A nanny can be a wonderful addition to your family and would make the transition back to work easy for the new parents. While finding and hiring an experienced and reliable nanny may sound like a daunting task, it does not have to be always. Depending on your requirements (comfort level, time, and budget), you can do much of the legwork yourself, otherwise you can employ an agency as well.

Choosing a nanny vs. daycare :

What type of childcare would you like to provide to your kids is absolutely a personal choice as what has worked wonderfully for your sister or friend may not work for you. Although licensed Daycare centers or in-home facilities are good options, some parents prefer the personalized attention for their kids and choose to hire a nanny.

Nannies will come to your house and work around your schedule. So your kids can be at the comfort of your house. This will even make going out in the morning quite easier as you do not have to pack extra clothes, shoes, lunch, and snacks for the childcare center. Whatever your baby needs is right there at home.

Is there any downside to hiring a nanny?

Yes, there are a few. Finding a reliable nanny is tough, moreover, a one-person staff may not be as dependable as center-based daycare. If your nanny is not well or can not make it to work for any reason, you will have to stay home or arrange for some backup care. Besides all these, nanny care is quite an expensive option than center-based childcare.

So, if you are planning to hire a nanny, please follow these steps suggested by the Sierra Madre, CA preschool teachers.

Write a Job Descriptions : Before you start looking for a nanny, please understand your requirements first and write down the job description. Determine what exactly you are looking for and make sure those needs are clearly spelled out.

Locate Candidate : There are many ways to connect with eligible candidates. Word of mouth from other parents is about as good as it gets. You ask other parents you see at the playground, baby classes, or during group meet-ups. Other than this, you can always reach out to a nanny placement service to help you find the right candidate.

Schedule an Interview : Once you are done selecting the potential candidates, please schedule interviews to get a better sense of their personalities, caregiving style, and expectations. In fact, you can ask them about their previous work experience, education, family background, training, etc. Before hiring the nanny please ask all the questions that are in your mind.

Call Their References : According to the Daycare teachers, this is a very crucial step to make sure the candidate has the proper experience. Request the selected finalists to share at least two previous employers' contact numbers, so that you can call them to know more about the candidates.

Besides these basic steps, you should do a thorough background check of the potential candidates, and to do that you can ask them to give their photo identity proof and some other necessary documents.