When looking at childcare options parents have three choices, a daycare or preschool, a family care center (where the provider cares for children in her own home) or an in-home caregiver (where the provider cares for children in the children’s home). This publication is designed to give you the information you need to decide if in-home care is the right choice for you. For information on choosing a day care, preschool, or family care center, visit www.ChildCareAware.org.
Although there are significant differences between the different types of in-home childcare providers, providers are often lumped together under the word “nanny” because that’s the word the public is most familiar with. In order to hire the right type of caregiver, it’s important to move beyond the familiar and gain an understanding of the different types of in-home caregivers and the different roles they play.
For short-term new baby care, parents often hire a doula or infant specialist. A postpartum doula’s mission is to “mother the mother”. The doula provides guidance and encouragement to a new mother until the mother feels confident in her own parenting skills and physically recovered from labor and delivery. A doula also supports the family as they face the many transitions a new baby brings. To learn more about doulas or to locate one in your area, visit DONA International at www.dona.org.
An infant specialist’s mission is to provide complete care of a newborn and help the baby transition to a regular schedule and daily routine. These providers are often known as nursery or baby nurses. Although the title implies the caregiver is a registered nurse, that is often not the case. Many “baby nurses” are nannies that specialize in infant care and have at least 5 years of professional infant experience. For more information or to find an infant specialist in your area, google “baby nurse” for a listing of local placement agencies or check the AllAboutNannyCare.com Agency Directory.
For long-term care, parents have the option of an au pair, a babysitter or a nanny. These titles are often used interchangeably but each caregiver provides different services to the family she works for.
Many people refer to all twenty-something, foreign-born in-home caregivers as au pairs. While there are many young, foreign caregivers working in this country, not all are part of the au pair program. An au pair is an 18 to 26 year old caregiver participating in a federally sanctioned cultural exchange program. She receives a weekly stipend (under $175 a week), room and board, and paid learning opportunities in exchange for providing childcare and child-related duties to her host family. She cannot work more than 45 hours a week or 10 hours a day, she cannot perform any duties beyond childcare and child-related tasks, and she cannot legally work in the Untied States for more than one year.
To learn more about the au pair program, visit the U.S. Department of State’s website. Remember, only official au pair agencies offer you the standards and safeguards established by the U.S. Department of State. To locate an official au pair program, visit the International Au Pair Association. There are many online databases that advertise “au pair matches or placements”. These sites have nothing to do with the au pair program. They are employment sites helping foreign-born caregivers find nanny positions within the United States. When using these sites, don’t be distracted by the language. If a person is applying for a nanny job (and clearly the caregivers listed are because they’re not working within the parameters of the au pair program), she should meet the requirements for a nanny, regardless of her ethnicity. I strongly advise parents to screen “au pair candidates” from online sites using the same comprehensive techniques I outline for screening nanny candidates.
One of the biggest hurdles the in-home childcare industry faces is the common confusion between a babysitter and a nanny. A babysitter provides custodial care, keeping a child safe and entertained. A nanny provides care for the whole child, nurturing the child’s emotional, social, cognitive and physical development. This difference is often hard to see because on the surface, the activities of a babysitter and nanny seem similar. But as with most things, the difference lies in the details.
Imagine a continuum with a babysitter on one end and a nanny on the other end. The babysitter represents a custodial approach, the nanny represents a whole child approach. For example, a babysitter will see two preschoolers arguing over a toy and quickly take away the toy to end the argument. A nanny will recognize the argument as a teachable moment and use age appropriate question prompts, role playing and brainstorming to build problem solving skills and develop empathy. A babysitter will read a favorite book to a toddler. A nanny will read a favorite book to a toddler, incorporating imaginary and reading games into the activity to make it an interactive and creative experience for the child.
No caregiver provides custodial care one hundred percent of the time just as no caregiver provides whole child care one hundred percent of the time. Individuals fall along the continuum at different points, depending upon their overall approach. Your job as a parent and employer is to honestly evaluate your needs and to decide where on the continuum you want your caregiver to fall.
As a long-time advocate of quality in-home care, I believe hiring a nanny is always a great childcare choice. However, it isn’t the best choice for every situation. For the parent who needs someone to care for her children after school and keep up with their laundry, an au pair can be a great choice. For the part-time, work-at-home parent who needs someone to entertain her child for two hours a day while she returns calls, a babysitter can be a great choice. But for the parent who works full-time and leaves her child with a caregiver for eight to twelve hours a day, four to five days a week, I strongly believe nanny care is the best choice.
Return to Is a Nanny the Right Childcare Choice for Me? main page
Return to top of page
