San Francisco Parents of Multiples SFPOM General Discussion 12/8/2012 10:14 am - 12/10/2012
1. Openings at fantastic preschool (nataliasha2004)
2. Comment: Questions about nanny search (nataliasha2004)
1. Openings at fantastic preschool
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nataliasha2004 - 12/9/2012 1:41 pm
Our preschool, A La Vanille, has some openings coming
up, I think in January. It's French immersion, and
they're located in South San Francisco, but are right
off freeway, and usually no more than a 12-15 minute
drive from us (north Bernal.)We heard about them
through another POM member whose boys were going on to
kindergarten, and we have been SO happy with them!!
There's a nice balance of structured activity and free
play time, they do a lot of art work, have actual
lesson topics that they study each month. Our girls
are singing French songs all the time now (after only 2
months!) and the classes are small - I think not more
than 10 kids. The director/teacher is a GEM -
multilingual herself, tho not a native French speaker,
and she hires only native French speakers as
assistants. It's in a home (tho no one actually lives
there) and a home-cooked, healthy hot lunch and snacks
are provided daily, along with some guidance on
manners!! (Seriously - the kids eat better than I
do.... homemade quiche, potage, crepes, panini... I'm
kind of jealous.) It's SO nice not having to worry
about packing a lunch! Our girls are vegetarians, and
she's been totally accommodating. (And she doesn't
serve kids juice or other high-sugar items, and is
really sensitive about kids' allergies, if that's an
issue.) She also has a soft spot for twins, and has
been terrific about respecting our girls'
individuality, and often pairing them up with other
kids for certain activities.Obviously, I can't say
enough about this place. I'd be happy to talk to you
directly, if you might be interested. We LOVE ALV, and
so do our girls. Some parents drive their kids quite a
distance to take them there, altho currently, there are
quite a few SF families. You don't need to speak
French yourself... and the parents are a fun group as
well -- from here and all over the world! We scheduled
a visit while they were in session, and were given a
free "test-drive" day (actually, it may have been 2
half-days) which was FANTASTICALLY helpful to us.
Even it you're just remotely curious, I recommend you
check them out, even if just to compare to other
places.Here's their website, and if you call, please
tell her I sent you: http://www.alavanille.com/
Send comment to: <sfpom_general@lists.bigtent.com>
With subject line: "Ref#74593487 - Openings at fantastic preschool"
Email author: nataliasha2004@yahoo.com
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Topic: Questions about nanny search
We are about to start a nanny search for our 2.5 month old
twin girls - we're looking...
Send comment to: <sfpom_general@lists.bigtent.com>
With subject line: "Ref#74561043 - Questions about nanny search"
2. nataliasha2004 says...
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12/9/2012 1:26 pm
We had no trouble finding lots of qualified candidates
for a 3-day a week nanny gig. Lots of nannies out
there are also in school, or are fine with 2 part-time
gigs... in fact, some like balancing a twins situation
with another that's just one kid. We've also never
paid more than $20/hr, but do offer other perks (PTO,
lunches, didn't ask them to clean house, various other
things as needed.) We used care.com initially, but
honestly did better through Craig's List on subsequent
searches, and with the help of this book - SERIOUSLY.
THIS was the MOST valuable tool for the whole process,
and it's written by a local nanny-placement person who
really knows the scene here. It's a quick read,
includes sample contracts and interview questions, and
is just SO worth it:"Nannies for Modern Moms" by Alyce
desRosiershttp://www.amazon.com/Nannies-Modern-Moms-Essential-Hiring/dp/098157730XIt's
really important to be clear about your expectations of
what you want in a nanny, both the "Must Haves" and the
"Would be Nice to Have" categories, and to ask the same
of people you're strongly considering - what their
expectations and preferences are. If you post a very
specific, detailed ad containing that info, that helps
pre-screen potential candidates, and then you can
follow up by phone with your top picks, and then
interview in person the ones you really like the most
from those. For us, seeing how our girls responded to
them was really important. And - you definitely have
to go with YOUR gut, too. If there are any red flags,
or things you're just not comfortable about, you should
probably keep looking.Searching for a nanny can be
intimidating at first, but when you find someone good,
they're worth their weight in gold!! Especially being
first-time parents, we have learned SO much from our
nannies over the years. Good ones become like family -
and they are really important in socializing your
children, and offering some additional ways of seeing
the world. Good luck with this process!
Email author: nataliasha2004@yahoo.com
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