Work-at-home jobs seem like the unicorn of job prospects, especially for parents. These jobs provide a degree of freedom that is awesomely appealing to moms and dads alike. So if you’re in the market for a new way to make money, you’re going to want to know about these work-from-home jobs at Williams-Sonoma.

According to FlexJobs, Williams-Sonoma is hiring 3,500 employees to work from home this fall. The beloved home decor brand is hiring short-term employees who will work from now through mid-November.

Photo: Clotee Pridgen Allochuku via Flickr

Along with earning extra cash while your kids are busy at school, you’ll also get another much-needed perk. Williams-Sonoma employees get a very generous 40 percent off merchandise discount. That means you’ll be totally set for holiday shopping—at least when it comes to all your home decor needs.

For what types of jobs is Williams-Sonoma hiring? The current round of work-from-home jobs up for grabs are customer service associates. Remote positions include a 30- to 50-hour work week, in addition to one weekend day, typically. The going rate? Williams-Sonoma customer service associates can make $12 per hour.

Photo: Bruno Cervera via Unsplash

Does this sound like a dream job? There is a catch: employees must live within 1.5 hours of a Williams-Sonoma Customer Care Center. You’ll also need a computer with a high-speed internet connection and a web camera, as live virtual interaction is required for the job.

Head on over to the Williams-Sonoma website for more information on applying.

—Erica Loop

 

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Listen up Eastside parents, there’s a new early learning center in town that is every working parent’s dream. Tottini Discovery, a clean, bright and thoughtfully laid out space located near the Microsoft Campus, is set to provide original programs, age-appropriate lessons and activities and (gasp!) healthy lunches and snacks cooked on-site. The best news? Tottini Discovery is currently taking registrations for the fall and we’ve got all the important deets.

photo: Jennifer B. Davis

Quality & Enrichment
Tottini is the brainchild of working mom, Ashleigh Cho whose kids are ages 5 and 7. Tottini’s focus is on high quality care, provided through smaller teacher-student ratios (less than the state’s requirement), emergent curriculum, a wide variety of enriching activities and healthy and organic foods. “As a working mom myself, I wanted to create a space that provided the highest quality of care for kids, and one that also made it super easy on parents,” says Cho. A veteran of multiple daycare centers for her kids through the years, Cho has taken her learnings to heart and incorporated a variety of benefits for parents and kids alike, with the aim of making the Tottini Discovery experience better for everyone.

photo: Jennifer B. Davis

Room to Grow
The early learning center provides separate rooms for each age range including infant, toddler, waddler, early preschool, preschool and pre-k; rather than combining a wide age-range of kids in one or two giant rooms. The infant nursery is just as soothing and delightful as the older kids’ rooms are fun and engaging. Coming soon will be a calm space specifically designed for those with social, emotional or behavioral challenges who need even smaller student-teacher ratios and more focused care. (Great for parents like Cho, who struggled to find the best care for a child with ADHD).

The separate activity room, shared by all, will provide a huge range of life enrichment activities throughout the day including yoga, judo, ballet, bowling, music, arts and crafts and even Hip Hop dance. Cho says she wanted to create a space that was fun and that’s exactly what she’s done. Most activities will be included in standard monthly tuition, but plans are in the works for additional classes and activities provided outside of a child’s scheduled day.

photo: Jennifer B. Davis

Giving Back
Beyond the daily activities, Tottini Discovery is also planning to give back to the community, with a portion of its proceeds going to help local community groups and global programs. A go-getter at heart, Cho plans to expand Tottini Discovery to other local neighborhoods (her parent friends are already clamoring for this type of location in their neighborhoods) and even nationally or internationally, as demand increases.

The Important Details
Tottini Discovery is scheduled to open on August 1, 2016 and will run on a year-round program, only closing on a few major “bank holidays” throughout the year. The learning center will offer full 5-day care and flexible schedules as well as AM and PM half day, or 2- or 3-day work weeks. Pricing is currently being determined, and will depend on final capacity, but Cho stated, “It will still be less than competing centers and will offer considerably lower student to teacher ratios.” And, unlike other care centers in the area, Tottini Discovery will provide healthy (primarily organic and locally sourced) lunches and snacks which will be prepared in their on-site kitchen. Not only that, fresh linens will be provided each day (say goodbye to schleping clean sheets and a blanket for junior’s nap time… only to forget them in the washing machine on your way out the door). With perks like that, Tottini Discovery is set to be a fantastic find for both you and your little one.

photo: Tottini Discovery

Registration & Open House
Tottini Discovery is currently taking registrations for fall for children ages 6 weeks to 5 years. Families who register now will receive 50% off their first month’s tuition. Psst… be sure to ask about other deals like paying in full for an additional discount. Discounts are also available for Passport Corporate and Microsoft Prime card holders.

Everyone is invited to stop by and check out Tottini’s open house on Thurs., July 28 from 1 p.m.-7 p.m. This is a great opportunity to check out the classrooms, meet the highly qualified teachers and get a first-hand look at this awesome learning center.

Tottini Discovery
2253 140th Ave. N.E.
Bellevue, Wa 98005
425-505-2794
Online: tottinidiscovery.com and on Facebook 
Email: info@tottinidiscovery.com

Have you already toured or signed up for Tottini Discovery? Tell us what you love most about the learning center in the Comments below.

— Jennifer B. Davis

If you’re looking for something new to see by the sea, we’ve got a place you can bring the kids to meet some of the cutest critters around, and learn something while you’re at it. The Marine Mammal Care Center in San Pedro is a hospital with a very different kind of patient: the inhabitants here are mostly baby seals who have lost their moms and cannot feed themselves, along with other sick or injured sea mammals. Your own pups will learn how these pinnipeds* are cared for and how helpers here prepare to return them to the wild.

photo: Marine Mammal Care Center via Facebook

(*Pinnipeds are all flipper footed marine mammals.  See?  You’ve learned something already!)

The non-profit Marine Mammal Care Center at Fort MacArthur looks small and unassuming at first glance. But keep in mind that this is a real hospital. Though the space is small, big things happen here. The whole family is welcome and it’s a wonderful place to take your time and thoroughly explore.

photo: Marine Mammal Care Center via Facebook

The beauty of this rescue establishment reveals itself as you observe the animal patients, such as 4 to 5-month-old pups, grooming themselves and frolicking with their cute flippers. Other mammals may have just arrived, suffering from malnutrition or infections. These are separated from the rest of the healthier gang lounging and playing in water basins.

photo: Marine Mammal Care Center via Facebook

Plaques explain such things as the always-confusing difference between seals and sea lions or what type of food the pups are fed. You’ll see that some need tube feeding, and they get a slurpie of glucose, electrolytes, vitamins and proteins, sometimes requiring a human volunteer to assist with the meal. But you really get the whole story from the docents. They will tell you and your own little beach babes that seal pups who lost their moms and would starve in the wild are brought here to be nurtured back to health and taught to live a life on their own in the ocean. Injured sea lions might arrive with a fishing line around their neck, unable to eat and having lost 50 pounds. At any given time, you might encounter 20 to 50 critters here, from California sea lions to Pacific harbor seals to fur seals, each with a different story to tell.

photo: Marine Mammal Care Center via Facebook

Before visiting, kids should be reminded that interaction with the patients is discouraged. The adorable pups also don’t get names. This is to improve their chances of seamlessly disappearing back into the ocean they came from. For this purpose, the pinnipeds are kept safe behind a wire mesh fence. This can be frustrating for little ones at first, as they are so darn cute they call out for a cuddle, but once you learn more about the animals’ plight, it all makes sense. It’s a great opportunity to learn not just about animal care, but about empathy, the power of volunteering and our ability to make a difference. The care center volunteers will tell you they especially love teaching kids, as they ask the most varied and interesting questions.

photo: Marine Mammal Care Center via Facebook

There’s a small gift shop selling cuddly plush toys (these are the things made for patting, touching and cuddling!), T-shirts and postcards. The center is open to visitors every day of the year during daylight hours. Admission is free but donations are encouraged. Staff to answer questions is usually around between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m.

photo: Sylvie Greil

Marine Mammal Care Center
3601 S. Gaffey St.
San Pedro
310-548-5677
Online: marinemammalcare.org

Now that you’re in San Pedro and have visited the seal pups, what to do next?

What are your favorite spots for ocean creature encounters?  We’d love to hear about them!

—Sylvie Greil