One-Stop Nanny Childcare

Q. Describe the most common types of jobs you do for your clients.

A. *Full-Time and Part-Time Nanny Placements
*Emergency Nanny Care
*Short-Term Nanny Care
*Overnight Nanny Care
*Traveling Nanny Care
*Various Petcare Services
*Housekeeping Services
*Personal Assistant services
*Butler Services
*Personal Chef Services (we have great chefs!)

Q. What advice do you have for a customer looking to hire a provider like you?

A. I tell all of our clients to research nanny services and contact (or look up) the International Nanny Association--they are a great resource for families and nannies both. Once you have decided on a service, really make sure the service understands your needs and have asked you enough questions to really understand your needs. The more information you provide, the better you will be able to be served buy the service.

Q. If you were a customer, what do you wish you knew about your trade? Any inside secrets to share?

A. I really feel that household employees are in this world to help their clients' lives be more productive and manageable. It's like a cycle, you have assistance with your children and home needs, and your life is easier, and the client helps the providers' life by providing a great position. People make the world go around, and I truly believe it takes a village.

Q. Why does your work stand out from others who do what you do?

A. Karoline's Nannies has been making nanny and household employee matches for over 7 years. We offer individualized, hands-on family-nanny matching. Karoline has worked with children for over 20 years and has a son of her own. With her expertise in the field of the childcare industry, she truly understands what families are looking for in the reliability and professionalism of the nannies and employees who work for them.

Q. What do you like most about your job?

A. I help ease the stress of busy families and clients of researching to find the perfect match for the household needs. I love being the one people turn to and trust in. I am truly passionate about the household industry and understand the necessity.

Q. What questions do customers most commonly ask you? What's your answer?

A. *What is the screening process of your nannies? All of our nannies go through the following screenings:
-Nationwide Background Check
-CPR/First Aid
-Completed Application
-Interview/Resume Evaluation
-Personality Profile
-Driving Record
-Car Insurance and Driver's License Verifications
-Social Security Verification/Work Verification
-Nannies are Required to Have a Minimum 3 Child-Related and 3 Personal References
-Nannies are Required to Have a Minimum of 3 Years Child-Related Experience
-Nannies Must Be 18 or Older
-Nannies Must Be Non Smokers

*How do you find your nannies and household employees? There is no "one" way we get our providers. Most of our providers come from referrals or have been with us for years. We do a lot of career/job fairs at colleges, publish paid online postings at job search engines and university/colleges in Oregon and Washington, and send emails for notifications on hiring to current nannies and families--which again is geared more towards referrals.

*How much do nannies make? Well, both nannies and other household employees in Oregon and Washington typically make anywhere from $10-$15/hour. This is totally dependent upon how many children they are caring for, how much experience they have, what "other" job duties they have besides childcare, the nannies' (or other household employee's) budgets, and the families' budgets. Basically, we help families map out their needs, budget and reality and make all the variables work to meet every party's need.

*What if my nanny gets sick, do you offer back up care? We do. We have a variety of temporary nanny services. These are all "set" rates vs. negotiated rates--like the permanent service. The nanny pay basically breaks down to about $10-$12/hour, just depending on the actual need and number of children, etc.

*What other services do you provide? We offer long term, short term and emergency nanny care. We also offer petcare, household assistant services, housekeeping services, personal chef services and butler services.

*Can I hire a nanny on a "temporary" basis to try her out before I make a decision to hire her? Absolutely. And we do encourage that as well. And we offer a 10% discount to any family who uses the temp service prior to hiring their nanny on a permanent basis.

*Do I interview these people? Yes. We would send you a synopsis of each candidate match we make. The family would call the nanny to follow up and set up an interview after the synopsis is received.

*Do I need a contract between my nanny and family? yes, we always require that. We actually create the contract for your family and then you and the nanny would adjust any parts you feel need to be adjusted. Then both parties need to sign this agreement. We have drafted our contracts with the assistants from 2 attorneys.

*Do you offer some sort of refund policy? Yes. Karoline's Nannies provides a 30 Day Replacement/Refund to any long-term placements that do not work out for some reason. This means, within the 30 days, if the family decides the match they have chosen is not working out, we will work on finding a replacement. If this is not successful for some reason, we will provide a prorated refund on the one-time placement fee we charge for permanent placement services. Because we charge a one-time placement fee, even if the nanny does not work out later on (passed the 30 days), the family is able to hire new providers free of being charged another placement fee--so really, its a win-win situation.

Q. Do you have a favorite story from your work?

A. I have a lot of families who have adopted foster children, and I just think that is so admorable. I love helping these folks who and feel they are so grateful for our services.

Q. What do you wish customers knew about you or your profession?

A. Karoline's Nannies provides a valuable service. We take the leg work out of the hassle of finding good home professionals. It is truly a busy industry and with the many options out there, it can become overwhelming. People have learned to put their trust in others, and for good cause.

Q. How did you decide to get in your line of work?

A. I was a former nanny myself while in my undergrad years. I loved it! I was also a previous lifeguard, tutor, camp counselor and received my Master's in Early Childhood Education and taught first and second grade. I am now a mom and truly value and understand the necessity of good childcare and great help!

Q. What are the latest developments in your field? Are there any exciting things coming in the next few years or decade that will change your line of business?

A. When thinking of childcare options, you may have heard the terms "Nanny and Babysitter" thrown around quite frequently. Many people have the same question--what's the difference? Well, there is a wealth of a difference. Read on to see what the key factors in determining a decision one may make when thinking to hire a babysitter over a nanny.

According to the US Census, there are currently 310, 567, 434 people in the United States. Within this population, there area currently 139, 391 working families according to the Bureau of Labor, and with 1.89 kids per household under the age of 18, there are many busy families in need of some sort of childcare.

With the outstanding number of individuals and families with children, it is only reasonable to think that many of them are in search of some type of childcare. According to the Bureau of Labor Statistics, there were 859, 200 child daycare services wage and salary jobs in 2008; 428, 500 of those were self-employed or unpaid in 2008.

The need for both families receiving childcare and childcare providers desiring to work in this field, still prevails.

So, when deciding the right choice for family childcare, thinking of hiring a nanny or babysitter may be a hot topic for many. Here are some points to consider:

Hiring a Nanny-Families who decide to choose this route are...
*Families who are looking for stability and long-term care for their children
*Families who are looking for a more experienced provider
*Families who have specific and direct childcare needs they want to have the provider accomplish
*Families who desire to have someone come to their private home
*Families who do not wish to regularly have the need for back-up care due to having a sick child have to stay home
*Families who have a higher budget and may afford a more premier type of childcare option
*Families who need daytime care, in which many times babysitters cannot provide those hours due to school schedule conflicts
*Families who desire their children to get specialized one-on-one attention
*Families who may want more duties performed around the home than just childcare responsibilities-such as cleaning and household assistant roles.
*Families who are looking for a mature option for either the short-term or long-term spectrum, as nannies are typically 18 years of age or older, with the average age of 36.

Hiring a Babysitter-Families who decide to choose this route are...
*Families who have a stricter budget to pay for childcare
*Families who may be in need of more shorter term care (i.e. date nights, or run errands for a few hours, etc.)
*Families who only need minimal care and work performed around the home
*Families who may have babysitters in their neighborhoods who they can call in a pinch
*Families who want someone there to play with the children while they get work done around the home
*Families who do not mind hiring someone under the age of 18 to care for their children
*Families who do not need extra work performed around the home, such as cleaning, cooking, household maintenance, etc.
*Families who do not have the direct need and goal to receive the desired outcome of education and further rounded development for their children, as babysitters are often playmates vs. proactive by nature
*Families who are open to teaching and training babysitters
*Families who have the communication skills to be clear and precise with their babysitter and the family's needs and desires while the family is away

Every family has their own, personal reason for the decision they choose in the childcare industry, but remember, research is key before an important decision is made. There are many nanny industry organizations out there geared towards the guidance and education of in-need families. Some of these organizations include the International Nanny Association and the National Association for Nanny Care, both in which families can ask questions, research the latest industry news, credential information, screening processes and more.

"There are so many options out there for families these days, and I am so glad to be a part of the relief efforts in helping individuals remedy their search and decision process. Hiring an agency truly becomes a logical option for many-taking the burden off the stress of the hunt, the effort and time it takes to find that special caregiver," states Karoline Stanton, Owner, Karoline's Nannies.

Q. If you have a complicated pricing system for your service, please give all the details here.

A. FOR LONG-TERM NANNY CARE:
*$60 Non Refundable Administrative Fee (which is deducted from your one-time placement fee)
*40 Hours/week or More Full-Time Nanny Placement: $1500.00
*25-39 Hours/week Nanny Placement: $1000.00
*24 Hours/Week or Less: $800.00
**A 10% Discount will be given to the above One-Time Placement Fee if you use "any" of our temporary nanny services prior to hiring a long-term nanny

FOR TEMPORARY NANNY SERVICES
Nanny Pay for the Hourly Service
*$9.00/Hour for 1-3 Kids, $0.50 extra per hour per child for 4 or more kids
*10-15% minimum tip
*4 Hour Minimum per day
Agency Fee
*$2.00/hour

**We also offer overnight, emergency, weekly, travel and other nanny care; as well as other household services. Inquire within.

Q. If you were advising someone who wanted to get into your profession, what would you suggest?

A. You should do your research before hand and really be passionate about the industry you work in.