| SEPTEMBER 2008 ISSUE:
Message from Kim | Announcements | MBF Calendar & Special Events
Tax Tips From Breedlove and Associates | Ask the Expert | MBF In the News
MBF Superstars | What Clients and Nannies are Saying  Well, it’s that time again…back to school!
No more lazy days of summer! On one hand, it’s tough to get back into that strict schedule with definitive deadlines. On the other, it’s a relief to have some renewed sense of structure to guide your days! By now, you have most likely made your childcare arrangements for the fall if you have little ones still at home or bigger ones that need afterschool care, but what happens when you have a sick child or those arrangements temporarily break down?
Mom’s Best Friend has continued to grow in the area of corporate emergency backup childcare and now a significant piece of our business is working with businesses, as well as individual client families. We work with more than 20 companies in Texas, helping families get to work with significant subsidization from their employers. These companies typically provide 80-100 hours of backup care to all employees, to be used in the event that the employee would have to miss work to care for a dependent, whether that be an elderly parent or a young child. Approximately 10% of companies nationwide are now offering some version of backup care as a part of their benefits package. Companies are starting to recognize the need to support their workers on both a personal and professional level. They also want to attract female executives, decrease absenteeism and increase retention, etc. While a sick child will want Mom initially, a transition period exists where the child is on the mend but has not yet been fever free for 24 hours. This is when our backup care serves to fill the gap. A regular nanny is sick or on vacation, a child is on a daycare waitlist for a few weeks, a school holiday falls on a day that parents have to work …these are some of the many scenarios in which a parent may choose to take advantage of this benefit. If you are already one of the fortunate employees to have this benefit at your workplace, don’t forget to schedule and utilize your hours before the end of the year, for any upcoming days you know you might need help. If you do not already have this benefit and would like more information, or a proposal to add this to your company’s benefits plan, please email leanna.hart@mbfagency.com. As a client member, you can also personally take advantage of our emergency pager for last-minute needs and reach us after hours (from 6am until 9pm Mondays through Fridays and 9am-9pm Saturdays and Sundays). Good luck with your school year and let us know how Mom’s Best Friend can help you! Kim Winblood , Owner
Transitioning Your Nanny to Part-time Now that School Has Started
Before you reduce your nanny's hours, read this helpful best practices article about after-school nannies.
New Website
We have recently created a new Mom's Best Friend website which we believe provides greater usability through a cleaner, newly organized design, complete with localized information:
Remember to book your sitter for the following school holidays:
- September 22: Staff Development ISD
- October 1: Fair Day Holiday-Rockwall ISD
- October 3: Elementary Only Fair Day-Dallas ISD
- October 6: Fair Day Holiday- Richardson ISD, Garland ISD, Lancaster ISD, Mesquite ISD
- October 7: Student Holiday- Richardson ISD, Garland ISD
- October 10: Secondary Only Fair Day-Dallas ISD; Student Early Release Day-McKinney ISD
- October 13: Columbus Day-Plano ISD, Wylie ISD, Grand Prairie ISD, Frisco ISD, Allen ISD, Carrollton Farmers Branch ISD, Sunnyvale ISD, Duncanville ISD, Crowley ISD, Northwest ISD
- October 14: Student Holiday- Sunnyvale ISD, Crowley ISD
- October 17: Student Holiday-Plano ISD; Early Release Day-Dallas ISD, Northwest ISD
- October 20: Nanny Appreciation Day
- October 27: Staff Development Day- McKinney ISD, Mesquite ISD
- October 30: Early Release Day-Lancaster ISD
- October 31: Late Start Day-Duncanville ISD
- November 10: Student Holiday-Richardson ISD, Duncanville ISD
Q:My nanny drives her own car on the job. How does mileage reimbursement work?  A: The IRS has a mileage reimbursement rate which is designed to cover the cost of gasoline plus general wear and tear on the car. With gas prices being sky high, Congress recently passed a mid-year adjustment – raising the reimbursement rate from 50.5 cents per mile to 58.5 cents per mile.
Therefore, your employee should log her miles and turn them into you prior to payday. If she drove 100 miles this pay period, then you would add $58.50 to her paycheck. This compensation is not taxable, so neither you nor your employee would owe any taxes on this portion of her pay. If you have any questions about mileage reimbursement – or any other tax or labor law issue – just give us a call at 1-888-273-3356 or visit us online at www.breedlove-online.com. As a client of MBF Agency, we’re happy to provide you with a complimentary phone consultation.  Founded in 1992 — by household employers for household employers — Breedlove & Associates is a full-service, full-support tax & payroll service. They have served more than 11,000 clients and processed more than $1 billion in household payroll. By focusing on the unique needs of household employers, Breedlove & Associates’ expertise and efficiency has been recognized in The Wall Street Journal, Kiplinger’s, Business Week and SmartMoney.com. For more information or a free phone consultation compliments of MBF, call 1-888-273-3356 or visit www.breedlove-online.com.
Q: My nanny’s annual raise evaluation is coming up and I don’t really know how much of a raise to give her. Can you give me some pointers to keep in mind when making this decision? A: Congratulations on a successful first year! If you are talking about renewing your contract, that’s a good sign that things are going well. Following are some recommendations for your review. Make sure to provide your nanny with some homework prior to your review date so she can prepare well for your time together. I would encourage her to include such agenda items as how she has met the goals you all jointly established for her position and each of the children in her care, as well as caring for the household if applicable. (Note: if you did not previously establish any such goals, now is a good time to start). Ask her to evaluate herself against these areas and so she can let you know how she thinks she is doing. You then have the chance to let her know how you think she is doing in these areas. If you are in agreement that she is meeting or exceeding these goals, you should factor that into your decision about how much of a raise to provide her.  These are tough times economically for some so you may want to brainstorm about non-financial perks that you can provide if you are unable to provide the raise you believe she merits. Some great non-salary perks include some type of savings plan, a health club membership, contribution toward her health insurance policy, extra time off, or a slight reduction in hours (in lieu of a raise).
Even though your nanny is working in your home (and not in sales job), you can still provide incentives for meeting certain agreed upon goals, whether it’s a “bounty” for a one-time goal (ex. potty training) or a pay raise (mid-year) upon completion of a specific goal for a certain length of time. Studies show that salary increases based upon merit or job performance are much more meaningful than a certain dollar figure that simply factors in cost of living increases. With all that prefaced, typical market salaries for nannies in Texas currently range between $12-15+ per hour (based mostly on the education and experience of your nanny, her expected job duties, and the number and ages of the children in her care). If your nanny is being paid less than this average, I recommend bumping her up right away to remain competitive and gain her loyalty so neither of you will be in the position of finding a replacement anytime soon. Next, determine her worth to your family based upon her and your review of her performance in the job. Annually, most families provide an increase which is the greater of at least a $1 per hour or the equivalent of 5-10% of her annual salary. Then make sure to set expectations and goals moving forward so she knows what exceeding expectations means to you and make sure to review monthly during your one on one meetings. Good luck in your evaluation and let us know how we can continue to support you! Kim Winblood , Owner
 Exhausted parents turn to night nannies to catch some Zzz's
Mom’s Best Friend was quoted in a recent San Antonio Express article about night nannies.
August 23, 2008
New Background Check Does Work for Parents
Mom’s Best Friend was featured on CBS News regarding the exceptional new background checks provided by CSIdentity.
August 7, 2008 New Background Check Does Work for Parents
Tips for choosing a nanny and the description of Mom’s Best Friend’s new stringent background checks provided by CSIdentity as featured on Fox News.
August 6, 2008
| | | | | | | | | | | | Shanna is a bright nanny who was placed several months ago with one of our MBF permanent families. Shanna graduated from the University of North Texas, majoring in Criminal Justice and Political Science. She also has a wealth of childcare experience under her belt. Her employer family recently told us that Shanna is "intelligent, energetic and positive. She is WONDERFUL!...a God-send and such a blessing!" Keep up the great work, Shanna! | | Brooke currently attends Dallas Baptist University and is looking forward to graduating in December. Brooke's positive attitude and upbeat personality make her a joy to work with, and the children love her! She works with all ages -- from our families that have twins, babies, toddlers and older children. Brooke's willingness to accept corporate, church, or family assignments make her a wonderful asset to the agency. We are glad to have you, thanks for your hard work! | | Amber has been with us off and on for three years. Amber has over 8 years of childcare, and she has been an absolute lifesaver. Every family we send her to requests her back! She recently received a sitter evaluation with all excellent ratings, noting that she is "superb" and that they "felt confident leaving their children in her care". Their children could not wait to tell them about their night with Amber. Thanks for all you do Amber! |
 Jenny was great with my son. She did great activities with him and he really liked her and looked forward to her coming. --Jennifer Despins, Sitter Client
Everyone that I met with and worked with at MBF was amazing! I was very impressed by how helpful, organized, professional, kind and caring everyone was. –-Christiana Elmer, Nanny I was very pleased with the permanent placement experience. Kate Joubert was very responsive, and worked very quickly to find nannies to interview. She was very open about the process. –-Juliet Davis, Nanny Client |