Moms, You Deserve a Break! Find a Safe Sitter or Nanny When You Use NannyPro.com - Site Review and Membership Giveaway
I think that one of the toughest parts about motherhood is leaving your baby with another person - especially if that person is outside of the family or your immediate circle of friends. Either way its tough, but what makes it so much harder is that whole not knowing factor. Not knowing if the caregiver you choose will be able to understand the needs of your child like you do. Not knowing if they will treat that child as their own. Not knowing how they would handle a crisis if one should come up. There are so many unknowns and its that which frightens us the most as parents when we leave our precious little ones in the hands of someone new.
I am lucky enough to be able to stay at home with my children. Well, maybe lucky isn't the word - because if truth be told there are some days I would give anything to be in the workforce again. The moment always passes and I quickly come to my senses and realize that I may not have the easiest job on earth but it is definitely the most rewarding. It's true, I actually want to be there when my kids get on and off the bus, I want to be the one that they come running to when they are upset, I want to be the one they call in the bathroom to wipe their butts... well, maybe not that last one!
Some mothers don't get the luxury of staying home and when that happens they could be in a bind to find the right sitter or nanny to take their place. Finding the right person for this very important job is never easy. Believe me, I know. Four years ago we moved 80 miles away from our friends and family because my husband had to transfer to a different location. Suddenly I found myself all alone with two small children, with no one to call to come over and help me with the kids while he worked his 80+ hours per week. Then on top of that we could never find a sitter for us to go out on a date night either. We would have to plead with our parents to come over and stay the night so that we could go out. We hated begging for the help so we just stopped. Date nights were a thing of the past for quite some time. Then to make matters more challenging we had another child, so two became three. One of those three being an infant. I had no idea how to begin to even find someone to watch my three small children.
If only NannyPro.com existed four years ago! NannyPro.com is a service designed to match parents with best qualified nannies and sitters. NannyPro.com personally reviews every single nanny and sitter that joins their site. They offer their customers a Best In Class Background Check service, so that parent's are able to rely on quality reports for potential hires. NannyPro.com offers their clients extremely valuable resources which enables families to learn how to find the right nanny or sitter, one of them being the Complete NannyPro Hiring Guide. This guide was written by the founder of NannyPro.com, Carolin Soldo, who created this guide to make the hiring process as easy for parents as possible.
Interview With Carolin Soldo, Founder of NannyPro.com
In order to get a better understanding about NannyPro.com and why it was created I asked the founder, Carolin Soldo, a few important questions about NannyPro.com and what makes it the premier matchmaker for parents and caregivers.
Why did you decide to create NannyPro.com?
· When my son Antony was 3 months old, my husband and I were faced with the challenge of finding a trustworthy, responsible, and loving nanny when I went back to work after maternity leave. Fortunately, we were lucky to find the perfect nanny, but the process wasn't easy. We placed an ad in the paper and asked around in our local community. We didn’t know anything about background checks and how to properly screen a nanny. In the process, we conducted a lot of research on proper screening and hiring practices. This experience has prompted us to found NannyPro.com. Nannypro.com is the premier online nanny agency and we have put a great amount of effort into making the site as easy, safe, and secure as possible for parents to use.
What sets NannyPro.com apart from all of the other nanny and sitter sites that are available online?
· Great question. When I hired my nanny, safety was my greatest concern. What I wanted was a safe and loving person to watch over my son while I was at work. When NannyPro.com was founded, safety was again my greatest concern. i. To keep users’ contact information confidential, we have an internal communication system. Each user has their own inbox and the ability to send other users messages without every giving out personal email addresses. ii. Our team personally reviews all nanny and sitter profiles before posting them to the website. iii. We offer best in class background checks conducted by a leader in the industry including a basic and advanced background check as well as Education and Employment Verification Services. iv. In addition to screening a nanny’s criminal background, we test their childcare skills and knowledge with the International Nanny Association (INA) Basic Nanny Skills Exam. v. We provide all of our members with the Complete NannyPro Hiring Guide including interview questions and a reference check form as well as a sample work agreement. This document provides a step by step guide to safely hiring a caregiver.
I noticed that 2 months ago there were only 2 sitters near me and the closest one was 20 miles away. Today there are several within 3-5 miles from me. That is some serious growth! On average, how many nannies and sitters are added to the site every month?
· The site is growing rapidly. The number of nanny and sitter applicants is growing every month. There are thousands of highly qualified individuals seeking nanny and babysitter positions nationwide and in Canada. On average, there are 7,000+ nannies and babysitters joining NannyPro.com every month and the number is climbing rapidly. NannyPro.com makes it easy for nannies and sitters to create a profile, take the INA Nanny Basic Skills Exam, and even run background checks on themselves. And the best part is, the service is free for nannies and sitters!
What is the INA and how important is it? What does it say about the nannies and sitters that are INA certified?
· The International Nanny Association is the authority on in-home childcare. Their mission is to serve as the umbrella association for the in-home child care industry by providing information, education and guidance to the public and to industry professionals. The INA Nanny Basic Skills Exam was authored by seasoned INA Nanny members and allows a parent to asses a nanny’s or sitter’s childcare skills. In addition to checking a caregiver’s criminal background with a background check, parents must be confident in the caregiver’s childcare skills and knowledge. The INA Nanny Basic Skills Exam allows parents to test a caregiver’s childcare skills including health, safety, nutrition, professionalism, and child development. Each new nanny and sitter is asked to take the exam upon joining the NannyPro.com community. When a caregiver passes the exam, the INA icon is displayed on their profile. When a caregiver passes the exam, parents can have peace of mind that the candidate has the skills and know-how to provide high quality care.
What would be your best piece of advice for parents that are looking to hire a nanny or a sitter?
· I always advice parents to make sure they conduct proper caregiver screening and take their time in the hiring process. Some families find the ideal caregiver in just a few days, but it can take several weeks to find the right person. As part of the hiring process, families should conduct interviews, run a background check and don’t forget to check references. Our NannyPro Advanced Background Check is the most comprehensive method for conducting a criminal background check with real time information. I also like to advise parents to conduct a “working interview” before hiring a nanny or sitter. A “working interview” simply means that your candidate spends between 5 and 8 hours on the job while you’re there to observe and answer any questions your candidate might have. It gives you the opportunity to see the interaction between your candidate and your child(ren) first hand. At the same time, your nanny or sitter candidate will feel at ease having you there in case any questions come up. You can show your caregiver how you like things to get done, locate important items in the house, and allow your child(ren) to get to know the new caregiver better. The greatest advantage of the working interview is that it will make you, your new nanny or sitter, as well as your child(ren) feel more at ease on the nanny’s or sitter’s real first day on the job.
Buy It!
NannyPro.com offers three different levels of memberships. Initially, you can post a job for free and see how many responses that you receive.
From there the memberships are available at one, two and four month levels. Starting in price at $35 for one month, $50 for two months or $60 for four months. Each membership includes:
- Unlimited job postings
- Full resume access
- Access to all NannyPro hiring tools and resources
- Review free background checks on file
- Run four types of background checks
Win It!
NannyPro.com is offering one lucky Pretty Pink Momma reader a four month membership valued at $60!
How to Enter: Visit NannyPro.com and comment back on this post telling me something that you learned about the nanny/sitter hiring process. Open to US and Canadian residents only.
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