Nanny

The stereotype of a nanny is that she is British, strict with the children, and usually an older woman pushing a baby pram in the park. Actually, there are American nannies who are 18 to 65, and are usually full-time, live-in or out persons whose hours and duties are not limited. They are obtained from a nanny service which, through a screening process, can evaluate how best to find a person suited for a particular family.

An applicant is required to undergo a criminal background investigation; become certified in both child and infant CPR and first aid training; provide a recent photograph; be interviewed personally by the nanny service and provide up-to-date verifiable child care references.

The Nanny Network Inc.,a small independent nanny service in the Baltimore/Washington, D.C. metropolitan area has personal interviews with parents to make available to them the information provided by an applicant in order to facilitate a selection.

Lisa Buchoff, a working mother of two young children in Baltimore County, Md., sought the help of such a service. "I wanted the one-on-one care that only a nanny can provide, and I preferred an older woman with experience, who would give the children nurturing loving care. While the salary of a nanny is high, between $175 and $400 per week, the nanny service fee is comparatively low. Also, a nanny can work from 50 to 60 hours per week which provides flexibility in my work schedule."

She said, "The only disadvantage to a nanny is that as the children get older I will have to enroll them in some part-time day care, in addition to the nanny, so that they will have the experience of a classroom situation; being with other children, which I consider important to their social and educational development."

Natalie Luckart, director of Simply Nannies in Mt. Airy, Md., understands the needs of parents. "The advantage of having a nanny is that the children can stay on a schedule, and they are not exposed to other children's germs as they would be in a day care. There is less interruption in a family's life because a nanny provides household help as well as child care."

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