Frequently Asked Questions for Families

When is a child BEST able to learn?
 

 

 

“Early childhood is both the most critical and the most vulnerable time in any child’s development. Our research and that of others demonstrates that in the first few years, the ingredients for intellectual and moral growth must be laid down. Children who don’t get this nurturing are likely to be two or three steps behind, no matter how hard we try to help them catch up.” Dr. T. Berry Brazelton & Dr. Stanley Greenspan

Recent brain development studies demonstrate the importance of the first years of life in the lifelong success of children. Eighty percent of a child’s brain is developed by age three. Research further demonstrates that the way the brain develops is through everyday experiences. These experiences form trillions of connections in a child’s brain, helping the child learn more readily throughout life and dramatically affecting IQ.

That is why your child needs a caregiver that is trained to optimize spontaneous learning during everyday activities.Imagine a caregiver who is aware of your child’s critical stages of development (intellectual, physical, social and emotional).TeacherCaregivers understand the tasks a child must successfully complete before entering the next stage of development. TeacherCaregivers know nurturing and stimulation will enhance your child’s development. Our trained professional caregivers demonstrate that they are prepared to help your child realize his or her potential.

What is TeacherCare?
TeacherCare is a childcare alternative for parents who want more for their children than what a typical nanny agency or daycare center can provide. We serve families with children ranging from infancy through school age, who seek educational childcare and/or services in their home from teachers, child specialists, and educational nannies. Our candidates tailor playful learning to the unique development and interests of each child.

As parents and educators, we are passionate about providing the highest quality of childcare available.

TeacherCare provides consultation services to best serve our client needs. Our goal is to help children and their families soar.

What is a TeacherCaregiver?
A TeacherCaregiver is a child development specialist who comes to your home and cares for your child’s daily needs (meals, driving, bottle care, maintaining order, etc.) while creating playful teaching activities. Your TeacherCaregiver integrates your goals and priorities into comforting, daily routines.

TeacherCaregivers are educated in child-related fields including infant programs, Montessori, child psychology, special needs and gifted education. TeacherCaregivers share years of experience in schools, homes, child programs and centers.

TeacherCare conducts two interviews with all candidates before sharing their information with families. Candidates are assessed on their experience, education, developmental knowledge, and passion for working with children.

After completing our screening process, TeacherCaregivers are matched with families based on needs, goals and passions. Often, TCs provide specialized care for families with unique situations including: multiple births, foreign adoptions, special needs, gifted abilities, parent loss, preschool and school cross-over, celebrity and government confidentiality, foster care, and home schooling.

What is the process for hiring a TeacherCaregiver?
1. Apply: Submit your family’s information using our online Family Application at Teachercare.com. You are not under any obligation to use our services, and the application is free.

2. Consultation: A director will review your application and reach out to discuss the scope of our services based on your families needs. Should the Family and TeacherCare decide mutual goals and criteria exist, A Family Assessment Plan will be set in motion to evaluate your family’s needs and goals and breakdown agreed upon success criteria.  A $295 fee will be charged at the acceptance of the Family Assessment Plan. Should TeacherCare be unable to send a candidate who meets the agreed upon plan, TeacherCare will reimburse the client.

3. Outreach: TeacherCare will use its exclusive nationwide database of teachers, along with partner channels to reach out to qualified candidates who meet your specified standards as outlined on the agreed upon Family Assessment Plan.

4. Vetting: TeacherCare will use its exclusive screening algorithm to identify the highest potential success rate for your position.

5. Personal Interviews: TeacherCare will personally interview each candidate to assess the candidate’s knowledge of child development along with child-related skills and expertise.

6. Candidate Presentation: TeacherCare will present candidate profiles who both match your family’s stated needs and meet our high qualification standards.

7. Interviewing: After reviewing a TeacherCaregiver’s portfolio, you arrange for a personal or phone interview with the candidate(s). We will provide helpful information on preparing for interviews. Due to our selective screening and the superior qualities of the teachers, most families select the first or second candidate presented. We encourage you to introduce the teacher to all members of the family and consider a follow-up interview or a trial afternoon with the children. By relaxing and communicating with your Director in this progression, you and your teacher will have the opportunity to evaluate goals and values.

5. Finalizing: Once you have determined the best TeacherCaregiver for your family, your Director will finalize all screening procedures, and they will be submitted to you. Once the final screening is completed, The screening will include

  • Professional Reference Checks
  • Educational Verifications
  • Drivers and County Criminal Background Checks
  • Motor Vehicle
  • Social Security Background

6. Support: Because we want our teachers to provide fresh, enriching activities for your child, we provide:

  • Teacher Training for the PlaySmart Program
  • An age-appropriate activity book
  • We are always available to help network you and your teacher with other TeacherCaregivers in the area.

Our goal is to create a playful, professional climate, which will foster many years of home enrichment. We find that the long relationships between families and their teacher are directly associated with the teacher utilizing her professional skills and the parents’ verbal appreciation

Why do Teachers want to work in the home?
Our teachers have experience in schools, private homes and centers. They know that there is no greater way for a teacher to create a lifetime of success for a child than to engage passions and meet individual needs one-on-one. Unlike settings with changing or rotating teachers, your child will enjoy an ongoing nurturing relationship for years, not months or weeks.

Our TeacherCaregivers realize that the home environment fosters creativity. TeacherCaregivers tailor their education to support your child’s creative process.

“Tailoring early experiences to nurture a child’s individual nature prevents learning and behavioral problems and enables a child to develop his or her full potential.” Drs. Brazelton and Greenspan

“Your child learns in the context of family, familiarity and fun!” Alyssa Su, TeacherCaregiver

How can TeacherCare benefit the child ages 0-3?
“Getting ready for school begins at birth. Children are born ready to learn. During the first 3 years, trillions of connections between brain cells are being made. A child’s relationships and experiences during the early years greatly influence how her brain grows.” Zero to Three, endorsed by the American Academy of Pediatrics

Teachers provide opportunities for age-appropriate development.

How long will a Teacher stay with my family?
TeacherCaregivers are dedicated to their work in education, to the children that they teach, and to the families. TCs and families generally agree to a minimum 1 year commitment and hold work reviews annually. The average TeacherCaregiver remains with her chosen family for over three years, often from a firstborn’s birth through the lastborn’s school days.

Many TCs begin second placements after the first family’s children begin school. However, they remain in the hearts and minds of each family. Our goal is that every TC and TeacherCare family find mutual respect and fulfillment in supporting children through their early childhood years and beyond.

What sets TeacherCare apart from a nanny agency?
TeacherCare specializes in working with experienced, educated and dedicated child specialists. TeacherCaregivers do not simply watch children and provide for physical care; they also inspire a love for learning through age-appropriate activities and experiences in a natural setting. Teachers focus on emotional, physical, social and cognitive development. TeacherCaregivers have a minimum of a Bachelor’s Degree, and have been thoroughly screened, resulting in approximately 4% of applicants being presented to families.

TeacherCaregivers care for all of the “basic needs” of your child, including: driving, meal preparation, organizational maintenance and clean up. However, our primary goal is to support the child as he or she develops to his or her full potential. This goal is what sets TeacherCare apart from other programs.

The role of a TeacherCaregiver is to create a safe, nurturing, learning environment by creating challenging, novel and stimulating experiences in a consistent and developmentally appropriate manner. In addition, there are a variety of resources available to facilitate the role of our teachers. The PlaySmart Individualized Early Learning Pages provide a means to structure and enhance communication with the family, as well as guide a teacher in establishing learning objectives for your child. Often times, TeacherCaregivers within the same community set up regular play dates and learning activities with neighboring TCs and children. The community receives newsletters and forums to share new ideas and educational resources.
How does TeacherCare compare to a daycare center?
The dynamic, educational interaction between a TeacherCaregiver and child makes TeacherCare a uniquely beneficial alternative to a daycare center. Why? Research indicates that a child most effectively advances cognitively, socially and emotionally through consistent interaction with a trusted, loving person. TeacherCaregivers provide this one-on-one interaction with eye contact, immediate feedback and with their natural enthusiasm for the child and the learning environment. These daily early learning experiences that make a significant difference in the child’s development. Higher teacher-to-child ratios in daycare centers do not allow for this kind of dynamic interaction to consistently take place.

There are many philosophies of learning a TeacherCaregiver and family may choose to implement with the child. In a daycare setting, parents are restricted to the philosophy of care and education espoused by the child care providers in each particular center. During the selection process, TeacherCare assesses each candidate in order to closely match a family’s values, goals and beliefs about early child care and education with those of the TeacherCaregiver. day care center often presents pre-established curricula. Frequently, federally regulated procedures and guidelines determine the children’s daily schedule and learning activities (even though learning objectives for each individual child will vary according to developmental level, temperament, and the child’s innate interest in and natural selection of learning activities, content and material.

With a TeacherCaregiver in the home, the child will have the freedom to interact, explore interests, and participate in spontaneous learning activities. As part of the family unit, working one-on-one with a child allows TeacherCaregivers to create continuity between a child’s learning environment and his home life. Strengthening the system of relationships, i.e. relationships between the child’s school educator, the TeacherCaregiver and parents, enhances the quality and impact of a child’s education, and provides a better environment in which they can develop. By working and communicating more intimately with parents and detailing what was accomplished together with their child each day, learning will continue throughout the day. Through TeacherCare, the learning environment and home are integrated and become one; here, every place is a place to playfully learn, and any time is a time to learn for life.

How can TeacherCare benefit the special needs and gifts of my children?
Many of our TeacherCaregivers come from unique educational backgrounds and experience. They dedicate themselves to enhanced development of special needs or gifts and have demonstrated the patience and encouragement that is so crucial. Your TeacherCaregiver can facilitate an individualized program concentrating on your child’s greatest needs, strengths and abilities.
What is the salary for a personal childcare teacher?

TeacherCaregiver salaries vary from city to city (TeacherCare works nationally in cities including but not limited to Chicago, New York, Los Angeles, DC, San Francisco and Phoenix) and are based on experience, education, number of hours on the job, the number of children in the home, and specific responsibilities and needs. Contact us for specific information for your area and needs. Salaries typically range from $850-$1200.00 per week (gross). Positions typically range from 30-55 hours per week. Because we attract exceptional candidates, there is no fee to teachers.

What is the fee/tuition?
 

 

Consultation

There is No Fee to confer with a TeacherCare director to determine eligibility or define a personalized plan outlining your family’s needs, goals, and expectations. You may schedule a consultation directly at 847-606-3476.

Enrollment Fee 
 
There is a fee of $695 to secure a dedicated education team to identify, interview, evaluate and screen candidates using our extensive database, networks, and outreach channels. This fee includes a multi-tier approach, customized outreach, developmental testing and multiple screenings by a team of professionals. Your Admission fee is fully refundable should you find our team has not provided you with the specified services. When a candidate is hired, the entire fee is applied to the Tuition fee as outlined below.
 

Tuition 
 
Should you decide to employ a presented candidate, and she accepts the position, a Tuition fee will be required, prior to the time the candidate begins her position.
  • Tuition covers*:
    • Your selected teacher’s service
    • Monthly conferences with the TeacherCare team upon request
    • Access to a national network of TeacherCaregivers as needed
  • Tuition:
    • A one-time payment of 15% of the selected teacher’s first annual gross salary
*Your tuition also includes:
 
  • County, Multi-state and Federal Criminal checks (7-year history), 
  • Driving, Social Security Screenings, and Nationwide Sex Offender Registry Check
  • Personal interviews, reference checks and education verifications on your select teacher
  • 30-day Refund Guarantee, or 100 day Replacement Period (on one-time payments)
  • “Getting Started” Resources: PlaySmart & Curriculum (upon request)

 

 

 

What if things don't work out?
 

 

 

Each TeacherCaregiver demonstrates commitment to children through their education and experience. In addition, each TeacherCaregiver demonstrates a stable employment history. It is very unusual that a relationship is unsuccessful. An average TeacherCaregiver is employed by a family for almost four years.

TeacherCare is built around its reputation. We take every teacher-family relationship very personally, and pride ourselves in the long-term relationships we create. If for you feel our candidate is unsuccessful, you can receive a refund for up to 30 days, or a replacement TeacherCaregiver for up to 100 days. See our contract for details. Please contact your Director for any questions, or concerns about the refund/replacement policy. * An extended replacement program is available through your Director.

Where is TeacherCare located?
TeacherCare helps families find quality childcare throughout the country. Although the majority of our families and teachers reside in the locations below, we are happy to discuss childcare options with families in all areas of the country.

  • Chicago, Illinois and surrounding areas
  • Los Angeles, California
  • San Francisco, California
  • Manhattan / New York, New York
  • New Jersey
  • DC, Virginia, Maryland
  • Phoenix, Arizona
For a richer future...
A fulfilling life begins with a child’s quality of life and learning in the early years. The TC is dedicated to applying all of her skills and experience to ensure that your child thrives emotionally, intellectually and physically throughout those first remarkable years.