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Working Moms
nicholssquared
member
How to find the right nanny?
nicholssquared
member
in Working Moms
Hello everyone!
My husband and I are expecting our third, and right now our two go to a very wonderful preschool. However, it's very pricey, and the cost of three going there may make me working no longer financially beneficial. My mother, who happens to be the assistant director at the school, mentioned that many parents have pulled their children from the school when the third child is born because it becomes more cost-effective to hire a nanny.
I'm looking at doing some research to see if this is the case. The price of the three children going to the preschool would be about $2,600.00 a month. I'm looking to pay about $2,000 a month ideally, and I'm wondering if that's even a feasible price for three children full-time. Also, how do you make sure you have chosen someone qualified? How many references do you ask for? What kind of experience do you look for? Any recommendations on services/websites for locating child care that perform background checks, etc? Any information is very helpful! Thanks!
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Re: How to find the right nanny?
That really depends on the cost of living in your area and average nanny rates. In my HCOL area it's common to spend 2,000 a month on a nanny for one. So for three I would estimate 3,000. But our daycares are way pricier as well. I would talk to people in your area to find out average nanny rates. Also I would imagine that your oldest will probably need to go to preschool at least part time anyway for social interaction and getting ready for K, etc.
On the other questions care.com seems to be a popular choice. The more you interview the better sense you will get of who is a good fit for you and who is not. I was generally happy with at least one solid long-term reference. In terms of experience - obviously either nanny experience or daycare/early education experience. There are many lists on the internet of questions you can ask during an interview.
FYI, I am in the OKC area. It's generally very LCOL. I'll ask around about the rates.
You raise a good point about the social interaction for my soon-to-be-three. He will have spent over a year at the preschool, so he has had social interaction and he is very comfortable at the preschool. I thought that maybe asking the nanny to do playgroups/library circle time, etc. might be sufficient. I was also looking at martial arts classes. In my area, they can start half-day classes at public schools at four as well, so that might be an option.
I'll look at care.com. Thanks for the recommendation!
Yes, but the demand here is high and the supply is generally low. Interestingly enough, that doesn't affect the rates so much (although the one I ended up with is very expensive, but it had immediate availability), mostly the waiting lists are just crazy! I will look around obviously, but given my experience finding the one I was at, even if I needed something starting in mid-February, there's a good chance I couldn't find one with room in their 3-year-old, toddler AND infant classes.
Ha! I've thought about this but apparently the school has a history of this and will assess a $3,000 fee for depriving them of a teacher in this way. There was a "nanny clause" in the enrollment agreement. I didn't object because I figure there are plenty of good nannies out there that don't already work for this one school, I can probably find one of them.
That sounds like the way to go, then. Do you think I should wait a little bit to place the ad, since the job wouldn't actually start until Feb 14, or should I post now? Are people looking to make a full-time commitment that far in advance?