How To Find The Right Nanny For Your Family
Did you know that there are more than 1 million nannies employed throughout the U.S. at any given time? The Nanny workforce is a critical support for the millions of kids (of the 25 million under 5 in the U.S. right now – Childstats.gov) that are not in a childcare center (daycare, preschool, etc.). Understanding the labor statistics of Nannies in the U.S. is helpful, however, knowing how to find YOUR nanny is even more important.
Where to Find Your Nanny
The best place to find your Nanny-To-Be is Care.com. This comes from the experience of searching alternative sites and using word-of-mouth to find a Nanny to care for our 1-year-old at the time. We spent weeks searching various sites in a way to avoid paying the $39 per month, $78 for three months or $156 for 12 months fee. After numerous attempts we decided as a family to explore care.com and pay that pesky fee. The cost is a worthwhile investment in securing a reliable, safe and family oriented nanny.
The Nanny Finding Process
Once we signed up for care.com, which took approximately 5 minutes to establish, we had our profile and search out to find our nanny. We received 10 messages within the first 48-hours of interested nannies. We then did the following when considering our Nanny:
Write out our values and what is important to us
Define our need based on availability and daily support required (i.e. number of hours per day/per week)
Reviewed the nanny profiles to identify those that align with our values, needs and schedule
Once we identified the 3 nannies that fit the Values, Needs and Schedule for us we messaged them each to schedule a brief phone call. It was important to us (as a couple) to talk with the nanny together. During the call we:
Shared about our family, background and needs
Kept the discussion light and as a ‘get-to-know-you’ space
Answered any questions they had
Closed the call with either a:
Thank you and we will follow-up within 48-hours about next steps; or
This was great to connect let’s schedule a meet & greet
After we scheduled our meet & greet we then coordinated with the nanny-to-be to meet with us together and our 1-year old to ensure there is a safe, emotional and positive connection to start. After 3 trial runs of this we found OUR nanny. In our process we learned:
Do not compromise on your values no matter how urgent your need is – your kid(s) are more important
Do not rush the process – trust that you will find the right fit
Remember that fit is incredibly important – this is something that your child will learn, love and grow with
Once we did a reference check we were able to confidently offer our nanny the job which we were very grateful she accepted. With Care.com we were able to review the profile, background already conducted by Care.com and the additional certifications which are validated through Care.com.
Trust in your process and follow your intuition as you navigate the many complex aspects of childcare. You are not alone in the process and don’t forget to ask your friends and family for feedback, suggestions create your community of care.