Nanny Agency New York: 6 Things To Look For When Hiring One For The First Time

Most parents today are both working, managing a business, assigned to do fieldwork or office work. If you’re a busy parent, you would need an extra pair of hands to take care of your children’s needs and everyday routines, such as bathing, feeding, school work, sports, and extracurricular activities.

While there are a lot of daycare centers are available, hiring a nanny to care for your children while you’re away is still a more personalized and effective way to nurture your child’s physical and psychological needs. A nanny focuses on safeguarding your child’s nutrition and growth and development by strictly complying to food preparation, medication, meeting school deadlines, and imposing healthy and meaningful activities like play, piano lessons, and art workshop.

Hire a nanny who will prioritize your child’s well-being and someone who is knowledgeable about children’s developmental milestones. If it’s your first time to hire nannies, here are the important things you need to look for: 

1. Good Background and Experience

The most important thing is to get a nanny with good background and experience so you can rest assured that you’ll leave the house to someone trustworthy. Basically, you’ll entrust your keys, credit cards, and other valuable items to a nanny to meet the needs and look after your little ones. Hire a nanny from a trusted and reputable nanny agency to ensure that the following aspects have been met:

• Screening of nanny applicants
• Background check like contacting all character references for validation
• Require an up-to-date DBS or CRB check to find out whether the applicant has a criminal record
• Personality test and psychiatric evaluation
• Medical assessment to ensure the nanny is medically fit to do the job
• Insurance coverage provided by the agency both for the nanny and the parents 

That’s why it’s crucial to hire a nanny with enough experience and a sound background for your peace of mind and to avoid problems later on. 

2. Educational Qualifications

While experience has a huge bearing on your selection, consider hiring a nanny who has a relevant childcare qualification. This step is one way to find out if the nanny has the right knowledge and skills to raise your child. In New York, there are qualifications that render someone capable to be a reliable nanny. Here are the things you need to look for in terms of educational qualifications:

• Find out certifications such as a CACHE Level 3 Diploma in Child Care, NVQ in Early Years Care and Education, or BTEC HND in Childhood Studies
• Ask and check professional references before making an offer
• Instruction and training such as child management, developmental milestones, and child’s nutrition 

3. Nanny Duties and Responsibilities

Sometimes, when on the fence about nanny candidates, you might choose to employ one that’s in an agency. One of the biggest advantages of hiring a nanny from a trusted nanny agency is you’re given a clear idea of the duties and responsibilities that the nanny services cover. Here are the details you need to know beforehand:

• Determine whether you need a part-time or full-time nanny.
• Setting the agreed days off ensure proper scheduling and turnover of unfinished responsibilities.
• Inclusive services like fetching children from school or assisting with schoolwork. A nanny is a childcare professional. You won’t expect a nanny to do extra cleaning duties unless you include it on the job description and you’re willing to adjust the pay accordingly.
• Pay rate or salary. Pay rates vary by qualifications, location, and experience. While you want to hire a nanny that fits your budget, it’s not something you should prioritize. At the very least, pay something that you can afford. Remember that the service you’re seeking is for your precious children. You don’t want to compromise the cost from the quality of service. 

4. Good Character and Personality Traits

Hire a nanny who is knowledgeable and skilled on encouraging activities nurturing child development. Hire someone who displays a loving and caring attitude. Your child should feel comfortable and safe in the hands of a new nanny. Here are some tips when hiring a nanny for the first time:

• Ask relevant questions to nanny applicants to find out the challenges the nanny faced with previous employment
• Ask how the nanny handles difficult situations like tantrums or other forms of misbehavior
• Ask how the nanny strictly reinforce good manners and implement schedule and meeting activity and school deadlines to better assist your children both at home and schoolwork 

5. Child-friendly Nanny

Involve your child in the selection process. Since your child will be the one who will spend the most time with your nanny, make sure that you address any issues or concerns they have. Here are some tips when hiring a child-friendly nanny:

• Introduce the prospective nannies and involve your child in the hiring and interview process. Your child will likely feel more comfortable and warmer toward the new nanny.
• Ask the new nanny to play with your child in the final stage. It will avoid undue stress of introducing your child to strangers. 

6. A Passionate Nanny Agency

Getting and managing a flood of applications can be daunting. Eliminate the stress and hassle screening, doing the background check, and finding out the educational background of candidates by looking for a passionate nanny agency. Interviews and screening candidates is a lot of hard work. A nanny agency will do all the advertising, in-depth interview, verification, and provide a detailed employment contract for the nanny.

Some nanny agencies can also refer you to a trusted and reputable HR, payroll, and legal service to reduce your additional responsibility as an employer. A passionate nanny agency can help you draw up a reasonable contract to avoid major conflicts and to comply with legal requirements. Here is the checklist you need to look for in a contract:

• Start date
• Notice period
• Number of work hours
• Holidays
• Expenses
• Severance pay
• Job responsibilities
• Important guidelines (e.g., time for naps or bedtime, amount of time spent on your child’s activities or giving treats) 

Conclusion

Always remember that hiring a good nanny is crucial to your child’s development and well-being. A nanny helps in molding the character and personality of your child. You want to ensure that your children will have positive experiences with the nanny. Hire a professional nanny who can look after your children while you’re busy, someone you can trust, someone your children is comfortable with, and someone who is qualified and experienced to do the job.