It was a beautiful weekend for the opening of the New Playground at the Old Stone House at Washington Park

Princess Katie and Racer Steve put on a GREAT Show!

The Madhatter’s Tea Party was BIG fun and you can see from the photos!

If you want to support the playground, please take a minute to DONATE to the upkeep!

**NEWS RELEASE**

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

HOW MUCH FOR A LITTLE “PARENTAL R & R”?

PARK SLOPE PARENTS RELEASES DATA FROM

BABYSITTER SURVEY

Brooklyn, NY, April 23, 2012.  Park Slope Parents has released the results of their first Babysitter Survey which looks at childcare rates for a night (or day) out. Known for conducting surveys of Nanny Pay Rates (defined as regular in-home childcare), the Babysitter Survey focused on parents who trust their children to caregivers outside normal childcare hours.  The stereotype that neighborhood teenagers or college students are doing the bulk of the babysitting was not supported.   They found that only 10% of the babysitters employed by the parents in this survey are 21 or younger; only one-third of all the babysitters live in the immediate neighborhood.  “It may be that people are less trusting of younger sitters, or that young sitters are just too busy with their own lives,” says Susan Fox, Founder of the Park Slope organization of 4600 families. However, parents wanting to save money should seek out these younger locals. They are paid two to three dollars less an hour and are less likely to need a cab ride home.

Key Findings of the Babysitter Survey

(PowerPoint Presentation with Full Details here).

Babysitter Pay

• Average cost of babysitter for 1 child      $14.50/hr
• Average cost of babysitter for 2 children  $15.50/hr
• Average cost of babysitter for 3 children  $16.80/hr

• Babysitters under 21 are paid $2-$3 less per hour than those over 21
• Babysitters watching children under 1 make $1 more per hour.
• 4 in 10 (38%) of babysitters make $74 or more on a typical night.

• $158 is the average cost of a date night AND babysitter combined (range $56-$229), not counting a car service or food for the sitter.

Babysitter Frequency and Ancillary Costs

• Half (51%) of all parents using a sitter have used one once or twice a month over the last 6 months. 30% have used a sitter more often (once a week or more), while 18% use one less frequently or not at all.
• Three in four (76%) use a sitter on Saturdays, making it the most common “date night.” Over half (54%) or all the parents use a sitter on weeknights.
• Six in ten (63%) pay for a car service on top of the hourly fee.
• 6 in 10 parents spend between $75 and $125 on their “date night” (on top of what they pay their sitter).

Babysitter Demographics

• 90% of all the babysitters are over 21 years old. Half (55%) employ babysitters who are 22-30 years old, with 10% using those 18-21 and 3 in ten (29%) use babysitters over 30. Only 7% employ babysitters under 18.
• 97% of these occasional babysitters are female.
• One third (33%) of babysitters live in the neighborhood, four in ten (41%) live close by (but not directly in the neighborhood), and one-fourth (25%) live father away.

“On the morning of June 3^rd, Casey (21 months) had woken up with a slight fever.  She had not slept well the night before but as the day wore on, she was feeling better, eating a small lunch and spending some time playing with her grandpa,” says Ellen Young, Casey’s mom, lifelong Park Slope resident and founder of The Casey Young Foundation.  “As she went down for her nap, she sat in her crib, cuddled her elephant, looked at me and said ‘night-night’ and put her head down as always.  ‘Love you, sweet dreams,’ I replied as always.  Casey never woke up from that nap.”

The official cause of Casey’s death is ruled to be natural and unexplained, or SUDC (Sudden Unexplained Death in Children).  SUDC occurs in children over the age of 12 months and is rare with a reported incidence of 1.2 deaths per 100,000 children, compared with 54 deaths per 100,000 live births for SIDS.   SUDC is diagnosed when all other causes of death have been ruled out, and at this time, it has no cure and no known way to reduce the risk.

But with herculean strength and the support of their extended family and friends, the Young family, including dad Jonathan and big sister Jordan (9), have created The Casey Young Foundation as a way to celebrate the life of their beautiful, sweet, spunky daughter and to raise money for research for The SUDC Foundation so no other family has to go through what they have been through.  The Casey Young Foundation is also dedicated to Casey’s (and Ellen and Jordan’s) love of music, especially the Music Together classes they took together.

“Music Together has always been such a big part of our lives and classes were such a special time for Casey and I,” says Ellen.  “Along with SUDC research, The Casey Young Foundation is raising money for Music Together scholarships for families who would otherwise not be able to attend classes.”  A current class of Music Together jamming is going on at PS24 in Sunset Park, sponsored by The Casey Young Foundation.

A Day of Music For Casey

The Casey Young Foundation is having their first annual fundraiser on Sunday, April 29^th from 1-5pm at Congregation Beth Elohim on Garfield and 8^th Ave.   It will be a celebration of Casey’s life through what she loved best – music.  The event will include a day of bands, including a Music Together class at the start of the event, delicious food and wine (included in event ticket), silent auction with fantastic items, a raffle for 5 night at a villa in St. Johns and will end in a giant karaoke jam.  It is also an amazing way to let this incredible, strong family know that they are not alone.

For tickets, please click here http://dayofmusicforcasey.ticketbud.com/2012 and for more information on The Casey Young Foundation and SUDC, visit rememberingcasey.com. Check out the flyer HERE.

Please be assured that we in no way object to the sale of ice cream in Prospect Park, as long as:

-The milk and cream are from organically-fed and hormone-free dairy cows raised within 50 miles of Brooklyn in barns built of reconstituted plastic bottles (in the shape and color of actual wood, so as not to frighten the cows with unfamiliar architecture). Milk should be removed from the cows in a nurturing and supportive manner.

-The eggs, if any, are from free-range chickens specifically labeled “Certified Humane.” (For please note that “cage-free” does not necessarily mean that their beaks have not been removed; note also that the best ice cream recipes do include egg.)

-Transportation of these ingredients should take place only in compost-fueled vehicles, through companies that voluntarily provide family health insurance, including birth control, to all employees including those in same-sex relationships.

–Needless to say this ice cream should not contain any dyes or additives linked to ADHD. Any other acceptable additives must be labelled either “Israeli-Friendly” or “Palestinian-Friendly” so Co-Op members are able to make an informed consumer choice..

Ice cream vendors that follow these simple guidelines are welcomed– nay, encouraged!– within Prospect Park, with the exception of a few specific areas:

Our objection is to the vendors that sell the ice cream within the borders of the playgrounds.

Our children are very often using their playground-time to prepare for their preschool entrance interviews, and thus any distractions have a direct and negative impact on their future.

At least that’s what our Nannies tell us.

-Soren Kisiel and Katie Goodman

Park Slope Parents

http://www.broadcomedy.com/

Celebrate Spring by Sweeping the Streets Clean 
with the Park Slope Civic Council

Saturday, April 21, 10 a.m. – 2 p.m. (rain or shine)

Where: Brooklyn Society for Ethical Culture, 53 Prospect Park West (btw 1st & 2nd)

Learn everything you need to know (and more) about finding the perfect Nanny leaving your little one in the care of someone you trust. Solid advice about finding, interviewing, and hiring a nanny. Help with understanding the emotional journey, maintaining a positive working relationship, and the responsibilities as listed in the Domestic Workers Bill of Rights.

We’ll highlight the most important information on the PSP website as well as have guest speakers from local and national Nanny Organizations to help guide you through the sometimes scary journey of finding a Nanny.

REGISTER HERE:

Since then we’ve been to a lot more places and stayed in a range of accommodations.  Here are a few tricks we’ve developed for carving out grown-up space on vacation.

Find A Place With a Living Room

When you can, skip traditional hotel rooms. VRBO.com, Homeaway.com and other websites list vacation home rentals. There are few destinations where they won’t provide more space for less money than area hotels.

You give up extras like a concierge and have to take your own garbage out.  But the trade-offs are a real living room and the ability to make breakfast or eat take-out dinner at a real table.

You can also price all-suite hotels, In major cities they often cater to business travelers and offer deals to fill rooms on weekends. The St. Gregory in Washington, DC gave us a free upgrade to a suite when we showed up on a Friday morning with a 9-month-old. It was easy to see why: the surrounding area is a ghost town on Saturday morning. But we could walk to livelier Dupont Circle and to Metro Lines that took us to the Zoo and Capitol Hill.

Always make sure your suite has a separate living and sleeping areas. At the Hilton in Hilton Head we wound up in an open suite. We liked the extra space and dining area, but still had to find a way to to hide while our 21-month-old napped.

Get a balcony

Resort vacations are convenient but expensive. It can be hard to give up all the resources resorts have to stay in a vacation home; it can also be beyond the budget to upgrade to a suite.  But balcony rooms are often standard in resort destinations or only a small upgrade.

In the Bahamas we used the balcony as an extra room where we could  eat lunch and read while our daughter napped and to enjoy a glass of wine and talk after she went to bed. When she was up and about we kept the door to it locked.

Try Smaller Hotels

We’re long passed using baby monitors at home but I still travel with them. Once in a while we stay in a small hotel where we can hang out in a common patio, lounge or bar with the monitor and be close enough to get back to the room in seconds if we hear a peep. It helps to be on a low floor.

Keep the Kids Up Late

Even now, at age 4, we find that on vacation our daughter is often up passed her bedtime anyway. If she goes to sleep between 9:00 and 9:30, we’re ready to brush our teeth and fall asleep not long afterward. Sometime full days and later bedtimes even translate into more morning sleep for all of us.

I know this just won’t work for some families, but sometimes it’s the option that works out on its own.

Make a Tiny Room Work

There will be times when there’s no way around a tiny room. One  way to cope is to place the crib in the foyer or the bathroom if there’s room, to create a little separation.

You can also take turns having one parent put the kids to bed while the other steps out to run an errand, read in the lobby lounge or take a walk. (At least one of you gets to relax each night.)

You can also ask the hotel if they have japanese screens (they rarely do, but it doesn’t hurt to express an interest) to put a wall up between your bed and the crib next to it.

If worse comes to worse, you can always hide in the bathroom. Bring a pillow and your iPad and try chilling a bottle of wine in the sink.