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Stamford Training Day Teaches The Ins-And-Outs Of Being A Nanny

STAMFORD, Conn. -- Nannies need to be multitaskers -- but swimmers?

Wee Care Nanny Agency co-owner Mellisa Peckham.

Wee Care Nanny Agency co-owner Mellisa Peckham.

Photo Credit: Frank MacEachern

"We have a lot of nannies who miss out on jobs because they are not swimmers," said Mellisa Peckham, co-owner of Wee Care Nanny Agency, which is hosting a National Nanny Training Day/CT event Saturday at the Italian Center in Stamford.

Guest speakers will delve into a number of topics for nannies, including nutrition, ways to discipline in a positive way and for the non-swimmers, overcoming a fear of water.

About 75 nannies from across Connecticut, Westchester County and New York City are expected to attend the event.

The training days, held across the country every April, are designed to promote awareness of the importance of nanny training and to raise the overall quality of nanny care. The national initiative is part of the Week of the Young Child, an annual celebration sponsored by the National Association for the Education of Young Children.  

"It's kind of a day of giving back for the nannies, with a strong emphasis on education," Peckham said. "It is a really great way for them to network and to meet other nannies and also to learn some things, about what might be new in the industry." 

The recovering economy has seen an increased demand for nannies, she said.

"There were always certain families that always were going to be employing nannies or housekeepers," Peckham said. "As more people are going back to work there is more need, more demand for nannies." 

She made a pitch for her style of business: Wee Care Nanny Agency is accredited compared with an online listing service, which is not.

"A lot of nannies are getting confused and thinking an online listing service is the same thing as going through an accredited brick-and-mortar agency," Peckham said. "It's not the same thing at all. We're here, we want families to find the right person, but we also want the nanny to find the right family." 

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