How You Can Elevate the Nanny Industry
What a year this has been for the nanny industry! With a demand we’ve never before experienced in our 27+ years in business, nannies experienced a much-deserved pay increase and an appreciation for their skills and contributions!
Now, how do we build off this momentum to continue to elevate the nanny industry, and support all of you in your positions? Here are some tips that can help nannies stand out as families weigh their childcare options.
- Keep it professional. You can be “like a member of the family” and still maintain professionalism in your actions. That means having boundaries on your personal life, asking for regular evaluations/reviews (we recommend at least annually), and keeping a record of your original job description (should be in an Employment Agreement) and how it grows and changes over the year. This way, when you sit down to discuss raises, you are approaching things logically and not emotionally.
- Stay positive. Whether you are talking to your friends, family, other nannies in the park, etc., remember that you are representing the nanny and household staffing industry at all times. Negative talk about your family employer, the kids, or even the agency does damage to the industry, ultimately undermining your ability to be fairly compensated and appreciated in the way you deserve.
- Excel at your work, and then some! Do you come prepared for the day with plans and ideas? Do you communicate at the end of the day or week so they can see all that you have accomplished? Do you complete tasks all the way? For instance, if you are supposed to do the child’s laundry, do you make sure you start it early enough to have it completely done, folded, and put away? Sometimes the littlest, unexpected things create wow moments because it makes a parent’s life easier – organizing the reusable grocery bags that keep falling down in the pantry, packing lunches for the following day, or bringing the trash and recycling cans in from the street.
- Differentiate what it means to be a nanny. You bring a lot more to the table than a babysitter. We’ve heard the stories from families, “I tried to search online databases for a nanny, but I wasn’t getting the quality I was looking for.” You had to jump through hoops to be categorized as a professional nanny – interviews, reference checks, background checks, CPR certifications, and much more. In your role, we encourage you to stand out as a proactive, education-minded, knowledgeable caregiver. This means staying on top of parenting philosophies and trends, always leaving the house better than you found it, avoiding screen time, and being creative with your day-to-day routine.
We are continuing to try to do our part by educating families on the nanny industry – competitive wages, appropriate duties, vacation/sick/holiday time, legal pay, and more. That said, if there is something you think we can be doing to support you as an individual, or nannies as a whole, we would love to hear from you!