"Home Rule" CEO Offers Tips for Parents Finding Home Child Care Q&A

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As the new coronavirus epicenter targets the nation's south, the Wake County School System, encompassing virtually all of Raleigh, North Carolina, announced it will begin the Fall 2020 teaching schedule with remote learning from their homes.

Sounds responsible, right? But what if the child's parent holds down a 9:00am to 5:00pm job? Welcome to the wild scramble of working parents who now need to find nannies or daycare to so they can continue their employment to pay the mortgage to keep the roof over their newly minted 'homeschooled' children.


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"On July 21, the school board voted that all students will start the fall semester in remote learning, potentially moving to a mix of remote and in-person learning if public health conditions improve. That new model is called Plan B Transition," The News & Observer reported.

Each day other counties in North Carolina and across the nation will be announcing their Fall school plans.

One company not caught off guard by the wild and wooly Fall schedule is Home Rule, an in-home provider of child caregivers.


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Home Rule founder and CEO Christy McGlothlin said, "Amidst all the scheduling chaos, we are rising to the occasion to help working families in need by providing a home-based childcare solution as an alternative to crowded childcare facilities. The average parent would prefer to keep their child home during the current pandemic, if given the option as 49 percent of Wake County parents have already demonstrated by registering for the Virtual Academy. We are now giving parents that option."

Home Rule Childcare is a fast-growing home-based childcare company offering parents in all 50 states the option to have their children cared for in their own homes. Home Rule offers much more than a typical babysitter. They also work with nanny-shares, allowing friends or neighbors to reduce childcare costs by sharing a caregiver, allowing the added benefit of socialization.

Our guest Christy McGlothlin, founder and CEO of Home Rule, a 20-year resident of Wake County, joins us to discuss childcare options for parents to choose for this fall.

Q: Parents across the country have been juggling their kids and work since schools shut down in March due to Covid-19. Now many school systems are adopting hybrid learning schedules for the 2020-21 school year, including Wake County, North Carolina where they are implementing "Plan B Transition." What is that, and how will it affect parents?

A: Essentially it means the school year begins at home and gradually transitions back to some in-school classes, wreaking havoc for holding down a job with such a nebulous, unpredictable schedule. For parents who work away from home, they face two choices. They either need to find a childcare center that unfortunately carries with it the risk of their child catching germs from being in such close proximity to other children, or alternatively, they find someone to watch their children in their own home. And sometimes parents working from home need a child caregiver so that they can get their work done.


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Q: Or they can quit their jobs, I supposed. But for those parents seeking to keep their jobs and find a solution to this new educational challenge, what are parents' primary frustrations and hurdles to overcome in the search for childcare?

A: The wacky school schedules, and how they are subject to change at any time. Safety is a big factor of sending their children to crowded childcare centers and isn't an option for school-aged kids. That's why in-home childcare is such a necessary service. Unfortunately, often when families look for in-home childcare, they usually end up on one of the popular sites that are merely databases that they have to weed through—kind of like a dating service site-- in attempt to find someone they can trust. Not an easy task.

Q: Will your sitters help kids navigate their schoolwork?

A: Yes! Our child caregivers are there to assist the children they care for in reaching their goals, including educational. 

Q: Home Rule's child caregivers are W-2 employees rather than the Uber-style 1099 contractor or nanny paid under-the-table. Why is that such a big deal?


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A: The IRS has made clear that a child caregiver is considered a household employee, so legally, families who hire a babysitter need to become an employer and pay their employee's taxes and workers comp. Having employees means having a greater measure of control and quality that cannot be achieved in the so-called 'gig' economy.

Q: What precautions is Home Rule taking to protect the children and families they care for?

A: We offer Background checks and other screening, training to our child caregiver workers, professional liability and workers comp insurance, and a customized plan for daily schedules with goals so the children are productive and are not just glued to a screen. Parents also receive daily detailed notes of their child's activities. We also provide masks for all of our employees.  

Q: How can you be contacted if parents are interested in childcare services in their home?

A: They may contact us on our website at Home Rule: https://www.HomeRule.net/

 

Christy McGlothlin is founder and CEO of Home Rule LLC, a homecare nursing and nanny service, a book author, and motion picture film producer.   Her movie "A Long Way Off" (Robert Davi) won numerous awards and was released in cinemas in 2014. "Unbridled" (Eric Roberts) was released in cinemas in 2019 and is currently viewable on Amazon Prime. An author of two books on natural health, Christy was a professional model, and has seven children. She resides in North Carolina.

 

Michelle O'Toole is the Administrator of the Childcare Division of Home Rule. She has years of experience working with children in both public and private schools. Michelle is the author of the book, "Where is Thy Sting?," a candid journal of experiences during breast cancer treatments. She is a mother of four and lives in Florida.