Challenges Parents Face When Hiring A Nanny: The Nanny Manual

This is part 2 of an 8-part blog from the perspective of TIFFAN's Founder and "The Nanny Manual" author, Alyce Desrosiers.

One of the greatest challenges is that the market for nannies is unlicensed and unregulated.  Literally anyone can say they want to take care of kids and there is no government agency that ensures they have a clear background check or minimal health vaccinations and safety training.  

The other challenge is the failure in American society to recognize the important role nannies have in caring for our children – for what is often long hours every day during the week.  Nannies are the invisible members of the childcare workforce with no job training, support or a level of professionalization about their work. 

It’s unfortunate and horrific to even acknowledge that in our society we fail to acknowledge nannies and support their work in the same way we do for preschool teachers and family daycare providers. Ultimately parents and their children face the consequences for this failure.  We expect parents who want to hire a nanny manage these challenges on their own. In my opinion, as a society, we should do better.  

The process to hire a nanny is both a pragmatic one and an emotional one.  Pragmatically parents need to know what they need, what the demographics of the nanny market are, what their legal responsibilities are as an employer to their nanny, what the health/safety and background check requirements are as a condition of employment.  What are the qualities and characteristics of the nanny that would fit for them.  In the book I outline all the pragmatics parents need to make decisions about before they start their search.  Starting this way prevents a lot of ‘do-overs’ and saves time and energy.

Emotionally, parents have to be prepared to recognize and manage some strong emotions that can come up unexpectedly throughout the process and in their relationship to their nanny. These include guilt, envy, jealousy, inadequacy and – most importantly – trust.  In the book I identify these and show how they can interfere with the hiring process, the decision about who to hire and the quality of the relationship they have with their nanny.

The book is an opportunity for parents to know what these challenges are and offers information and resources to overcome these. Buy your copy of The Nanny Manual today!