Parents often have many questions when it comes to hiring nanny care. How does the employment process work? What responsibilities do we have as employers? How can we ensure our chosen nanny is trained in safety?
These are just some of the common concerns we hear from parents at our experienced nanny care agency.
Nanny Care Safety: What are Agency benefits?
Choosing to source childcare through a nanny care agency is an excellent way to alleviate any worries and take the technicalities out of your hands. Most importantly, a nanny care agency can provide the crucial reassurance that your children will be safe, secure, healthy, and happy in their new childcare arrangement.
Olivers Nanny Care Offers Enhanced Nanny Care Safety and Security in 3 Vital Ways
- Our nannies are fully vetted.
Every family places their child’s safety and security at the top of their list when hiring a nanny. If you’re doing it on your own, though, gathering all the necessary information for thorough background checks can be challenging. Nanny care agencies simplify this process by handling everything for you. They conduct criminal background checks, reference checks, drug screenings, personality assessments, and driving record checks, ensuring you have all the essential information.1
At Oliver’s Nannies of Westchester, for example, each of our nannies must undergo thorough background and reference checks, followed by a multi-step interview process to determine their suitability for the job. They must also pass a physical and be able to provide an up-to-date vaccination record. This process provides great peace of mind to parents that their children are in the safest possible hands from the get-go.
- Our nannies receive detailed, secure care plans and ongoing nanny training.
A nanny care agency can assist you in creating a thorough care plan for your child or children. This plan should provide clear guidelines on important aspects such as sleep safety in your home, handling medical conditions, managing medications and allergies, and specifying permitted visitors. With a comprehensive care plan in place, your nanny will be well-equipped to offer the safe and secure care your child deserves.
Nanny care agencies also typically require their nannies to complete regular training. This can offer families peace of mind that their nanny is up to date on all the latest in childcare, health, and safety. For example, nannies should receive regular training in areas like first aid and CPR, plus car seat, playground, and sleep safety.
- Providing employment, insurance, payroll, and tax support.
Just like any other kind of worker, nannies in the USA have several employment rights.2
For example:
- Nannies must be accurately paid for all hours worked, and receive correctly calculated overtime pay where required.
- The employer must make the correct tax deductions from the nanny’s paycheck (e.g., social security and Medicare, income tax).
- Workers’ Compensation means an employer is legally responsible for paying any medical bills and lost wages incurred due to a work-related injury.
If you directly hire a nanny, you’ll be responsible for making sure they are properly compensated and protected at work. You’ll also be liable for costs if things go wrong. Not only will getting the right provisions in place for this take more time, but it will also mean more expense. For example, household employers in New York are required to have a Workers’ Compensation insurance policy,3 which varies in cost.4
Our nanny care agency hires our nannies directly, removing the need for parents to navigate the complexities of being an employer. For instance, our agency handles the employment and insurance of all our nannies, lifting this burden off parents’ shoulders. Even though some other agencies might not directly employ their nannies, they are still knowledgeable in areas such as employment law, payroll, and necessary insurances, and can provide parents with strong support and guidance.
Why Choose Oliver’s Nannies of Westchester for Nanny Care Safety?
Oliver’s Nannies is an experienced nanny care agency serving families in the Westchester area. All our nannies are fully employed, managed, and insured by us, and undergo both rigorous background checks and regular training updates. This offers families all-important peace of mind that their child is safe and secure in the care of an experienced local childcare expert.
Contact our team today to find out how we can offer the nanny care safety and support your family deserves.
Sources
- https://allaboutnanniesaz.com/2020/10/01/how-to-show-appreciation-for-your-nanny-copy/
- https://nanny.org/support/employment-rights-of-nannies/
- https://www.care.com/hp/new-york-nanny-taxes/
- https://www.wcb.ny.gov/content/main/coverage-requirements-db/household-employers.jsp