Job ID: 5546
Location: Boulder, CO
Please describe your family:
We are a a socially liberal, mixed Jewish-Unitarian family that does not attend services and are exploring our religiousness, but would value someone who has an open mind and accepting attitude and will avoid indoctrination of family members (we encourage open, balanced exploration of religion and spirituality). We love visiting museums, parks, travel, nature trails and hiking (there is so much of that here in beautiful Colorado!).
Please describe why you are looking for a nanny:
Our family is looking to slowly regain some "me-time," to focus a bit more on educational pursuits and self-care.
Describe the child(ren) you need a nanny for:
A 17 month old boy. He is sweet, engaged, curious, pleasant on the whole. He prefers to quietly observe for quite some time in a new setting. He loves books, getting outside for toddler-lead nature/city walks, and is currently very motivated by music. He also enjoys tumble rooms.
Describe your home setting: Suburban home with spouse. We are in the mountains on Sugarloaf off of Boulder Canyon, just 15 minutes West of town surrounded by gorgeous National Forest, so the location, while beautiful and relaxing, is somewhat isolated. Our home is at the top of an incline that can be somewhat slick for periods of time (a few days to a week) in the winter and losing power for a day (and cooking over the fire, etc.) at least once in the winter can be expected, so some comfort with those types of situations would be optimal. We can pick you up at the bottom of our drive if needed, but a 4 wheel drive is essential. We are fairly neat, clean, and very much like organization and would prefer a candidate that is also neat, clean, and can easily stick to our organization methods. We are on well-water and septic. Conservation of water is key.
We are interested in the following:
Babysitter
Nanny, Permanent
Nanny, Temporary
Full-Time/Part-Time?
Part-time
How long do you need a Nanny?
1 Year
Live-in/Live-out?
Nanny, live-out
What tasks/errands do you expect your nanny to perform?
General light housekeeping, cooking for child/family, laundry, grocery shopping, meal prep etc.
What activities do you want your nanny to do with your child?
We strongly value education and hope to find a candidate who has experience in teaching preschool. We would love someone who can consistently teach our son daily and reinforce learning (example, good behavior "he is curious and fairly well behaved, currently so we really want to continue to reinforce that, the alphabet, his numbers, how to eat properly with the family, music/songs, etc.)". We'd be delighted for you to contribute to our son's educational development. This may include taking him to the library for enrichment activities, music classes, etc. We highly value reading books/literacy.
What special certifications/requirements are you looking for?
CPR, We would love someone who has a lot of experience with toddlers, a plus if you have studied/taken early childhood development classes.
Does this position require a valid driver's license?
Yes
Does this position require a car?
Yes
When will this position be available?
Immediately
How many hours do you need a nanny for?
18-24 hours a week; we would like a year commitment. Flexible with the days and hours, would prefer 8am-1/2 or 1pm/2pm-7pm - between 4 to 6 hours per day.
How much are you willing to pay? Do you offer benefits?
$25-$30. Benefits negotiable.
Do you have any pets or animals in your home?
A social cat and a shy, sweet pup.
What else are you looking for in a nanny?
Highly empathic, gentle, kind, nurturing, compassionate, encouraging (our son has responded well so far to use of positive reinforcement), very careful observer of toddler behavior and adaptive to needs of the child in the moment, highly intelligent, reliable, self-sufficient/Independent.
Someone who can validate wherever our son is (emotionally, mentally). If he is upset, we avoid saying "stop crying" or "you're fine" or "you're ok" or "it's ok." The point is to continue to grow in him a strong, integrated sense of self, and by interacting with you, you are growing his integrated sense of self. For example, we attend a mommy-and-me play-and-learn class once a week. Our son is one of the youngest in the class so he is just learning how other children (older children) may act. An older child recently forcefully took a toy away from our son when he was playing with it. I immediately went over to him to offer him gentle words (nothing overly emotional, just gentle) and gentle pats on the back while the preschool teacher attempted to teach the older child about taking turns. My son didn't make any vocalizations but turned around on his stomach and laid down on the floor. I continued to rub his back and speak gently to him saying, "Do you feel confused and a little sad? It can be difficult sometimes to experience someone else's negative behavior. We are all learning the best that we can. I wish that we could all learn and play and have fun together with ease." Just staying really present with the moment. And then promoting resilience later when the time is right. Accurately noticing what our son is feeling and verbalizing that to him gently is a way to help him integrate. So, we are really looking for someone who has this skill of being able to recognize subtleties and nuances and to adapt to them in a nurturing, gentle, encouraging way.
We also believe in “no means no†so if our son shakes his head even if it’s after we ask “do you want a hug?†we acknowledge that and don’t force him to give us a hug. Now, if it is a question of “please take our hand while we cross the street†that’s different and of course we take his hand. :)) Safety first.
We discourage applicants who are more motivated by/engaged in use of devices or social media and want to avoid candidates who will be checking a cell phone or webpage when in the presence of our son. We also highly value privacy and want to avoid any posting of photos or videos of our son on social media. We really value the ability to focus and engage with our son so that he gets to bond with you human-to-human and really learn from you because each moment with you presents a unique opportunity. We hope that our son bonds with you and that you would become a part of the family. We imagine that gently and consistently reinforcing boundaries as he grows over the next year will be big. :)
Additional comments:
Regarding handling challenging behavior: In a compassionate, developmentally appropriate way. He is a toddler and still trying to understand his world and how to use language (he understands a fair amount). We use gentle, firm, "Please keep your feet on the floor" instead of "Get off the table!" And when he does put his feet on the floor, lots of "thank you!" with a smile and a pat on the shoulder. Also we use redirection a fair amount. We use methods from "The Happiest Baby on the Block," "The Baby Whisperer," "How to Speak so Little Kids Will Listen," and "Parenting from the Inside Out." Reading these books may be a part of being a part of our family.
No smoking or drugs of any kind are allowed in our home or on our property.
We look forward to meeting you!