COVID-19 And The Professional Childcare Community

Friends of Adventure Nannies,

We wanted to write you a little note as everything seems to be disintegrating a bit at the moment as we continue to learn more about COVID-19 and communities across the world decide how to combat the virus and protect their members.

First of all – in terms of your personal health and the health of your families, please do whatever you need to do to feel well and safe in every way. If that means taking extra vitamins, buying extra toilet paper, napping more, meditating, drinking more water, quitting something you’re addicted to, journaling, avoiding people, reading the news a thousand times a day – if it is serving you, stick with it. We also want to remind you, as many others have, that this disease is targeting the most vulnerable members of our communities and social distancing (not isolating, at least not yet, but distancing) is currently the most foolproof practice to ensure the virus does not continue to spread.

Many caregivers and families have reached out to us to share their concerns, which we know many of you share as well. Families are struggling with childcare more than ever as schools close. Nannies who were seeking a position are faced with difficult decisions around interviewing in-person and the safest ways to meet new families. Nannies who are currently working with families are struggling to learn how to take care of themselves and what self-quarantining looks like when your job does not have a “work remotely” option, while trying to essentially create a fresh curriculum for children who are now at home for every hour of the day and facing uncertainty about the future.

We hear you, and we see you.

We appreciate those of you who have reached out to see how we are doing as well. In terms of Adventure Nannies, we are extremely fortunate in that our agency has been operating remotely since inception and our team is already accustomed to working from home near our pets and loved ones. We are well versed in the art of the FaceTime interview and consider ourselves so grateful that our process has not been interrupted in any way by the closures and lockdowns happening across the country. Our staff is healthy and safe and all of us have a new appreciation for our home offices.

We are continuing to take on new searches and will be releasing a number of resources in the coming days, including alternatives for both candidates and families to use instead of in-person trials while non-essential travel is recommended to be avoided.

The nanny and agency community, in general, are feeling the shockwaves of COVID-19 hard and the largest industry and community events designed to bring people together have of course been canceled. As we have often told nannies who are relocating for new positions, communities are created. There have already been great strides made to continue to hold the nanny community together in the last week, including “BYO Wine” Zoom calls and in-person events transitioning into online events. While things are very, VERY up in the air right now, remember that we are all still here, that we lift each other up, and that we got this. Processes can be changed, but principles cannot. We are all trying to practice patience, not panic, as we do what we do best – care for each other in ways that are safe for everyone involved, and wait for a solution. We hope there will be one soon and that, in the meantime, we continue to support and listen to each other.