Saturday, August 7, 2010

Mommies Helping Mommies Saved my Marriage

During the week, our nanny agency receives many calls from clients thanking my staff with what a wonderful job they have done finding them a perfect nanny for their family. A few weeks back I saw a message on my desk from my assistant. “Mrs. X called to say MHM saved her marriage.”
Did I read this wrong? I know we offer outstanding support to our clients but saving their marriage? That was a new one. I called Samantha into my office to ask if there were any more details with the message. “No, that's all she asked to leave.” After thinking about it for a bit and feeling myself becoming more and more curious, I had to give her a call to find out exactly what she meant. After getting her voice mail, I decided to let it go and ask her next time she called. Later that day I was amazed to receive an email from her.

“I am sure you are aware that we have been using your services for a little less than three years now. I honestly have to say I did not know what you were speaking of when you said your agency not only supports your clients during our hiring process but also during our employment with our nanny. I though it was just something you say to new clients and did not expect it to be any different than working with any other nanny agency.

You are not aware of this but when I first began using your services my marriage was not in a good place. My husband and I had two children, worked long hours and hardly spent any quality time together. We had our two children in daycare, since the social interaction was something I wanted for them. Our children had never been in daycare before and were getting hit hard with all the colds kids get that first year of school. We were staying home at least three days per month with each of our children and our jobs were beginning to suffer because of it. This caused even more tension in my marriage. My husband was convinced we needed to hire a full time nanny and that they would not be a sick if they were not in daycare. I felt a huge importance to have them stay with their friends and continue to grow the connections to teachers and peers they were developing. I was on an online community forum where I saw a newsletter your company posted. I found out you offered a daily membership and quickly called the number. It was refreshing to hear I did not have to pay a registration fee upfront and that I would just be billed for the days I needed, whether that be one day or 14 days a month. I did not know what to expect from a nanny service I did not have to pay a huge fee for and decided to stay home for the first few hours to see how things would go. I was amazed at how quickly the nanny went into their routine and how connected my kids seemed to be with her.

After a few hours, I figured it would be alright to go into the office for a few hours and get some much needed work done. When I returned home, my children were still having a great time. They were so into the art project they were doing, they barely even noticed me come through the door. We had her come the next day and it was better than the day before. I was happy I could go into the office without having my husband come home from his and he was happy about it too. We had finally figured out a way to make it work. We went on using your daily membership for our back up childcare and then began using a sitter for date nights and some weekends. I was beginning to feel good about things, my husband and I had more time to connect and we were beginning to repair all the years of neglect we had been feeling from begin so busy with family, work and life in general. We were able to be a bit spontaneous again because we are able to find a wonderful nanny from your services with such little notice. Our marriage was feeling fun again for both of us.

I soon discovered I was pregnant with our third child. I was excited but at the same time a bit nervous. It was during this time I also discovered I was getting a promotion at work. I did not know what I was going to do once the baby was born and began thinking of what all my options would be for childcare. Our boys were going to pre-school this next year and I decided it would be best to hire a nanny for our daughter. We decided to have Mommies Helping Mommies refer nannies to us and were shocked again at the level and support we received from everyone from your agency.

The nannies you referred to us for interviews were everything we were looking for in a nanny. My husband and I were happy to find out the hardest part about the whole process was deciding which nanny we were going to work with after falling in love with three of the nannies you referred. After working trial dates with all three, we chose our nanny. She has been with us ever since and has become a large part of this family. My husband and I joke around all the time about how Mommies Helping Mommies saved our marriage and then it occurred to us the other night how much Mommies Helping Mommies really has saved our marriage. I have worked with other nanny agencies in the past and not one offered nearly the level of support your agency has offered to our family. I felt we always had to fit into the agency's mold and work around when the nanny is available. Your staff worked with us through all the different levels of our childcare needs over the last few years with professionalism and warmth. I never imagined I would be able to have the level of support I have had from anyone other than my family and friends.

Thank you again from the bottom of my heart for the wonderful support you and your agency have shown me throughout the last few years. Most of all, thank you for saving my marriage!”

For all the mothers and parents we have assisted over the years, we are happy we could do so with the level of support you deserve when working with a professional nanny agency. We look forward to working with all of you in the future. Even if that means saving your marriage.




Mommies Helping Mommies Nannies and Domestics is a premier nanny agency in Colorado. Our referral specialists work hard to ensure you are matched with a nanny to fit your specific childcare needs and family dynamic. We have over a 98% successful placement rate for our long term placements and our clients return to us for all their childcare needs. All nannies have at least five years experience working as a professional nanny or educator and are the reliable, caring, creative nannies you are seeking for your family. Contact us today!


Mommies Helping Mommies Nannies and Domestics
PO Box 706
Lafayette, CO 80026

(303) 808-2865 Office
(303) 284-7825 Fax
http://www.mommieshelpingmommies.net

Heather Lowrance, President
Kim Harp, Marketing Director

Monday, August 2, 2010

Finding the Perfect Nanny- One Family's Story

Nannies and sitters have always been a very important part of any household. Without the assistance of a nanny or sitter, many parents begin to feel overwhelmed by the monotony of being a parent. Even getting out without the children once a month can do wonders for your well being and marriage. There are many different ways to find a nanny or sitter for your family. Many people do not understand the importance of using a nanny agency and the level of support Mommies Helping Mommies Nannies and Domestics offers. This story is true. You will see how working with Mommies Helping Mommies Nannies and Domestics offers you the greatest level of support when working with a nanny.

Hiring and screening a nanny or sitter on their own.
The Hardan family has decided hiring a nanny on their own is the best choice for them at this time. Their mother has been offered a new position which will begin in three weeks, giving her the time she feels is appropriate to hire and screen a nanny. They get referrals from some friends and a couple of neighbors, even found some good candidates on craigs list. After a week, they have a good list of nannies to interview. All the nannies appear to be experienced nannies who have the level of education and child care experience the parents are seeking. The mother begins scheduling interviews with the nannies to meet at their home over the next few days. At this point, there is no level of screening that has been conducted and they are unaware of who they may be inviting into their home to meet with their children.

They knew the process of finding a nanny for their family was going to be large but they did not anticipate the process being this detailed and time consuming. Contacting all the references for the nannies has taken days longer than originally expected and they now only have a week left to conduct interviews, background checks, driving history and hire a nanny. Doing their own background check on every nannies have shown to be a very expensive process as well. Accurate background checks will cost anywhere from $50-$200 per person and much more for an FBI background check. The background checks alone have cost the family over $500.00. They were amazed to discover a few of the nannies had not been completely honest with their past. You can imagine how relieved they were to have conducted the background checks prior to deciding on a nanny; their top nanny choice at the time ended up having two DUI's as well as some other offenses. They would have never suspected it.

Many parents who are hiring a nanny or sitter on their own do not screen nannies as their profession and are often unfamiliar with what to ask in order to have an in-depth understanding of who the nannies are. This family was not any different. They may have missed many white flags during their interviews simply because they are unfamiliar with this extremely detailed and sensitive process. Although the mother was not completely unprepared and did go on the web to find out the list of questions they should ask the nannies, she did not realize many times it is not what they do say but in fact what they do not say during an interview.

After screening all the nannies to the best of their ability, the parents have found the person they are sure is going to be a wonderful nanny for their children and a great fit for their family. They have decided to not have an agreement or contract to sign with the nanny since they do not want to be responsible for owing the nanny anything if the mother's new job does not work out and they have to let the nanny go. They have spoken to the nanny about what will be expected and are sure the nanny has understood everything about the position. The mother begins work on Monday and is feeling quite accomplished with finding a nanny for their family, who she is sure is going to become a part of the family and work for them years to come.

The first few months work out very well, the children adore the nanny and they are generally happy with the nanny's performance. The nanny calls in sick for the first time and the parents are very understanding. The parents spoke to a neighbor about assisting with back up and the mother gives her a quick call so she is not late for work. No answer. She calls her cell phone and still no answer. Assuming she is not around, the mother calls into work to explain the situation and stays home with her children. They speak with the nanny that afternoon and it sounds like she will be out for the remaining of the week with a very bad throat infection. The parents work out to have the father work from home over the next few days. The mother is new at her job and can not take any additional time off at this time. That neighbor never called back either and ended up not being as reliable as originally thought. The nanny is back at work the following Monday. The mother is so happy to see her, she could hug her to death. The last few days were extremely hectic and she is happy to have everything back on schedule.

A few months later and they are decidedly not happy with the nanny they have chosen. The mother can not take anymore time off of work without jeopardizing her future with the company. The father's position has caused him to travel more and she is in need of support from her nanny more than ever. The mother begins feeling very stressed out. She wants to hire another nanny but does not have the time or energy to do the whole process again. She decides to stick it out with her nanny since the children love her and it could be worse. The mother is able to be productive with what she needs to do and is even up for a promotion at work. Then it happened.

One Friday after a very productive week, the mother comes home to find a wonderful meal, prepared by the nanny is on the table. The children have been bathed and it looks like things have finally settled enough for her to be able to relax and enjoy her weekend with her family. She has a meeting on Monday with her supervisor and she is certain she will get the promotion. The nanny then tells her she has been offered a scholarship opportunity at a school she has been trying to get a scholarship to for years. The mother was completely shocked. She tried to get her thoughts in order to speak with the nanny without completely breaking down. The mother had no idea the nanny was thinking of going back to school. This was the last thing she thought she would have to deal with this weekend. Trying to be supportive of the nanny, she congratulates her and asks when she begins classes. A week from Monday was the reply. What was she going to do now?


Assisting parents and guardians find the perfect nanny for their family is what our staff does on a daily basis. Mommies Helping Mommies Nannies and Domestics referral specialists work extremely hard to make sure you are meeting with the perfect nannies to fit your child care needs and family dynamic. Mommies Helping Mommies Nannies and Domestics has over a 98% successful placement rate (unheard of for most nanny agencies), ensuring the nannies you are meeting with will be a wonderful addition to your family. All the nannies you will be meeting with have at least five years experience working with children as a nanny or educator and have completed their background screening prior to being cleared for interviews. This offers the peace of mind you deserve when meeting new nannies in your home. The story above is something we hear quite frequently from new clients. They are a bit confused why their own search did not work out as expected and are at a loss for what they did wrong. Some parents even do not know the main reason the situation did not work out was due to a lack of proper screening during the interview and hiring process. The process of screening nannies and families is a very detailed and specific process.

After receiving your family registration pack and deposit, our referral specialists begin getting to work on your placement. Our staff creates a very detailed profile of your family and compares this to the detailed compiled information we have for each nanny. I like to compare our process to one a site like match.com may use to match couples. Working with a nanny in your home is one of the most intimate working relationships you can have with an employee. In order for you and your children to feel comfortable with your nanny on every level, our referral specialists compare the nanny and family on at least ten different levels of compatibility. You will begin receiving detailed profiles on the nannies we have screened specifically for your needs and begin interviewing with the ones you feel a good connection to. These profiles of the nannies are at least three pages long and offer you all the information you will need to know about this person. Since Mommies Helping Mommies Nannies and Domestics successful placement rate is so high, most families find the nanny they wish to offer their position to within the first 3-5 nannies they meet with. Many parents are not aware of how extremely detailed and sensitive the process of screening nannies for a family is. Our referral specialists spend an average of 25-40 hours on each placement, saving you valuable time and energy better spent with your family. They also are aware of all the subtleties to be aware of when interviewing and screening nannies.

Mommies Helping Mommies Nannies and Domestics not only offers you an amazing level of support during your time interviewing and hiring your nanny, but throughout your entire employment with that nanny. You may call us at any time for helpful information and any additional support you may need. Our agents will walk you through creating a payroll for your nanny as well as the breakdown of child care tax credits you will receive by working with one of our nannies. Our agency also offers our long term clients temp care when their nanny is sick or has scheduled vacation time at no extra cost. This is a wonderful option when your nanny is sick and you are unable to miss work.

Mommies Helping Mommies Nannies and Domestics also offers assistance to clients seeking back up care for their children who are already working with a nanny or are in daycare/preschool. You are able to call us last minute if you are in a bind and can not find child care. Our amazing temp nannies are available 24 hours per day for your emergency or last minute needs.

Now Mrs. Hardan and many more just like her have the support of our premiere nanny agency, Mommies Helping Mommies Nannies and Domestics. You may see their testimonials on our website. We know once you begin working with us, you will quickly see why Mommies Helping Mommies Nannies and Domestics is the premiere nanny agency in Colorado. We look forward to assisting you!


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

Mommies Helping Mommies Nannies and Domestics, LLC
PO Box 706
Lafayette, CO 80026

Open 7 days per week!
After hours on call service for clients.
(303) 808-2865 Office
(303) 284-7825 Fax

Heather Lowrance, Owner and President
heather@mommieshelpingmommies.net