For four families, PORSE’s Nanny Share option has proved to be their solution to keep all the balls in the air.
Kate Wood, Rebecca Cody, Penny Chatfield and Justine Baker-Sherman are two years into their Nanny Share arrangement with PORSE Educator Elaine Sexton.
All are professional working Mums - Rebecca works full-time in education, Penny is a part-time relieving teacher, Kate is a part-time viticulturalist, and Justine is a national account manager.
On returning to work after having their children, all wanted a childcare option that was based in the home and gave them the flexibility to manage their home and work lives.
They turned to PORSE and ended up sharing Elaine, who has cared for children since she was 18, and has been with PORSE nearly ten years, recently gaining her National Certificate in Early Childhood Education & Care (L3) while on the job.
She looks after Justine’s son Jack (2), Penny’s children Gordy (2) and Abbie (11 months), Rebecca’s son Jack (2) and Kate’s twin girls Milly and Tessa (4).
For three days a week she looks after some of the children at Justine’s house, and the other two days are spent at Rebecca’s home.
For the four families one of the greatest benefits of their arrangement is that all the children receive one-on-one care in the home from a qualified Nanny Educator.
Kate says Elaine has looked after twins Milly and Tessa since they were born, and has developed a special rapport with the girls.
"With daycares or other bigger childcare environments the staff changes a lot and you never know who will be there.
"Having looked after our girls for such a long time, Elaine has got to know them really well."
Justine says the fact the children get to spend time in different homes has extra benefits.
It’s fantastic – the children are at our place for most of the week so that means not only does Jack get to stay in his own home, he is also learning to share his toys with other children.
"It’s also great, though, that he gets to go to other homes, as he has learnt to be quite happy in different environments and share and respect others’ toys as well."
Rebecca says education and social development were a priority for her when choosing a childcare provider and this arrangement has fit the bill.
"This is a terrific blend of one-on-one care that is not too overwhelming, and which offers the chance to have contact with other children and build friendships," says Rebecca.
Flexibility is a key feature of Nanny Share, and Elaine says she is quite happy to look after the children beyond the specified hours
if needed.
"Sometimes they can ring out of the blue and ask me to take the children because they have been called to work.
"It’s very easy to drop them off wherever I may be that day, or for me to keep them a bit longer until they can come and pick them up," she says.
Penny says all the families really appreciate it, and they go to extra efforts to ensure the flexibility is reciprocal.
We often ask Elaine to work at different times because of our work commitments – Elaine is very happy to work late and in return we try to help her out – if she has an appointment, I will come home and take over so she can go – we really value her and want to support her however we can.
Cost-efficiency is another bonus with the Nanny Share set-up, says Penny.
"I could not afford a nanny just for my kids, so with this we get the best of both worlds – Gordy gets consistent care where he has the opportunity to make friends, and I get a terrific nanny."
Kate says that for other parents in the same situation, PORSE offers a great starting point for finding childcare that suits individual family needs.
Being a working mum boils down to family support and the right childcare.
PORSE is a good place to start – they have a big pool of Home Educators and are really good at setting up the right families with the right Educators. "From there it’s up to the families to work out the best way to make the relationship work."
Rebecca says that in the case of these four families the arrangement has worked out even better than they expected, especially finding such a good nanny as Elaine.
"Elaine is really quite gifted, she loves children, and it is extraordinary to find someone so genuine and committed to their wellbeing – we feel very lucky to have her."
I am very lucky to be working for some amazing families who treat me like one of the family.
"When I had health issues with my dad last year, they were always willing to give me time off if I needed it and assist in any way possible.
"The children have all become great friends, and my workplaces feel like my second home."
Elaine Sexton