Finding the perfect nanny can be exhausting. Which job sources do you use? How do you screen a nanny candidate? What about interviews? And with COVID-19 going on, how can you find a nanny for your kids safely?

The answer? Use a nanny agency! Your other options like job forums or online postings may be easier, but it’s worth going through an agency to find a high-quality nanny.

Nanny agencies take care of the tough stuff like screening, fair wages, employment contracts, and more. They’ll do all the heavy lifting of finding the best nanny for your family’s needs. Let’s talk more about the benefits of using a nanny agency below!

Help from someone who knows the industry

You might have some idea of the perfect nanny for you — someone full-time who can handle multiple children, for example — but there are some qualities you may not think to look for in a nanny!

Maybe you want someone with a similar approach to discipline. Or someone who’s flexible enough to work late or stay overnight when necessary. Or a nanny who has experience working with children with special needs or newborns.

A good nanny agency will take the time to get to know your family’s preferences. They can also call on their years of experience in the nanny industry to help you figure out what you need in a nanny. That’s how they’ll match you up with the perfect candidate.

Professional screening and reference checks

You’re inviting someone you don’t know into your home to care for your children, so safety and security are top priorities for families. A nanny agency can offer both with a thorough screening process. 

With �����鶹, for example, we provide a multi-step screening process with different placement packages that can include:

• Reference verification
• Criminal background check and national sex offender check
• Driving record check
• Drug screening
• Financial history
• Personality assessments

When you work with a nanny agency, you can feel confident knowing that you’re on the way to finding a trustworthy, reliable, experienced nanny for your family.

Guidance on being a good employer

If you’ve never been an employer before, you may not know what to include in an employment agreement for your nanny. What are the most up to date competitive wages in the industry? How many hours can your nanny work? What about other legal and tax stuff?

A nanny agency will help you understand your new role as an employer, educating you on what you need to know about labor laws, overtime, hourly pay, benefits, performance reviews, and much more.

Saves time and stress

Finally, working with a nanny agency will save you a lot of time and stress overall. Think about it: finding a nanny requires reading through numerous applications, choosing candidates and interviewing them, checking references, and conducting background checks. 

A nanny agency will typically handle all of those initial steps, picking potential nannies who might make a good match for your family. An agency will ask for your input on certain candidates and guide you through interviews with the ones you choose. Once you pick a nanny, the agency will help you make an offer and set up the employment for success.  

If you found a nanny on your own and they didn’t work out, you’ll have to start your search all over again. Many agencies offer guarantees and/or replacement services within a certain time period after your initial placement.

Work with �����鶹

If all of these benefits sound good to you, working with an agency is your best option for finding a nanny for your children. Working with a nanny agency can bring you peace of mind, knowing that you’ll be matched with a qualified and trustworthy nanny in half the time.

Searching for a nanny in the Phoenix area? �����鶹 is a locally owned nanny placement agency that has served Arizona since 2002. We offer a variety of nanny placement packages to suit every family’s needs. Our placement process includes family consultations, convenient candidate interviews, continuous support from our team, and much more.

Begin your nanny search with �����鶹 today! Learn more about our placement packages, or contact us to get started!

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Expecting a new bundle of joy soon? If so congratulations! This is such an exciting time. One full of so much anticipation and preparation.

But, it also a time to be a little bit confused. You know that a baby is coming, but what on earth does one really need for a baby? What is helpful and what is not?

Many of you can remember going up and down all the baby aisles, at all the stores, and leaping at every product you saw. But after baby arrived, you quickly learned, a new baby does not need a ton of items. After clothing, food, and diapers, you need just a few great, high quality items, that get the job done.

The job most often being, keeping baby safe, quiet, and hopefully to sleep.

So, to help keep you being confused from all the hype, of all the products, we are going to share the “Top 10 Must Have Baby Registry Items”.

(click on the link to go straight to the product)

• – Convertible cribs are a great option as they will grow with your child. Look for one with functionality and a great price.

• – Strollers are necessary for when you start wanting to take baby out and about to the store or for a stroll in the park. Look for one with an adaptable car seat base, easy to maneuver and store, and one baby can easily nap in for long outings.

• – You will want to keep baby safe and sound while traveling. And you will want to easily get baby in and out the car, without breaking your arms from too much weight.  You want a car seat with a snug fit, and comfortable grip.

• – The bobby pillow has been a longtime favorite for new parents. Not only is great for bottle feeding and nursing, it grows with your baby as a longer, or prop for tummy time.

• – Baby carriers are essential for when you want baby close, or when baby needs to be close to you. They allow you to work and continue with daily life, and have your hands free. There is a great variety in carriers. From wraps, to slings, to soft structured carriers. Research and ask other moms what their favorite baby carrier is to determine what you think will work best for you.

• – You will want to keep an eye and ear on your little one while they are napping. Monitors have amazing technology options now. From video to smartphone compatibility. Your choices are endless.

• – Baby’s nails will grow long, they will need to have their hair brushed, their temps checked, and so on. A good grooming kit will help with all of that.

• – Baby will need a bath. Look for something easy to store and clean.

• – Baby may struggle to sleep without a soothing noise after being the womb. A white noise machine is great in helping them adjust and get the sleep they need. And to help you sleep too.

• – A pack and play doubles as a portable crib for traveling, or even a changing station.

Share with us! Are you a first-time parent, or a seasoned pro? Are there any items you would add to this list?

We are also here for you if you are expecting a new bundle of joy and need help with a newborn care specialist or nanny for your family. Check out all our services here.

We are also on several platforms so go follow us on on , , and .

Read more of our blogs here!

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Has the time come that you need to turn partial care of your child over to another person? No matter whether your child is a baby, toddler, or of school age, the decision is huge. You are entrusting someone else for the care of the person you love most in your life. And you want to make the right decision for your child. And that decision means finding the right person to care for your child.

But before you make your decision on who will be the best at caring for your child, you will need to attract the best person to care for your child. Before you begin your search for the perfect nanny, prepare yourself. Let us help by helping you with the top 5 ways to find the best nanny for your family.

Prepare Your Expectations

You will need to be prepared to communicate your EXCACT expectations to your potential nanny.

What tasks do you expect your nanny to complete? What specific aspects of your child’s care do you want the nanny to perform? Will they need to cook and prepare meals? Bathe your child? Help with homework/schooling? Take your child on outings and play dates? Help with the tidying of the house? How do you want the nanny to discipline or correct the child? Do you prefer specific training and skill sets? Know what you want your nanny to do daily!

Once you know what you expect, prepare.

Setting Hours and Being Flexible

You will want to know ahead of time what and how many hours you will need your nanny to work per week. Will they need to be there 8-5? Part time? Full time? Will you need them to work weekends? How about holidays? Think of all the possibilities and be realistic with your needs and the exact schedule you might need!

The majority of career nanny candidates want full-time positions with 40-50 hours a week. But they also expect to be given some flexibility for sick/personal days and ample time off when needed. Consider offering your nanny two consecutive days off per week to let them rest and recharge for the following week! If you know you will need more help certain weeks, be prepared to give ample notice to them. Or if need be, be prepared to find a babysitter on those days when your nanny needs time off. We can always help find temp nannies to fill in any days off you may need to accommodate giving your nanny some days off here and there as needed.

Prepare to Offer Competitive Pay and Great Benefits

In order to attract the best, most experienced nanny, you will need to offer a competitive compensation package. This doesn’t necessarily have to be the max salary out there, but one that shows you respect the experience, education and hard work that any career nanny will devote to your family. Know what the typical rates for nanny care in your area are and offer that or better to your potential nanny.

You will also want to offer the a solid package of benefits. These often include legal pay, paid vacation, paid sick days and paid holidays with guaranteed hours. Some families will offer to cover some or all of their nanny’s insurance costs for health and dental/vision insurance. Some will offer gym memberships, the use of a vehicle and even the use of a vacation home during time off. Another great benefit is gifting their employee frequent flier miles to let them travel during time off! Offer the best, if you want the best. We can help you customize a great package for your family and situation.

Pay Them in A Legal Manner

Let your potential nanny know you are honest and want to do right by them. DO NOT pay or offer to pay your potential nanny “under the table”. Yes, it will save you work, but it can also get you into legal trouble. Do right by your employee by offering them the benefits and legal protections of keeping books and withholding the taxes you are required to. This also allows for a more experienced, professional nanny to step into the role and often times makes for a more proactive, engaged and reliable nanny who takes her position much more seriously. They will feel like you respect them, and will perform their job better in return!

Offer Training

Great nannies will jump at the opportunity of bettering their skills. Offer to send them to workshops, and training sessions. Both of you will benefit from the extra skills learned.

Finding the perfect nanny does not have to be difficult. Just remember to prepare and communicate your expectations, set the hours, offer competitive pay and benefits, be honest, and help them grow.

And soon, you will have the nanny best suited for your family!

Oh, we can’t forget one more way you can find the best nanny! That is to use a nanny placement agency like us here at �����鶹. You are able to get an agency that has experience with over 20 years in business, a trustworthy agency that performs extensive background and reference checks, and tons of value as we choose the best candidates based on a custom family profile. You can learn more about �����鶹 here.

Go check us out on , , and .

Read more of our blogs here!

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What is a household manager?

�����鶹 managers make sure the day to day operating of your home runs smoothly by planning, coordinating, or helping meet what ever your families needs are. They can be great assets to very large families or even smaller ones. If it’s a larger household with different staff, they would oversee all the staff and whatever other needs the family has; in essence a household manager would have once been called a butler. 

What do they do?

One of their responsibilities is to oversee general operations and staff if the family has any. Some expectations a family may have would be:

• Making appointments 
• Taking care of the household bills 
• Running errands 
• Supervising staff like private cooks, housekeepers, or nannies 
• Shopping 
• Scheduling and overseeing home repairs or maintenance 
• Keeping up with the home calendar and schedules 
• Family Meal Prep
• Booking Travel and Arrangements
• Party and Event Planning
• House Sitting and Pet Care

If it is a smaller household the home manager may also be required to take on the duties of cook, housekeeper, etc.

Why you may need a household manager?

Today we live in a fast-paced lifestyle and sometimes the demands of this world can take a lot of our precious time. Having a household manager keeping everything in your home running smoothly so you can get some of that time back and invest it in things more important like your family. They can take the stress out of all your planned events and monthly home needs so you can just enjoy your free time. 

How much does a home manager cost?

The salary range for a home manager can be very broad. Busy families that live in the suburbs will have a different offer than what a high profile family would require. It could range from $20 an hour to a yearly salary of $50,000 to $100,000 or more! In Phoenix and Scottsdale, most house manager salaries fall in the $25 an hour range. Some people pay for just a part-time home manager and others may want full time or even live on-site estate managers. 

As you can tell, a household manager can be anything the employer needs them to be. They can go from managing larger estates and families with the other staff that goes along with that. Or to just being a part-time manager that helps a smaller family stay organized and get back a little more time to enjoy their children whether that’s an after school ball game or dance recital. They can even help to make sure all the monthly bills are paid and finances are budgeted. I think we all wish we had a little help in taking care of some of these tasks that goes along with a home running smoothly, don’t you?

Let us help you find the perfect household manager to help take the stresses of your everyday household away. You can find out more here.

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Kids of all ages love a party spent doing themed activities, eating special treats, and even letting their creative side come out with some arts and crafts.

So, to help inspire you to plan out your own party for the little people in your life, I am sharing the best 3 Valentine-themed activities, crafts, and treats.

Even if you are not in the mood for an actual party, you could easily incorporate a couple of these ideas into your schedule to have some fun with your little ones.

The Best Valentine’s Day Kid Activities​, Crafts, and Treats

Valentine’s Day Activities

Get the kids off the devices and up moving or making some things to get their brain going. I love these three lovely activities that are so fun for Valentine’s Day!

 to get them up, moving, and shaking out those wiggles.

 to put their mind to creating.

. Because what kid doesn’t love slime?

Valentine’s Day Crafts

Some creative and fun Valentine’s Day crafts for the children. I love these 3 and they would be fun to make for this special day ahead.

, to always remember how tiny they started out.

. Perfect for older children that will be exchanging Valentines in school.

. Can be used to make a garland, or passed out to friends and family.

Valentine’s Day Food

Top 3 Valentine’s Day food options. Even have a healthier one in case you do not want your kiddos to have all the added sugar!

. The kids can easily help prepare this treat.

. Because what is Valentine’s day without a teddy bear and chocolate?

. A healthy, and FUN love day treat.

And that’s it! Happy party planning!!! And a Happy Valentines Day to you and yours!

Remember if you ever need to talk to us about having a nanny or household manager for your busy home, contact us here at �����鶹.

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Christmas is now just a few weeks away and you still may have some last minute gifts to get! Are you struggling with what to get for that special person in your life that watches your most prized possessions every day? I have put together five different great gift ideas for your nanny to help take the stress out of it so you can get back to enjoying the Christmas season and still show your nanny how much you appreciate all that they do to help your family.

5 Great Christmas Gifts Your Nanny 

•A �����鶹 Spa Gift Set

Who doesn’t love a beautiful set of spa gifts so you can have a relaxing moment at home and have some self-care time? Bath and Body Works are sure to have something anyone would love! To specialize it just for your nanny pick a combination of items you know she loves or will love. Put it all in a basket with a cute Christmas bow or even dress up a clear bag! 

Not the crafty type? No problem! Take advantage of the already gift boxed options provided by Bath and Body Works! You can shop .

•Gift Cards

You can never go wrong with a gift card that can be used anywhere or if you know where your nanny’s favorite places to shop and grab a cup of coffee are, even better! No matter what your nanny will surely love having some spending funds for themselves during this season or throughout the year!

•Personalized Water Bottle/ Coffee Mugs

Who does not love a cute water bottle to carry around, or if a coffee drinker, a cute mug to fuel and hydrate after chasing around and keeping up with little ones all day? There are so many cute options out there and some that you can even personalize if you want. I provided a few options for you to some small business shops to get you started! You will not want to leave an option like this until the last minute though to guarantee your gift will get to you one time.

This amazing water bottle is from Etsy shop: GroovyGiftables and can be found .

This adorable nanny glitter travel mug is a great gift and it’s from Etsy shop: TheModArrow and can be found .

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Getting your nanny a special piece of jewelry to show them how much you appreciate them is sure to be a hit for Christmas! There are so many options to choose from; from a simple yet beautiful pearl necklace or you can even personalize a necklace with the children’s name on it. Your nanny will surely love it and wear it for a long time! 

This beautiful “Best Nanny” necklace can be found at: Grace of Pearl Jewelry Gifts .

How about personalized name plate bar necklaces with the kids’ names or the nanny’s name? Purchase here off of .

•Tote bag

Between diapers, wipes, a change of clothes, snacks, etc. that your nanny needs to carry around for your children while out and about, getting a special bag to carry everything in is sure to be a great gift especially if it’s not your typical mom diaper bag! Get a cute canvas tote or something a little more fashionable by shopping at CafePress.

Nanny powered by caffeine tote can be found .

Amazing awesome wonderful beatiful nanny tote can be found .

I hope you enjoy these five gift ideas to show your nanny how much they mean to your family this Christmas! Nannies love your children and become part of your family and will appreciate feeling loved in return. Another great option for a gift for your nanny is to consider a yearly raise, holiday bonus or a bonus day off to spend with their family.

Also, if you are looking for a special nanny to add to your family then please check out our family section here or feel free reach out to us here.

Hope everyone has a stress free and joyful Merry Christmas!

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Ready to pack up the bags, get the kids ready, and head on a trip for the holidays? If so, think about bringing your nanny along. Whether it’s a holiday trip or a family vacation, bring your nanny with you to help! Traveling with your nanny can be a great experience for everyone involved: the nanny can help with the children and allow for a date night too!

However, to ensure that both you and the nanny are still cheerful by the end of the tip, don’t forget some key things to discuss with your nanny. It’s best to be clear on the expectations and all the arrangement before the trip begins!

Steps to travel successfully with your nanny:

Communicate Beforehand-

Before the trip begins, outline the nanny’s responsibilities and schedule during the trip. Make sure your nanny knows when you need them to watch the children full time or when they may be going along with you and just be a helper. Also, if you decide on the trip that you want your nanny to take on extra hours, be sure to compensate fairly and communicate that to them. Always let them know their schedule for the hours you need them to work while on the trip. Make sure your nanny understands and is on the same page yet feels appreciated and compensated fairly.

Discuss Compensation-

This may seem like an obvious thing to discuss but you need to make sure they are aware of what they are getting paid even while traveling. Talk about whether your nanny will be receiving their regular pay or if the time that they will be working exceeds their normal hours and they will be compensated for that. Also, decide when you will pay your nanny whether that is the entire amount at the end of the trip or in with the rest of their normal pay schedule.

Accommodations-

If you are traveling with your nanny, you have to decide if they will have their own room and bathroom (which I highly suggest) or share with the children. You have to make sure your nanny feels comfortable with the sleeping arrangements regardless of how close they are to your family or how long they have been your nanny.

Expenses-

Also, you would need to cover the cost of their airfare, hotel costs, and meals. Consider all of these travel expenses when deciding if you are bringing your nanny along. Of course, communicate what you are comfortable with spending even to your nanny when it comes to meals like eating out, etc. The biggest thing is to communicate all of this with your nanny so everything is clear right up front.

Taking your nanny on your upcoming holiday trip whether that’s to family gatherings or a fun trip can be super helpful and enjoyable as long as you make sure these key steps are taken care of. The best part is you already know your nanny and your children are comfortable with your nanny so bringing them along with you on vacation is a huge benefit. As long as you follow these key steps, everyone will come back happily ever after!

One last thing, if you are looking to hire a nanny to come and help your family and even go on trips like mentioned, check out our Families section here. At �����鶹, we are one of Arizona’s most trusted nanny agencies and can help you find the perfect addition to your family.

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1. Find another family wanting to share a nanny with you. Listen out & ask around if you hear of any other family that is interested in a nanny. Find another family that you feel would be a good match with and share a nanny with.  Children who are the same age or similar ages will make this easier.  Location is also important, you need to be within a reasonable distance of one another so the commute for the nanny doesn’t change too drastically.
2. Figure out a budget. Decide on an hourly rate that you can afford to pay the nanny together. Make sure you are both on the same page. For nanny share pay, you would want to take the average amount a nanny is being paid in your area and then each family pays 2/3 of that pay. Ex. the average nanny salary is $20/hr- each family pays $13.33 which then equals $26 per hour for the nanny.
3. Figure out the schedule. Consider if the nanny will be at one family’s house 100% of the time or more like 50% of the time. Come up with a schedule that best suits both families and also makes sense for the nanny
4. Interview and hire candidates. This is a great time to turn over all of this to �����鶹 as we can help you with finding the perfect candidates and take care of the screening and background check. A nanny agency can definitely help prepare you to interview the candidates as well as all of the other important things such as background checks and all of the extra paperwork to set you up for a successful placement!
5. Offer the nanny contracts and get a start date scheduled! Here at all about nannies, each family involved in the nanny share will receive a contract and be charged a placement fee. The nanny will be in contract with each individual family too.  It is a placement with each family.  Each family will have a contract with the nanny with additional documentation for the nanny share.

1. Kids get to have play buddies every day. They are able to socialize with other kids and work on socialization skills all while being in their own home with a nanny share.
2. Save money! You are not paying for the nanny alone. You split it with another family!
3. You get a higher caliber nanny for your family at a lower rate!
4. The children are still being closely supervised and receiving one-on-one attention even if there are more than 1 child.
5. Meet some incredible friends. If you are in a nanny share with another family, you will get to know one another much better and create special bonds between yourself and the children.

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Do you have some toilet paper rolls lying around? Paint them, add some googly eyes, and glue some paper on them to create a little mummy. Let the kids imaginations run wild, and create any spooky character they can come up with.

Want to create a memento of little hands enjoying the holiday? Grab a box, piece of paper, white and black paint, a golf ball and some googly eyes. Put the paper, the golf ball, and some white paint on the paper, close the box lid, and let the littles shake some energy out while shaking the box. Take out your paper to see a unique web pattern. Then make a handprint spider. Perfect for remembering tiny hands.

How about a pumpkin stamp? All you need is a piece of paper, an apple cut in half, orange paint, googly eyes, and pipe cleaners. And you have the perfect fine motor activity for little hands.

Crafting will turn anyone into a hangry monster. So how about some creepy themed snacks?

Jack o lantern fruit cups, made from oranges are a perfect snack for little hands.

Peanut Butter spider cookies are simple to make and are sure to make your little one squeal. From delight, we hope.

And last, but not least, Witch hat cupcakes. So simple to put together with any cupcake recipe, and ice cream cones.

And there you have. The perfect spine chilling, hair raising treats and activities for the whole family.

• Halloween toilet paper roll crafts- for full instructions go .
• Handprint spider- for full instructions go .
• Pumpkin stamp- for full instructions go .
• Jack o lantern fruit cups- for full recipe go .
• Peanut butter spider cookies- for full recipe go .
• Witch hat cupcakes- for full recipe go .

Also, if you are still looking for a fun fall activities in Arizona to check out with your kids or the kids you nanny check out this blog.

Which spooky craft and creepy treat are you going to make?

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Find a Nanny Placement Agency

• You need to find an agency that has a good reputation, not only with their families but among their nannies as well.  Look at how long the agency has been in business. I’d recommend going for an agency that has been in business for a while (obviously) as there are lots of agencies that come and go.

• Look at what niche or specialty the agency is involved in. Some focus on career nannies (like us) and do more long term, full time nannying and house management. Some agencies specialize in temp or part-time jobs and have a younger base of nannies.   

• Read all the reviews. Check and see if there are reviews from nannies who have been placed with them.

• Call them and ask what the placement process is like and exactly what the fees are upfront.  

• Ask them what the hiring process is like and what their replacement guarantee is.  

• Ask about the background checks.  What they include, what is required or nannies to be represented by the agency. What would disqualify a nanny from being represented? 

• Ask them if they are involved in the community and offer classes or trainings for their nannies to maintain their skill level and keep things up to date.

Know Your Expectations for the Nanny

There are some things that parents have to ask themselves before even beginning the placement of a nanny in order to find the nanny that fits their style the best.

For example these are questions that I tend to ask parents during a consultation:

• Is mom or dad a work from home parent?

• Are they hands on or do they want nanny to come in and run things? Or do they want a partner and to work with her on a plan? (And will they follow up and back up said plan when nanny isn’t there.)

• Do they want pictures and check ins through the day or do they want to go to work and focus on that and get a full report at the end of the day?

So often people think hiring a nanny is all about the nanny, but it’s almost always all about the parents. These nannies are professionals and been in so many homes, with so many parenting styles. They can adapt and perform their job. It’s really those details about the parenting style and dynamic in the home that are more important to figure out as early and clearly as possible.

Screen the Nannies

Find an agency that does this for you and makes your life easier! �����鶹 takes care of the reference checks and background checks for you.

Interview Your Candidates

After you have found the right agency, had a consultation, answered the hard questions on your expectations of the nanny and the nannies have been screened and qualified, you are ready to interview!

You definitely want to to ask the right questions to get a better idea of the candidates’ personalities, experiences, work-styles, communication styles, etc.

At �����鶹, we provide interview questions, an interview guide, helpful tips, and any follow-up or prepping that needs to be done before and after the interviews. This is all included so you are prepped and ready to interview!

Trial Run

Have a trial run for your top candidates. I’d say at least for your top two candidates. Schedule a paid, in-home trial with the candidates where you show and explain everything on the first day and the second day they put everything into practice. You’ll be able to see which nanny can perform all the requirements and if they are good fit for your children and family.

Offer the Position to your Top Candidate

How exciting! You’ve made it through all the steps (however with the right nanny agency it should be smoother and easier) and now it’s time to hire the right candidate!

I hope this has been a help on how to find the perfect nanny for your family and it makes more sense now. These steps are all so important for the process to go smoothly and efficiently.

Do you still need some more information? Check out our Families section here. We have a six-step process here at �����鶹 that makes it super easy for you to follow and find the perfect nanny. For more information and to start your family application now, head over to our Families section here. If you still have some questions and are looking to speak to us then go over to the Contact Us section of our website and fill out a quick form and we will be back with you as soon as possible.

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