Help with caring for kids

For Maddy O'Connor, being a good nanny means striking a balance. She wants the children she cares for to enjoy spending time with her, but at the same time she knows she has a responsibility to lay down the rules. ¶ "You definitely want the kids to see you as caring and fun, but there are times where we've had to sit down and talk about a few things," said O'Connor, 23, with a laugh.

Once summer vacation begins for school-age children, many parents find themselves seeking reliable child care either full- or part-time -- along with those same qualities O'Connor values -- whether it's from a college-age nanny or a responsible neighborhood teen.

"When a family has that first child starting kindergarten, many women go back to work or take on additional hours at a job," said Laura Davis, owner of College Nannies & Tutors in Edina. "So, when the school year ends and it's summer, most people can't just say to their boss, 'See you on Sept. 1.'"

With more school-age kids involved in sports, camps and other summer programs, parents not only need someone to take care of their children at home, but also to ferry them to activities.

"Even for families with kids who are 13 or 14 years old and could stay alone, not only is supervision an issue, but it is transportation which can be the breaking point," said Davis.

O'Connor, who lives in Minneapolis and has a degree in elementary education, is now working for two families, one with 7- and 9-year-old brothers. She picks them up after school, helps them with their homework and takes them to religion class and soccer practice.

All those hired by College Nannies & Tutors are over 18 and subject to a rigorous selection process, including motor vehicle screening. As an employer, the company handles car insurance.

"And when the nanny is going to be driving the kids in his or her car, I tell parents to walk around the car, check it out, check out the seatbelts to make sure they work," said Davis.

If a family has hired an older teenage sitter from the neighborhood, Colleen Gengler, extension educator for the University of Minnesota Extension, said parents should take a few extra steps before allowing the teen to drive their kids, including talking to the sitter's parents in advance about driving expectations and insurance.

"I would caution parents to find a neighborhood sitter who has had their driver's license for more than six months," she said. (The state of Minnesota stipulates that only three passengers under 20 are allowed to ride with a teen driver who has been licensed for more than six months.)

Families are most likely to have successful summer child care if ground rules and daily schedules have been established for all concerned.

"In some cases, the summer sitters may not be that much older than the kids they are caring for, but their role is to be the authority figure," said Gengler. "Communication is so important. The kids need to know what you expect in terms of chores, screen time, visits from friends -- and so does the sitter. Everyone should be on the same page."

But there's another vital component: "It's a position that is filled with heart on both sides -- caring sitters and caring parents," she said. "Summer is such a coveted period of time. Everyone should expect to have a great experience."

Julie Pfitzinger is a West St. Paul freelance writer.