Using Nanny Agencies to Find the Right Caregiver

Choosing a childcare provider can be a trying and stressful experience; and although not every family is faced with this decision, for those who are, it is one of the most important decisions that has to be made. With both Mom and Dad working full-time it has become imperative to find some sort of care for the child. Luckily, many cities are richly endowed with local and international agencies to help in the recommendation and screening of a nanny. San Diego has a good variety of agencies to choose from each offering help in finding a nanny and other related services. It’s good to decide before calling one what kinds of services you are looking for. Although not all, nannying agencies usually provide care givers for full-time, part-time, temporary, babysitting, or even pet sitting or house sitting. Once this has been decided it’s time to find an agency. Below are some of San Diego’s most prominent, and don’t worry San Diego mothers and fathers, these agencies provide nannies for the full range of San Diego county. 1. San Diego nannies. This particular agency is by far one of the most reputable and trusted. Their website can be viewed at www.sdnannies.com. There you’ll find links for both nannies and families as well as further information on using their service. San Diego nannies caters to all sorts of families and all sorts of schedules, but it mainly deals with families looking for full-time care givers and is thus perfect for busy families. All applicants are pre-screened and are required to have at least two years of experience. Additionally, nannies must be registered with Trustline*, be CPR certified, and have verifiable references. This assures that the nannies registered with the agency are qualified to care for your child. For families in the nanny selection process the agency provides profile sheets that each applicant has filled out stating their work history, personal information, and questions answered on how they would handle different situations. In addition, each family is given a picture of the applicant. If they are interested, they can call the applicant and set up a personal interview. 2. Quality Nannies. This agency is smaller in size than San Diego nannies, but keeps to its name in quality. The services provided range from long term vacation care for your child or pet to short term temporary work when you need it most. They even provide babysitters on short notice for those times when you simply can’t get home or need a special date night. If you find that perfect sitter, the only requirement is that you go through the agency every time you want to use him/her. This agency also screens all applicants and does a thorough in person interview asking crucial questions about varies situations and developmental questions about different age ranges. They also cater specific nannies to specific areas nearby so its never a hassle to find someone in your area. This agency can be contacted at this number NUMBER or through their website at http://www.qualitynannies.info/1.html. 3. Childcare Companions. Another agency local to San Diego, this agency is highly catered to nannies in their college years who are looking for extra hours doing babysitting or short term work. Although it does offer longer term work, many of its advertisements promote babysitting and vacation work. It’s a hip young company with younger nannies available. If you’re looking for nannies highly interested doing the aforementioned types of work, this is the agency to go through. There is screening process included before registering nannies, including an in person interview. For more information please see their website at: http://www.childcarecompanions.com/index.htm 4. Just in Time Nannies. This an a versatile agency offering “do it yourself” or full placement services. It features a fully searchable data bank in which the employer can search for their best match. In addition, Just in Time Nannies boasts providing some of the best services for nanny and other domestic help payroll services. Nannies are screened through an application and interview process and this agency provides a 6 month stay guarantee or they replace your nanny free of charge! For more information call 1-800-296-3998, or visit their website at http://www.justintimenannies.com/nannies/default.aspx. 5. Great Aupair. Although this agency is not limited to San Diego only, it has an extensive section dedicated to the San Diego area. Here nannies can register and put up a personal profile, from there families can browse them or the nannies can browse the family’s profile. Both have the opportunity to contact the other through the information they provide in their profile. A membership fee is asked for both nanny and family for contact information, but the data bank is large and you can even find an international nanny if that is what you want. The website provides a number of resources to help families in their search and hiring process. It provides a sample interview sheet that can be filled out by both parties for the other to view as well as a photo show where the family or nanny can put pictures of themselves for screening. For international hiring, the agency provides resources on visas and other important information to make the process easier. The only downside here is that everything is carried out by the family and nanny, the agency does not screen the applicant nor have specific requirements for listing. It is recommended that you research what specifics to look for before hiring using this website. Be sure to speak on the phone and, if possible, in person to your applicant. If used correctly this website can be an invaluable resource and significantly less costly than a local agency. Simply remember that it is also more time costly as all work must be done by you. The website can be viewed at www.greataupair.com. Now that you have a place to start seeking your new nanny, good luck, and remember to take advantage of the services offer by each agency such as background checks and initial interview papers. Also remember to thoroughly pre-screen your candidate and even take a day or two to spend with them on their first day. With all this, and the wonderful help of the agencies above, your stress is sure to be eased while finding the perfect nanny for you!