Let’s take into consideration the cost of childcare for an infant can reach $16,000 nationally (sometimes more in metropolitan areas) in a year, parents are looking for ways to offer their little ones the attention and nurturing they need to thrive while being as cost-effective as possible. With this in mind, nanny shares are a popular option for families who would like the personalized approach of a single caregiver at a more affordable price.
What is a Nanny Share? A nanny share is a common working situation where two or more families split the cost of one nanny who either give cares for all of the children together or divides her time between the two families. The families literally share the nanny and it can be a great way to keep childcare costs at a minimum while still receiving the best care for your kids.
This concept of a nanny share is a simple one, with the nanny having full-time work while the families share the cost of their salary among them. Finding a nanny share arrangement, however, can be an overwhelming process with plenty of things to consider.
Is a Nanny Share Right For My Family?
To answer this question, you need to ask yourself a number of others. For starters, how many hours per week do you need childcare? Does your child have very specific needs that would be better met in a one-on-one caregiver situation? What’s your realistic budget for childcare?
Nanny shares are best for cost-conscious families who can handle extra logistics because they will need to manage coordinating schedules with other families and pick-ups and drop-offs.”
What Should I Look for in a Partner Family for a Nanny Share?
Finding the right match can often be difficult and discouraging but not impossible. Here are some of the factors to look for in a partner family
It’s important to get a like-minded family in more ways than one.
Do your due diligence in terms of whether you and the partner family are on the same page concerning parenting desires and what it means to be a decent and responsible employer.
Likewise answers to the following questions:
How close do they live to you? (location is the most crucial for nanny sharing) Do they share the same parenting philosophy as you? What’s their opinion on screen time/tablet use for young children? What kind of food do they feed their child? Do they want their child to be more active, or stay inside often? What day trips or outings does the family prefer? What discipline tactics do the parents want the nanny to use? If your child will be staying in another family’s house for the day, do they have any pets?
Here are some things to keep in mind when hiring a nanny share:
Where do they live? Location is super important when hiring a nanny, What training do they have? (CPR, First Aid, Food safe), How do they prefer to treat children? (more strict or more relaxed?) Do they know how to prepare food suited to different diets? (vegetarian, halal, gluten-free, etc.), Are they willing to stay overtime or overnight? Are they flexible for weekend shifts? Do they have a license and/or vehicle? What day trips are they willing to take your children on?
How to Find A Nanny Share?
How to find a nanny share often requires two steps. If you are a family looking for a nanny, you need to find a family to share with and the nanny. You can choose to find either first, but it may make more practical sense to find a family before so you can search for a nanny you both agree on together. A great resource to help you connect with, interview, and hire nanny shares is www.nannylane.com The folks at Nanny Lane have invested heavily into creating an online experience ideal for two-parent groups seeking a caregiver, or families with an existing nanny who is looking to share time with a second family. Such other agencies are Care.com. I’ve personally found and worked with great family thru care.com and continue to have a profile. At Care.com the nannies would have already been vetted thru a background check conducted by the site. Parents can choose from a free sign up to a paid for sign up profile that will give you more access of the site including background check information. The care.com profiles are easy Follow and other great services beside childcare are offered such as pet care, elderly care and cleaning services. Sittercity.com is a mirror site of care.com and offers the very same service and also comes with lots of pf positive review online.
A 3rd great way of finding a family to nanny share with is to ask around in your neighborhood. Looking into neighborhood serve listing or stopping to ask Nannies at the park if they can refer you to someone. The majority of my nanny Share jobs and single-family jobs have come from word of mouth and referrals by other nannies or families I’ve work with previously. Nanny share works best when the two families live in very proximity to each other especially if the nanny does not have access to a car. If your nanny works on different days their route will be more or less the same, and if the two kids are in the same house morning drop-offs will be easy.
What are Benefits of a Nanny Share?
There are many benefits to a Nanny Share, which is why you’ll see more and more parents setting up nanny shares. The Benefits of a Nanny Share are :
1. In-home Child Care is Now More Affordable
Many families choose to do nanny share for financial reasons. Hiring a nanny on your own can be expensive. In a regular nanny situation, one family would hire a nanny for $3000 per month (and sometimes more) depending on experience, education, and where you live. With the nanny share cost structure, each of the two families only pays $2000 per month and the nanny takes home $4000 per month. This benefit both the families (who each pay 33% less) and the nanny who takes home more money each month. Nannies who are paid well and respected tend to stay for a lot longer! However, the costs of daycare continue to rise. The average cost of center-based daycare in the U.S. is more than $11,000 annually with some states closer to $20,000/year.
2. You Receive More Personalized Care
One of the advantages of having a nanny rather than paying for a daycare center is the personalized care and attention your child receives in the comfort of their own home. You can tell the nanny exactly how you want your child looked after including meals, screen time, nap schedules, activities, discipline, learning methods, and more. Your child can receive the same type of care in a nanny share. You can also dictate that the children get outside at least once a day in nice weather or go to the library for story time once a week.
3. Your Child Gets Socialization with Other Children
A benefit to daycare centers is the socialization that your child receives being with other kids their age. They learn to play, share, communicate, and more with their peers. They can also start to develop friendships. When hiring a nanny on your own, your child may miss out on these opportunities. In a nanny share, your child will be with the other family’s children to build those social skills, enjoy having a playmate, and possibly grow a friendship during a lot of trips to the park or museum and make it fun and enjoyable.
4. You Enjoy Flexibility
A daycare center will likely have strict policies on hours, holidays, sick days, food, nap time, and more. With a nanny share, you and the other family can make your own rules. Just make sure you’re both on the same page and clearly communicate your expectations with your nanny. You can determine your nanny’s work schedule, which holidays she has off, and how much vacation time she receives. When your nanny takes a day off, having multiple parents involved means you don’t always have to take time off work and stay home. That can be rotated between the parents.
Conclusion
Nanny Share is not for everyone, but it certainly is the great solution for many families. In this age of increasingly costly daycare, finding the right, low-cost and easily affordable nanny share arrangement is perfect for some. I hope this article have helped you to better understand what is a nanny share, the Benefits of a nanny share and everything that comes with a Nanny share.
REFERENCES