Welcome! Lora Brawley here, owner of Nanny Care Hub. Before we jump into the FAQs, I wanted to quickly introduce myself. I’ve worked in the household staffing industry for over 25 years as a nanny, family assistant, trainer, and consultant. During that time, I’ve been committed to not just creating a business, but creating an inclusive, welcoming community that serves its members in innovative and impactful ways. I’m excited to launch the newest community offering, QNCC. I invite you to join with me in this new adventure! Now let’s learn more.
What is QNCC?
QNCC is a new coalition that’s focuses solely on quality nanny care. QNCC recognizes the importance of the “business side” of our industry (e.g. resumes, hiring guidance, nanny taxes), however we believe those issues are well represented by other entities. QNCC was created to focus on the heart of nannying, making a difference in the lives of children through high quality care.
Our goals are to:
- create an effective, informal network to connect individuals, groups, and businesses around a shared commitment to quality nanny care (QNC).
- provide caregivers a variety of community building and cooperative learning opportunities to help them develop and strengthen their identity as childcare professionals and their daily practice of quality nanny care.
- provide a framework of best practices in nanny care, allowing caregivers to individualize their approach while maintaining developmentally appropriate practice.
- raise awareness of and promote the importance and impact of quality nanny care.
- create a collaborative, responsive environment where the work of the coalition is done by the members participating in it.
How is QNCC different than other organizations like INA and US Nanny Association?
There are two big differences. First, QNCC is not an official non-profit organization like the INA, USNA, or RISE. (I don’t know if USNA and RISE are non-profits currently, however I know that’s the direction they want to go in.) QNCC operates under the Nanny Care Hub umbrella. This is how I created and ran National Nanny Training Day for the first few years. (Now NNTD is run under the Nannypalooza umbrella in the same way.) This doesn’t mean QNCC is a for profit endeavor. It isn’t. I see the money and time I invest in the creation, development, and management of the coalition as one important way I can give back to the industry that has given me so much.
Second, QNCC is fully focused on quality nanny care. Nothing else. Other organizations and many businesses (mine included) offer a lot of resources around professional development and business development. Those are important issues however, I feel the nanny industry is missing a critical, coordinated focus on what’s at the heart of nannying, making a difference in the lives of children through high quality care.
Who is membership open to?
QNCC welcomes anyone that is committed to quality nanny care including nannies, agency owners and staffers, recruiters, consultants, educators, and parents. As we progress, we will collectively develop best practices that members will be asked to commit to. These best practices will be based on evidence-based research that allow nannies to individualize their approach while maintaining developmentally appropriate practice.
What are the benefits of membership?
The benefits include the unique environment and the individual offerings.
QNCC is intentional around promoting a cooperative learning environment. Wikipedia has a great definition for this; “students learning cooperatively can capitalize on one another’s resources and skills (asking one another for information, evaluating one another’s ideas, monitoring one another’s work, etc.). Furthermore, the teacher’s role changes from giving information to facilitating students’ learning. Everyone succeeds when the group succeeds.” The coalition isn’t about one member being better, in any sense, than the other members. It’s all about our shared goal and commitment to raising the generally accepted bar for quality nanny care and improving and honing our individual nanny practice.
QNCC offerings are shaped by the members’ interests and participation. Our current offerings are below and may change depending on what works and what doesn’t. It’s all up to the members’ involvement.
face-to-face local offerings
- practice groups
- opportunity for monthly nanny / kid activity in local areas on the 3rd Friday of each month
- opportunity for monthly nanny night out on the 1st Thursday evening of each month
online offerings
- facebook group with monthly discussion of childcare topic
- facebook group with regular discussion of advanced childcare topic (for nannies with extended education and/or experience)
- online book club
- regular webinars and chats
- Nanny Wisdom virtual conference
There’s also a mentor program in development for late 2020.
How much are membership fees?
One of the core goals of QNCC is to make the coalition and all its offering available to everyone who is committed to quality nanny care, regardless of their ability to pay. For many, charging dues is a barrier to participating and learning so there is no cost to join QNCC. Instead each member is asked to contribute to the success of the coalition by volunteering on a project. Don’t worry, you won’t be asked to serve on a board or take on yet another thing you don’t have time for. Projects are divided into manageable, bite size pieces that only require a limited commitment. You’ll be able to choose to work by yourself or as part of a small team, whatever fits your style the best. You’ll also be provided with all the support you need to be successful in your role. However sometimes even a limited commitment is too much. If that’s where you are right now, you can help out by being on the social media team and regularly sharing QNCC information on your social media pages. We’re putting into practice the old adage many hands make light work.
NOTE: It’s important for security and accountability reasons that members join under their real name rather than a social media pseudonym so there is a one time $1 set-up fee for each member. This ensures the member’s name, address, and email match the information they provided on their membership application. Nanny group leaders and agency owners that I know personally can request a code to exempt any individual they’ve meet face to face. Email info@nannycarehub.com for more information.
How do I get involved?
It’s easy! Complete a membership application here. You’ll have the opportunity to share how you’d like to help out and what offerings you’re interested in on the application. We will be in “get organized” mode until the end of this year, getting people working on the different projects. (A lot of that is already being done behind the scenes.) Then the offerings will officially launch in January.
I have another question. How do I get the answer?
The best way to get your question answered is asking in the QNCC introduction post pinned to the top of the Nanny Care Hub facebook page. Make sure you tag me. If I miss your question, you can also email me at info@nannycarehub.com.