Have some fun!

With Holidays just finished and the next ones around the corner, I have to tell you about a little known secret website full of fantastic colouring in, math, language and other projects and worksheets that you can download for free.

Over the last few days, my daughter has occassionally been sitting in my office with me, some of you may have even been privy to her superb telephone manner ( I may, be being, a little generous here)  as she answered the phone ignoring my pleas not to do so. However when she was there, in order to feel like part of the office ( my office is work from home) I kept her busy with tonnes of worksheets from this website:

www.kidzone.ws

I really like the way they have separated the subject matter into what is appropriate for which age group and grade! It really does make searching easier. It even has a bit of a lesson planning tool! Check it out! If you find any similar sites please let us know so we can share with all our other readers! Have fun.

Au pairs: How to maintain a good relationship with your employer

Sometime ago Sitters4U produced an article for our clients “Maintaining a good relationship with your au pair” which is sent to each and every one of our clients. Many go through this guide and tend to have fewer issues with their au pairs. Others do not and we unfortunately cannot do much about that, except to simply assist as we can when issues arise. We have just loaded a new article to our website, it is a guide that will make your relationship with your employer and your job as an au pair a little easier, more pleasant and long lived.

Click here to read : Au pairs: How to Maintain a good relationship with your Employer

Many thanks and compliments…

Its always lovely to get positive feedback and I must say to have your day made two days in row! Wow!

Sms from Pam, placed with her family over 4 months ago, received yesterday:

Hi Bianca,

Just to let you know everything is still going great! I couldn’t have asked for a nicer family, they treat me well. P.S. I gave a lady your number, she is looking for a new au pair position, I told her you are the best agency around at the moment. Many thanks, PAM

and then another email I received this morning from a candidate, which put a big smile on my face:

I’ve been meaning to say this for a while now. I’m sure you’ve heard it before, but your agency is fantastic! In the 8 or so months that I’ve been registered with 4 agency’s you are the only one who has been consistent, pro-active (active) in placing and finding work. I have heard once or twice from the others and received no work from them. I have heard from other Au pairs that their experience has been the same.
So, much appreciation and gratitude for your hard work and great service.

With thanks

Hayley

Then from a client, we recently received the following email with regards to a query she had:

Hi Bianca

You are the best!

Thank you for responding and for being so prompt.

Kind regards

Have a lovely weekend

Alicia

and from another client, earlier this month:

Hi there

As discussed , please keep on looking and it would be great if I could see people before the end of the week.  Its now super urgent , as Ihave now been home for almost a month and need to get back into work.

Thanks for the professional and efficient service

Regards

Helga

What a way to make my day! Sitters4U, placing you first! Thats our motto and we stick to it! Thank you for the compliments everyone.

New Website launched now…

I am ecstatic! Finally, months of work, sleepless nights and barely any social activity finally bears fruit…I am watching as I am typing this, our new website go live. Features include forms for every service, navigation that ensures you know where you are always, and some other wonderful features on our Content Management. Over 200 pages all neatly tucked into their individual spaces and all fully, easily navigable!

Like I said I am ecstatic. Check it out www.sitters4u.co.za

April….the month of many new things!

Change…Are you ready for it? I certainly am, whilst most people spent their Easter weekend away with family, my family went to Saldanha, visiting family and can you believe it, working. Whilst my daughter had lots to do, my partner and I packed in an incredible amount of time into Sitters4U’s new website? Why?  I have been so excited about our new launch and it looks like its finally here!We are about 6 hours work away!

Its got a new look and feel, its going to be extremely easy to navigate, all services are now accessible from the website, so a client need never download forms, fax or email a form, its now all accessible online.

To add to the current forms online, which include au pairs, babysitters and house sitters, New service forms previously only downloadable, include:

On the child care side we have Drivers, Tutors and Nannies;

Home care now includes online requests for Domestics.

and Frail care Services can now be requested online,  include: Nurses, Paramedics, Care givers, Companions, Medical Administration Staff, other medical services, Treat a Senior options and Home Management services which include everything from gardeners and electricians to plumbers and more.

To make it even more incredible we now have online staff applications for each and every service, obviously as a candidate you will still need to come and see us but at least it makes processing your applications alot easier, meaning faster processing of applications as well!

Okay but that’s not all I have up my sleeve! We have also just launched a new child care course in Cape Town for Nannies, domestics and Au pairs. As far as I know it also happens to be the most well priced course at a rate of only R 500 per person ( the next course up starts at R 1500)! Very exciting stuff, covering:

•    Basic Childcare
•    Etiquette in Employers homes
•    Communication between Employer and Employee
•    Communication between Child minder and Children
•    Safety
•    Health and Nutrition
•    Child Development, month to month
•    Age Appropriate activities from newborn to Preschool

and with ongoing support and a monthly newsletter, this course is well worth it!

So watch out for the new website, launching in the next few days! Looking forward to the new challenges, clients and staff we will be assisting.

NEWS FLASH! Its time for our next Pediatric First Aid course again!

This weekend we will be hosting the Pediatric First Aid course in Midrand, we still have space available, so if you are keen to join sign up by clicking here now.

Water Safety-Dont let your child drown!

Water safety is of extreme importance at this time of the year. More children die from drowning in South Africa than vehicle accidents, statistics report approximately 3 children die daily from drowning and more than 2 per week in pools at home. So this should make it severely obvious as to how important water safety is. Water is the silent killer and it can happen in front of your eyes in as little as 30 seconds, children playing underwater games in the pool, or running around the pool, swimming in a river or ocean after lunch, a strong current, that’s as little as it can take, I personally drowned at age 2 and had to be given CPR by my mother ( this is one of the reasons I am so vigilant about first aid) So what can you do to protect your child?

Well to start off with no child under the age of 14 should be alone or even with peers in and around a pool, river, ocean or any body of water for that matter, not even children who are thoroughly competent swimmers. A small child can drown in only 4 cms of water so even the bathroom or a bucket can be fatal for our little ones. I urge parents, make sure that your child knows the dangers and never goes near water without you.

At home ensure to limit access to the pool and bathrooms, install a pool net and make sure that you have a pool alarm ( visit www.kindersafe.co.za or www.4akid.co.za , both pages are also accessible from our moms link directory on Sitters4U.co.za). Another thing one should be aware of , which a lot of parents do not think about, is warm water, I call it “warn water” and it is the most dangerous, drowning area, a jacuzzi, a bath, anywhere with hot water. Think about it, the hotter the water, the faster your heart rate and the greater the need for oxygen to the brain. In warm water it is easy to pass out, and drowning is far more damaging, you will be less likely to perform a successful Cardiopulmonary resuscitation or CPR ( even if you are able to do CPR, the child will have irreparable brain trama and damage not to mention the rest of body). So always be with your children near water. Don’t swim after eating, and teach your children the dangers, talking to your child could save his or her life, even if they are the strongest swimmers they are not safe if you are not watching them.

Have a happy, safe, water fun filled summer folks! Till next time..

Bianca

Ringing in 2009…

Wow, its amazing how time seems to pass so quickly these days.. Why just yesterday I remember feeling this way about 2007 and now its already 2009!

Ive done my tally of new year resolutions as most have, knowing full well that most are somewhat out of reach, but that’s what drives us all at the end of the day, the possibility that dreams will and can come true if we believe they can! For what is life without dreams ?

I have a dream for this year, some personal and many professional. The personal ones take nothing but will power to achieve, which I tend to have a lot of. The real challenge lies with my Passion, Sitters4U and making it as successful as possible.

So as always the goals are very similar to those of previous years gone by. Expand,  grow and give. I think that’s simple enough to achieve but the finer details include so much more. We are looking to expand our services to Durban in the near future and from the inquiries we receive from Durban, I am looking forward to assisting new clients and candidates alike! Then, FrailCare4U a division of Sitters4U will be launching its own new website, www.frailcare4u.co.za  in April 2009, something I have been looking forward to for a while. We are also planning on adding a few very unique features to this side of our services which I know our clients are going to love. Another very exciting project to be launched at an undetermined time as yet, and this is a biggy folks; PremiumAupairs.com, its an international site for au pairs who want to be placed locally in their home town and parents who want local mature capable candidates. I have been working on this project for almost an entire year already and am no where near completed yet, but this is a project I am so looking forward to! The anticipation is almost killing me. So there is my “expand and grow” goals taken care of, but what about giving back, at the end of the day, ‘giving’ is the real reward isn’t it.

To start off with, as always I will be bringing you new articles, from advice on how to potty train your child, ( I took 2 weeks to train my daughter) to how to develop a routine in collaboration with your au pair. Other than that, and this has long been a pet dream of mine, yet to come to fruition, is to really give back to the community which needs our services and really just cant afford it. I am seeking non profit and other similar organizations who need volunteers to help them for a few days here and there. Currently we have over 300 staff, they are all well experienced and qualified and due to one of our motto’s and infact one thing we like to pick up on in our candidates, is the inate need to help others who help themselves to help others, I am sure our candidates would love to assist as well. So if you know of anybody who needs our assistance. Let us know!

So thats it for now and wow, after actually seeing my plate in black and white for this year, I see nothing but fun, challenges and growth for 2009  and wish all our clients and staff the same, not too mention a prosporus and exciting New Year!

Whats the benefit of having an au pair anyway?

Why would you want or need an au pair? Its a good question! Personally speaking I want to know that my daughter always has the care love and attention she deserves, but we understand that with the hectic schedules of modern day life, as a parent one cannot always be by their side 24 hours a day. Parents play the important role of primary provider and an au pair can play a vital supportive role in our children’s lives, making the time we spend with our children, quality time.

In the traditional sense, an au pair, is defined as a young person living with a family abroad caring for the family’s children and doing light house work.

However in South Africa, today, an au pair is much more than this. An au pair in South Africa, is a professional, responsible, experienced and even trained person who cares for the child’s entire welfare whilst in his or her care. An au pair is expected to do a lot more than just supervise the children.

It should be remembered that the parents should always be the primary care providers and role models for their children and au pairs can support the parents in achieving this goal by contributing to the childrens vital support network. An au pair helps with daily activities related to the child’s needs, from lifting to helping with homework, preparing healthy snacks and filling the children’s days with fun, age appropriate activities. This leaves time for mom and dad to relax with their children and enjoy a healthy relationship which ultimately will provide the basis to develop the communication and trust needed between children and parents as they get older.

We know it takes lots of  love, care and personal attention to develop a child to his or her full potential and every child deserves that chance. As children grow, so do the influences they are susceptible to outside the home. Having an au pair ensures that your children are cared for in the comfort of your home. The au pair will provide fun and learning opportunities in an environment safe for your children. What’s more, is that you will have more control over your child’s situation, you will get regular report backs on progress and activities, behavior patterns and this means that you will have a better chance of helping your children reach their full potential. Hiring an au pair provides you with the ability to spend your evenings/time with your children uninterrupted by homework, cooking and other child related chores. An au pair helps with the development of your child by balancing schoolwork, sport (extra-mural activities) and other activities of daily life.

Choosing an au pair is one the best things you can do for your child/children no matter how old they are. Children are influenced by friends, the media, teachers and other influential adults. Having some control over who these influences are, can only have a positive effect on your children’s lifestyle and over-all development.

I believe in this concept and would recommend an au pair for children of any age as long as you have thoroughly established your needs and done research to ensure that these needs can be met by a person capable of doing so.

What makes Sitters4U a unique service?

What makes us Different?

• We don’t deduct money from our candidates wages
• We can help you at the touch of a few buttons
• We know that no matter who you leave your child with you want your child to have a great time even when you aren’t there, we concentrate on matching our candidates experience to your requirements, whether you just need a babysitter or a full time au pair
• We concentrate on local placement only!

So how are we doing all this?

Well we have taken the nitty gritty out of seeking candidates and yes we are extremely strict with the ladies that get onto our listing, so we may not have 1000’s available, however the ones we list all have:

• Have at least 1 years child care experience as an au pair or babysitter with contactable references
• Have their own reliable child safe vehicle and a valid South African driving license.
• hold a valid first aid certificate or apply to do one with Sitters4U.
• No criminal record.
• Are in good health!
• Have a friendly, outgoing and caring personality.
• Are relatively active and enjoy being outdoors.
• Love being around children and enjoy doing creative activities with them.
• Most hold a child care related tertiary education
• range between age 20 and age 50
• Are able to take the initiative in situations, from creating fun things to do, to handling an emergency situation.
• Look as child care as more than a job, see it as a commitment to the children they care for, and gain joy from the responsibilities of doing so.

So don’t expect a million candidates, expect only the best!