of this legislative reform. Families hire minors and non-professionals, and then pay them "under the table". Meanwhile, an affordable, safe, proficient, flexible nanny agency can serve both parties' interests. According to a recent study by the Center for American Progress, (www.americanprogress.org) there are "The Three Faces of Work-Family Conflict: The Poor, the Professionals, and the Missing Middle".

So what do all these other households do? They rely on spouses, relatives, (licensed/unlicensed) day care, the neighbor or a friend's teenager, an in-home childcare mom or after-school programs-that is, on high-stress, patchwork arrangements, which is why work-life balance for so many families remains hard. This is one reason why, according to the American Progress study, childcare is such a problem in the United States. Americans focus on the poor (a group in which women are expected to work, even if they have kids) or high-powered, professional women (who "opt-out" of the workforce to have kids) and overlook the "missing middle," as the study calls it. This is where most Americans actually live and where virtually all women work, without very good or affordable child-care options.

A final factor that affects work-family conflict is childcare costs. Unlike Europeans, many of who have access to high-quality, neighborhood-based childcare at subsidized rates, Americans at all levels struggle to find high-quality childcare-and struggle even more to pay for it. According to our analysis, in March 2009 dollars, low-income families pay around $2,300 a year per child for childcare for children under age 6-about 14 percent of their income. Families in the middle average $3,500 a year-6 percent to 9 percent of their income. Professional families pay about $4,800 a year-3 percent to 7 percent of their income.

Lowrance commented on the Study's cost analysis for Colorado saying, "For our agency, all families can have a full-time nanny or babysitter for much less than $4,800 a year and ensure that the highest standards of quality and care are provided. Charging flat placement fees, versus charging 10% of the employee's gross (as most placement agencies do) enables families to offer what they feel their employee deserves and not have to worry about their nanny's hourly rate affecting the final placement cost due to the agency. Families shouldn't have to pay a huge placement fee, to have a premiere nanny agency working for them!"


About Mommies Helping Mommies-Nannies & Domestics, LLC

For over 15 years, Mommies Helping Mommies provides experience and expertise for childcare services. The agency maintains a 98% successful placement rate for our long-term nanny placements and unmatched customer service, responsiveness and convenience for families with specific needs. This agency will conduct a personal and customized recruiting plan for every placement and 98% of candidates are screened BEFORE client interview, saving clients valuable time. All clients benefit from a replacement guarantee, including after-hours on call services with free temporary and emergency care for long term and short term placements when your nanny is ill or on vacation. Our agency maintains a high quality staff and offers an exclusive Nanny Professional Development Program. This program includes initial and continuing education for nannies, and includes placement scholarship opportunities for continuing their education. A Comprehensive Employer Handbook is provided to all clients with valuable information on creating a great, long lasting relationship with your new household employee. There is No cancellation penalty for finding a nanny through other means. Mommies Helping Mommies is a locally owned and operated agency and is an active member of the International Nanny Association (INA) and The Association of Premier Nanny Agencies (APNA). All staff members have passed many background checks and an extensive screening process.

For additional information/contacts
http://www.mommieshelpingmommies.net

Mommies Helping Mommies Nannies and Domestics,LLC
Open 7 days per week 7am-7pm

PO Box 706
Lafayette,CO 80026


Heather Lowrance,
Owner & President
Office:(303) 808-2865
heather@mommieshelpingmommies.net Fax: (303) 284-7825

Kim Harp, Marketing
Kim.Harp@mommieshelpingmommies.net