What to look for when selecting a nanny

August 21st, 2010

By Ann Wycoff, Ph.D.

When you’re conducting a nanny search either on your own or through an agency, here are a few ways to assess personality traits in a nanny candidate:

Longevity in previous jobs. Past performance is the best predictor of future performance. You want a nanny who has the maturity to make a solid commitment, is comfortable maintaining a routine, is predictable, and who has a stable work history. As owner of Safe and Sound Nannies and BetterNannies.com I look for at least a solid year in each job, but I prefer 2 years in each job. Also look for valid, plausible reasons as to why she left, (preferably not personality conflicts with employer) and confirm those with references.

Excellent references who return your call promptly. I have learned that how quickly a reference returns your call is a good predictor of the quality of the nanny. Moms who loved their nanny are excited to spread the word, help the nanny find a job, and help another mom find a great nanny.

Behavior before and during an interview. A calm demeanor suggests emotional stability. Appropriate dress suggests good judgment. Arriving early shows good planning. Bringing along a resume, references, and/or a scrapbook shows good organizational abilities, good planning, and attention to detail. The ability to listen and take in information during the in-person interview shows good interpersonal skills, patience, and the ability to take direction and respect authority. Good eye contact suggests trust, trustworthiness and confidence. Turning off her cell phone before the interview shows good judgment, planning and respect for authority. Sticking to the topic and not rambling shows ability to focus attention. Asking intelligent questions shows genuine interest in the job, experience, confidence and maturity. Not dominating the interview shows good boundaries, good self-monitoring, patience and respect. Appropriately volunteering pertinent information about herself shows confidence and good judgment.

Interaction with your child during interview. When the nanny asks to wash her hands before interacting with your child, she shows good judgment, planning, respect for your child and family, and knowledge of hygiene issues. Bending her knees so that she is at eye level with your child rather than bending at the waist and towering over your child shows caring, empathy, and an understanding of how to put your child at ease. Talking to your child in a way that generates speech shows that she can engage with your child, draw him out and listen empathically.

You can also use a personality screen designed specifically to screen nannies and based on 13 years of nanny placements to give you more information about your nanny candidate. Go to betternannies.com for more information.

Ann Wycoff, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and owner of Safe and Sound Nannies, a full service agency, and Better Nannies, an online database which provides nannies and professional screening tools, including an online personality screen.

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Finding a nanny through a database vs. a full service agency

August 18th, 2010

By Ann Wycoff, Ph.D.

There are two primary options when it comes to finding a nanny: full service agencies and nanny databases. Full service nanny agencies have been around for decades. The good ones are expensive relative to databases, but will survive even during a recession because they provide a lot of value. Good agencies work closely with you to find the best nanny for your family, and have conducted extensive screening on the nannies they send you, including a true in-person interview,  (not a quick meeting where they take a copy of her driver’s license), reference checks, high quality background checks, and in the best cases, a personality screen. You also have the benefit of the agency’s track record and personal relationship with many of the nannies they send you.  The good agencies also provide a replacement policy, usually one year for full time placements.

You can also go to an inexpensive nanny database to find nanny applicants. The main advantage to using  a database is the low cost.  You’ll find lots of candidates, some of whom have experience and solid references, many of whom do not. It’s not much different than the old-fashioned way of putting an ad in the newspaper. You used to get inundated with phone calls; now you get inundated with e-mails. It’s up to you to determine who the solid nannies are, and this can be time consuming. To avoid the revolving nanny door, which isn’t good for your children, you have to do your homework. The more clear information a database initially provides about each candidate, the easier it will be for you to quickly narrow your search to the best candidates. Interviewing nannies is  time-expensive, and you should have a realistic overall picture of who the nanny is and what her references think of her before you take the time to meet her.

Look for a database that provides a detailed application, answers to interview questions, and optimally, a personality screen report. Databases that only provide a resume and a “nanny profile” (a paragraph written by the nanny about herself), are going to require a lot more of your time.  It’s easy for a nanny to exaggerate her experience on a resume, and it’ll require “detective work” on your part to figure out if she’s really qualified. With any database, it’s up to you to check references, interview her in person, run a background check (don’t scrimp on the cheap ones) use her for some trial days, and hire her.

Many online services and agencies offer “free” background checks that irresponsibly ONLY include data from online instant databases (which are known to be incomplete and contain a high percentage of errors). Don’t rely on these. The most reliable background checks include  on-site court record searches at county courthouses where she has been a resident.

Dr. Ann Wycoff is founder of Safe and Sound Nannies, a full service agency, and Better Nannies, a professional online nanny search and screening service.

www.SafeandSoundNannies
www.BetterNannnies

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You get what you pay for when hiring a nanny.

August 17th, 2010

By Ann Wycoff, Ph.D.

We’re all trying to cut costs during the current economic recession, and it’s understandable that a family wants to be conservative with a nanny’s salary. But scrimping too much on your nanny’s salary usually results in high nanny turnover or less-than-wonderful childcare. Your child’s early years are vital to her emotional and cognitive development, and will lay the foundation for the rest of her life. You will probably only need a full-time nanny until your child starts preschool, which is a small percentage of her life. Then, most families switch to part-time help and the cost decreases considerably. As the owner of better nannies , and safe and sound nannies for 13 years, I found that once my child was older and no longer needed a nanny I looked back and was thankful that I hired and kept a warm, loving, stable, dedicated nanny rather than changing nannies frequently because the nannies left for a higher paying position. It may be worth cutting back in different areas to ensure that you give your child the stimulating and consistent care he or she needs during such an important period for his developing brain and personality.

Dr. Ann Wycoff is founder of Safe and Sound Nannies, a full service agency, and Better Nannies, a professional online nanny search and screening service.

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The Top Ten Reasons Why Nannies Leave A Position: Reason #1

April 26th, 2010

By Ann Wycoff, Ph.D.

Professional Tips for Keeping A Great Nanny:

Once you’ve found a good nanny and she and your child have formed a healthy relationship, you probably want to keep her as long as possible. But sometimes a nanny decides to leave unexpectedly. This is can be very unsettling for a family, especially for the children. If a nanny has an obvious reason for leaving, such as graduating from college or encountering a change in her personal life, the family usually sees this coming and is prepared for it. But often nannies don’t give the real reason why they leave, mainly because they don’t want to hurt anyone’s feelings. Families are frequently baffled when a nanny they love leaves their family. Here are some common, preventable reasons why nannies leave:

Reason #1) The family is consistently late coming home at the end of the day.

It is likely that your nanny truly loves your children, but after a long day she’s ready to go home. It’s been our experience that nannies with stable personal lives tend to perform better at work and stay in their jobs longer. Like all of us, they need to go home and re-charge so they’re fresh for the next day. Good nannies arrive on time, and they expect parents to keep up their end of the bargain and arrive home from work on time. I’ve interviewed many nanny candidates who come to us seeking a new nanny position because parents are consistently late arriving home from work. They love the children and the family they care for, but are deeply hurt that the parents show up late at the end of the day with no excuse, sometimes carrying shopping bags or wearing gym clothes. Nannies often don’t express this, and the parents are simply unaware of the nanny’s feelings.

Because the nanny obviously loves their children, parents sometimes make the assumption that the nanny welcomes the opportunity to stay later without notice (or extra pay) just to help out. Nine out of ten times the tardy parents are good, hardworking people who are just trying to squeeze a little personal time into their over scheduled workday. But intentionally or not, the nanny may feel that her devotion to the children is being exploited.

In most circumstances that I’ve seen, the nanny expressed her feelings to the family in a shy and tentative way, and the family didn’t take her concerns seriously. Sometimes her communication style is a function of being raised in a different culture that prizes submissiveness and respect for authority more than our culture. The nature of the childcare position itself also contributes to weak assertiveness skills, as many good nannies have consciously chosen a lower paying career where their accomodating personalities are valued. They haven’t worked in competitive business environments and developed the assertiveness skills necessary to pursue the issue firmly enough to get the parents to change their behavior. The nanny is afraid of creating a conflict with her employer, who will someday provide a much-needed employment reference. So she keeps her feelings to herself and quietly begins seeking another position. When I offer to help her communicate her feelings to the family, nannies in this position typically reject this idea and are firm about leaving. It’s my experience that by the time the nanny has taken the emotional step to come to us looking for a new position, she has made up her mind to leave.

The sad fact is that many families never know the real reason that their nanny left. When we place a nanny with one of our families, we want the nanny to stay with the family for as long as possible. It’s good for the children; it’s good for the nanny; it’s good for the parents; it’s good for our business. This is why I stress to all of our families at the beginning of the nanny search process how important it is to arrive home on time and stick with a consistent schedule as much as possible. If you’re going to run late due to meetings, traffic, etc. this contingency needs to be built into the nanny’s schedule at the start of employment, and include pay, so that she has already agreed to the longer workday before she commits to the position. Keeping your good nanny long term is one of the best things you can do for your child’s healthy development. To get more tips on hiring and retaining a nanny go to: www.betternannies.com or, for full service help, go to www.safeandsoundnannies.com

Dr. Ann Wycoff is founder of Safe and Sound Nannies, a full service agency, and Better Nannies, a professional online nanny search and screening service.

Posted in Employing a Nanny Tips | 3 Comments »

Does your nanny have the personality traits to excel long term?

April 17th, 2010

By Ann Wycoff, Ph.D.

Different jobs require different personality traits. Extensive research has been conducted on which traits are best for which jobs. At Safe and Sound Nannies, we’ve spent 13 years administering a statistically validated personality test to every nanny candidate. Our test measures how closely she matches the proven personality profile of an excellent nanny: one who has the temperament and personality traits necessary to provide a consistently high level of childcare over the long term.  We now have an online service that provides you with local nannies who have completed the personality test and other detailed information such as an employment application, contact information for references, answers to 33 important hiring questions, etc. at Better Nannies.

Not everyone is right for the job, and many people who are searching for, or already in childcare positions are not enamored with caring for children all day or even for several hours per day on an ongoing basis. There are others who love children, and may enjoy the job for several months, but have the type of personality that thrives on frequent change or that attracts drama into their lives. Caregivers with this type of personality tend to do well in the early months of a nanny position, but lose enthusiasm over time. Because of the current state of our economy, many people are settling for working with children when they are better suited to, and might prefer, doing something else. Basically, they need a job. Someone who is caring for children as a ‘fallback position’ might provide adequate care, but to be a great nanny they also need to bring joy, enthusiasm, dedication, stability and commitment to maintaining a long term relationship with your child.

Fortunately, there are many people in childcare positions who love what they do day-in-and-day-out, who are attentive and loving, who thrive on being with children, and who wouldn’t consider doing anything else. Together with other information such as work experience and references, using a personality test can narrow your search quickly and efficiently, as you match her personality traits with the needs of your family. You can either use our personality test as part of our full service agency in San Diego, or you can find local nannies online at Better Nannies, using our personality test and state-of-the-art screening tools.

www.betternannies.com
www.safeandsoundnannies.com

Posted in Nanny Hiring Tips | 39 Comments »

Fatal Pitfall When Hiring a Nanny: #2. Neglecting to look at the job from the nanny’s point of view.

April 16th, 2010

By Ann Wycoff, Ph.D.

Families frequently call me with unrealistic schedules, unrealistic pay expectations or other demands that would not interest a stable, qualified nanny. Families often forget to look at the job from a nanny’s viewpoint. An example of some unrealistic demands:

  • asking for a nanny with a college education but paying an hourly rate that is well below the going rate for the area.
  • asking a nanny to work a “split shift” where she’ll come to the house for an hour or two in the morning during rush hour, and then return for a few hours in the afternoon.
  • asking for a nanny who will take care of a toddler and an infant and also do all of the heavy cleaning in a large home. There simply is not enough time in a day for a nanny to give quality attention to small children and clean a large home. Very few nannies will stay long term in a job requiring this much work. Also, people who love to clean tend to have much different personalities than people who love to take care of children. Childcare and cleaning are two different skill sets. Most people are not exceptionally good at both. A reasonable expectation is for the nanny to do “light, child-related housekeeping” including laundry.
  • offering an inconsistent, part-time schedule that requires a nanny to keep her schedule completely open. The family may only need 20 hours per week, but the schedule is such that the nanny is unable to take another part-time job to supplement her income. Nannies who work part-time usually have other obligations when they’re not working and need a consistent schedule. A nanny who takes this position out of desperation will probably leave when she finds a more consistent schedule.
  • asking a nanny to live-in and be on call around the clock, while paying a very low weekly rate. Many families also demand that the live-in nanny to be educated, speak good English and help their child with homework. Nannies who accept a live-in position at a very low rate are frequently in a desperate situation and are more passionate about finding a place to live than taking care of children.
  • taking a nanny on vacation with the family and underpaying her because she is being given the opportunity to travel and stay in a nice resort. They are not taking into account that the nanny has bills to pay, a family or significant other who needs her, and she is not on vacation. She is working, usually many more hours per day than she works at home.
  • Offering a nanny a very low hourly rate because the children are exceptionally sweet and they have a beautiful home.
  • Believing that giving a nanny a yearly paid vacation is a perk that no-one else offers. It is standard to give a nanny a two-week paid vacation after she has been with your family for 6 months. In most cases, the nanny is happy to take her vacation when you take yours.

Visit Better Nannies for more tips on keeping your nanny happy.

www.SafeandSoundNannies
www.BetterNannnies

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Fatal Pitfall When Hiring a Nanny: #1. Not doing your homework.

April 16th, 2010

By Ann Wycoff, Ph.D.

1. Not doing your homework: believing you’re saving time and money by jumping to hire a nanny who looks good on the surface.

Most parents know that a “revolving door” of nannies is detrimental to your child’s emotional health and wreaks havoc on your whole family. But parents who are conducting a nanny search on their own often don’t take the time to ensure they find a nanny who is a great performer AND who is willing and capable of committing long term. They may feel overwhelmed by the search process, and are inundated with so many inadequate candidates (or babysitters), that they jump at the first person who shows up on time for an interview dressed appropriately without any noticeable tattoos or piercings. She makes good eye contact and has a college degree. Feeling relieved and elated to have finally found a viable candidate, they jump to hire her and neglect to carefully analyze her work history, (all part-time jobs), assess her long term availability and commitment level, or thoroughly check her references to make sure they are valid and that she is a solid performer. Nanny candidates DO fake references! Weeks or months later the family may notice that their nanny is spending her time on their home computer pursuing catering jobs (her previous career) because she is bored taking care of an infant all day. The nanny passes the time talking on her cell phone and pursuing job leads. This can be avoided by conducting an organized, methodical nanny search. Our tools make this process easy.

Learn more about the nanny search process and the tools we provide at:  Better Nannies

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