LesTout: How Nannies Can Help Provide Childcare

Before you find out how nannies can help provide childcare, you may be wondering who a nanny is. A nanny is an individual that will provide childcare within your home. They may either live with you and your family or they may not. Many families look into hiring a nanny when they have two or more children. The more children that you have, the more your childcare expense will be. Also this allows you as the parent to know that your child or children will receive childcare in a true individualized and small group manner in comparison to childcare centers as well as in-home childcare. Some parents feel more at ease when they hire a nanny. They can tell what their child or children have done by looking at their house.

If you are looking into possibly hiring a nanny, you can do so in the following ways: contact the International Nanny Association or Alliance of Professional Nanny Agency, contact the American Council of Nanny Schools, or contact a nanny independently (via internet, newspaper ad, or word-of-mouth. No matter how you go about finding a nanny, it is still important to do your research. A wonderful website to check into is Nanny.com.

There are many benefits and disadvantages to hiring a nanny. Read the list the below to find more information on each:

Benefits

1:1 and true small group instruction and childcare
Those that are through an agency may have more training and certification than those that are not
Have a better sense of what your child has done during the day
Don't have to take your child/children to another person's home
Some provide transportation to school, extracurricular activities, community activities (i.e. library, swimming pool, etc.)
May cost less than childcare center provider and in-home childcare provider
Develop a true bond amongst child, parent, and nanny
Some will light house work chores (i.e. laundry, wash dishes, etc.)

Disadvantages

You will have to pay a deposit and other fees if locating a nanny through an agency
You will have to provide the food and other items needed to take care of your child/children
Will still need a back up childcare provider if your nanny is ill, etc.
Difficult to locate nannies if you live in a rural or small town

Nannies can provide excellent childcare to children within their home. For some parents it provides a sense of ease knowing that their child/children are receiving childcare in the child's home. Children are more familiar and feel comforted by being at home. Just as with any other childcare option it is important to do your research and look at all the benefits and disadvantages that each can provide.