In addition to website usage questions, like “How do I reset my password?” or “How do I reactivate my account?” eNannySource regularly receives queries from both parents and nannies about the services we provide and the nanny industry in general.
Here are a few of the most frequently asked questions that we receive, along with the answers to them.
Q. Before we pay to signup, can we see how many families or nannies are listed on your site?
A. Yes! Nonpaying members can log into their account, or create a free one, and conduct a search. We offer a free trial to families who want to be sure there are viable candidates for their position prior to investing in a membership. Nannies are always offered complimentary memberships. While a family is a free trial member, parents can let nannies know of their interest in them by adding nannies to their Top Picks list. Nannies can reciprocate their interest by doing the same.
Q. How can nannies contact families?
A. Nannies can join eNannySource free of charge and reach out to both paying and nonpaying family members to express interest in their family’s profile and/or job opportunity. Nannies can contact paid members directly by using our internal mail system to send an eNanny eMail. Nannies can add free family members to their Top Picks list or send them our “Tell them you want to get in touch” template eMail to alert the family that they are interested in their profile or position. Nonpaying parents who are serious about finding a nanny on the site will then become paying members and contact the nanny directly. For nannies who would like to be able to email and contact both paying and nonpaying family members immediately, they can upgrade to a Gold Nanny Membership.
Q. How can parents contact nannies?
A. While free members have access to the profiles of all nannies in our database, for parents to contact nannies, they must upgrade to a paying membership. Once they are paid members they can use eNanny eMail to contact nannies or they can call or email directly, if the nanny has opted to make her contact information public. The nanny can also provide contact information through our internal email system.
Q. Are your nannies pre-screened?
A. No, our nannies are not pre-screened. Background screenings are typically done by families once they are ready to extend a job offer and they are included as a condition of employment. eNannySource provides our family members with tools to conduct background screenings.
Q. How good are your background checks?
A. The quality of a nanny’s background check will depend on many things. First, background screenings are only as good as the information provided. If a nanny’s name is misspelled or her social security number is entered incorrectly, the results could be incomplete or inaccurate. Second, the more thorough a background screening is, the more information can potentially be gathered. While many parents choose to only conduct a national background check, we strongly encourage all parents to conduct county court record checks. Since databases aren’t updated regularly and not all courts have all of their records online, the parents should request that the court records be checked in all counties a nanny has lived in for at least the past 7 years. While national databases are appropriate to include in a thorough background check and can help parents discover information that needs to be investigated further, county court record checks are more reliable. Parents should be cautioned; however, that even a clean background screening provides no guarantees that an individual has never committed a crime. It simply means that there is no criminal record on file of a crime committed. Background screenings should be one tool in a toolbox of a parent’s screening arsenal that also includes phone and in-person interviews, reference checks, motor vehicle record checks and education verification. The more parents know about a potential nanny, the more educated and informed their hiring decision will be.
Q. How do I become a nanny?
A. Nannies are childcare specialists that are employed by parents to care for their children in the family’s private home. To be a nanny, individuals must have previous childcare experience, a working knowledge of childcare principles and a genuine love of children. Some nannies have educational backgrounds in early childhood education, others are former nurses or psychologists who opted for a new career and still others have attended formal nanny training programs. Many nannies have simply fallen into the field after many years of babysitting or center-based childcare experience. Since there is no license that nannies must obtain prior to securing employment, the qualifications of a nanny may vary by family. At minimum, we believe that a nanny should be 18 years of age, be in good health, have current CPR and first aid certification and have at least 2 years of documented childcare experience.
eNannySource has a dedicated, in-office customer service team available to answer your questions. Please contact us with any questions you have about eNannySource or the nanny industry in general.
