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COVID-19 Memorandum and Agreement Addendum

COVID-19 Memorandum, Guidance, Expectations, and Waiver

Services Agreement Addendum

Morningside Nannies is concerned with the health and safety of our employees, clients, caregiver applicants, and nannies. The COVID-19 pandemic has caused much uncertainty for the world and guidance continues to evolve on a day to day basis. Morningside Nannies remains committed to helping nannies and families find their right match and as such, have prepared this client and nanny agreement addendum.

CDC Guidance for Keeping Children Healthy

The Center for Disease Control offers guidance on keeping children healthy.

This guidance includes:

  • Cleaning hands often using soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizer.
  • Avoiding people who are sick (coughing and sneezing).
  • Cleaning and disinfecting high-touch surfaces daily in household common areas (like tables, hard-backed chairs, doorknobs, light switches, remotes, handles, desks, toilets, and sinks).
  • Laundering items including washable plush toys as needed. Follow the manufacturer’s instructions. If possible, launder items using the warmest appropriate water setting and dry items completely. Dirty laundry from an ill person can be washed with other people’s items.
  • Practicing social distancing. There should be no playdates with children from other household and when playing outdoors, children should remain at least 6 feet away from children from other households.
  • Limiting time with older adults and high-risk people. Change travel plans and avoid groups.
  • Wearing face mask. Children 2 years and older should wear a cloth face covering their nose and mouth when in the community setting.

GTM Payroll Guidance for Household Employers

GTM Payroll, our nanny tax and payroll partners, offer guidance and resources to household employers on topics ranging from pandemic pay and benefits, employee screening procedures and action steps.

GTM also advises:

The U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission’s pandemic guidance clarifies that household employers may:

  • Ask employees if they have COVID-19 symptoms;
  • Require employees to stay home (and to provide medical notes before returning to work) if they have COVID-19 symptoms; and
  • Screen applicants for COVID-19 symptoms after making conditional job offers.

Morningside Nannies Expectations from Clients and Caregivers

Morningside Nannies expects both nannies and families to abide by national, state, and local COVID recommendations surrounding social distancing, health, and safety.

The CDC recommends:

If you live in a community where COVID-19 is or might be spreading (currently, that is virtually everywhere in the United States), you watch your health and be alert for symptoms including fever, cough, shortness of breath, and other COVID-19 symptoms. You should take your temperature if symptoms develop, practice social distancing, maintaining 6 feet of distance from others, stay out of crowded places, and follow CDC guidance if symptoms develop.

If you feel healthy but have recently had close contact with a person with COVID-19, you stay home and monitor your health until 14 days after your last exposure. You should check your temperature twice a day, watch for symptoms of COVID-19, and if possible, stay away from people who are at high-risk for getting very sick from COVID-19.

If you have been diagnosed with COVID-19, or are waiting for test results, or have cough, fever, or shortness of breath, or other symptoms of COVID-19, isolate yourself from others. If you live with others, stay in a specific “sick room” or area and away from other people or animals, including pets. Use a separate bathroom, if available.

If you recently traveled from somewhere outside of the United States or on a cruise ship or river boat, follow CDC Guidance for returning from international travel returning from cruise ship or river voyages.

Important Conversations for Families and Nannies to Have

GTM Payroll suggests nannies and families have COVID planning conversations around topics which may include the following and to update their work agreement to reflect the agreed upon terms:

  • What if your employee may be sick and you don’t want them to come to work? Or your employee needs to care for a family member, like a child or parent, who is sick?
  • What if your employee doesn’t want to come to work at your home because they’re afraid they will get infected?
  • Does your work agreementaddress paid time off and sick leave?
  • What types of government relief are available to my employee if I can’t continue to pay them or terminate employment?
  • What can we do if my employee hasn’t been paid legally and government relief like unemployment and paid sick leave laws are not available?
  • What if my children or someone in my home is sick and I don’t want my nanny to come to work?
  • What if I need to work from home and I still want my nanny to care for my children?
  • What if I work in a job that is a high risk for exposure (such as at a hospital) and my employee is uncomfortable coming to work?
  • What should your employee do if they are working and start to feel ill?
  • How will your nanny’s routine change if your children are home from school for an extended period?
  • What if I’m considered an essential employee (doctor, nurse, first responder, etc.) and need to go work and rely on my nanny for childcare?

What You Can Expect from Morningside Nannies During the Pandemic

During the pandemic, our offices have remained opened, with employees working normal hours from home.

We continue to follow local, state, and national guidance regarding COVID-19 and have sought out opinions from local and state sources with regards to our business operations.

During the pandemic, Morningside Nannies has:

  • Waived the in-person, in-office meeting requirement for new nannies. We are conducing virtual interviews with applicants.
  • Suspended our temporary placement division.
  • Advised families and nannies to engage in virtual interviewing and to only move forward with in-person interviews if they are strongly considering the nanny or job.
  • Provided parents with the option to waive the CPR/First Aid requirement for nannies prior to starting employment until in-person classes resume.
  • Provided parents with the choice to only interview nannies who have been though our pre-COVID-19 process, having been interviewed in our office, having a recent background check on file (ran within one year), and having current CPR and First Aid certification.
  • Provided COVID-19 resources to parents and nannies.
  • Set the expectation that interviews should be canceled if either party has been sick, recently traveled outside of the US, has been exposed to COVID-19, or is awaiting COVID-19 test results, or if either party is in quarantine or isolation related to COVID-19, or the CDC has advised should be in quarantine or isolation as outlined in the scenarios above.

Please note, Morningside Nannies is experiencing delays in some county court record reporting due to COVID-19 related courthouse closures.

Morningside Nannies COVID-19 Waiver

Please note, Morningside Nannies cannot verify if nannies and families are COVID-19 negative, are practicing social distancing, or are following local, state, and national guidance.

Morningside Nannies cannot guarantee or make any warranties that you will not be exposed to COVID-19 or any other illness during the interview process or working with families and nannies.

By signing below, I acknowledge the contagious nature of COVID-19 and voluntary assume the risk that myself or myself and my family may be exposed to or infected by COVID-19 by interviewing individuals, employing individuals, or working with individuals referred by Morningside Nannies and that such exposure or infection may result in personal injury, illness, permanent disability, and death. I voluntarily agree to assume all of the foregoing risks and to accept sole responsibility for any injury to myself or myself and my child(ren) (including, but not limited to, personal injury, disability, and death), illness, damage, loss, claim, liability, or expense, of any kind, that myself or myself and my child(ren) may experience or incur in connection with interviewing, hiring, or being hired through a referral made by Morningside Nannies. On my behalf, or on behalf of myself and children, I hereby release, covenant not to sue, discharge, and hold harmless Morningside Nannies, its employees, agents, and representatives, from any claims, including all liabilities, claims, actions, damages, costs or expenses of any kind arising out of or relating thereto.

This guidance and information is accurate as of May 12, 2020.

Please download a copy of the COVID Risk Scale to assist with your nanny screening.

I have read and I accept this agreement and I have retained a copy for my personal records.