where can I find a nanny with a degree in early childhood education or development?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:You should be able to find a nanny with a bachelor's in child development or ECE for $15 per hour with basic holiday and vacation pay. A lot of college grads work as nannies for a year or two while they map out future plans (grad school, etc). To get a long term commitment (more than a year or two) you'll probably need to pay a little more, especially if you don't need more than 45 hours a week.

Are you a SAHM? If so, you may want to characterize the job as a tutoring position rather than a childcare position. You want someone who will come in with lesson plans based on developmental targets, not just someone to administer meals and naps. A master's degree student in a child-related field might be ideal, because she won't necessarily need full time hours and will probably cost less than a person with the master's degree in hand. However, she'll presumably be fully engaged in child development theory, and may welcome the opportunity to develop her practical skills through work with your child.

Why do you post on every thread, no matter the details of the job that OP can find someone for $15/hour? That is an average rate for an average job for an average nanny. OP does not have an average job and she is not looking for an average nanny, therefore it is in bad taste to advise her to pay $15/hour. An experienced nanny with a degree, especially if OP wants one with a masters, will cost you more than $15/hour. You're living in as much of a fantasy world as the nutso nannies claiming a job requires $30/hour.

Why do you assume there is only one poster taking this position? I don't post on every thread and when I do post, I invariably see posts from other MBs who have the same sense of hourly rates that I have. What you are seeing is a consensus among parents that you can get a college-educated nanny with solid experience, though probably not more than two years of full time experience, for $15 per hour with basic benefits. We say that because we've recently done it, usually with a handful of similarly-credentialed candidates to spare. I was pleasantly surprised to find that some of these candidates were trained and certified as teachers. I recognize that if these women stay in the nanny field, their rates will likely surpass those of the average nanny in a couple of years. Until then, $15 per hour is a typical starting salary with or without a four year degree.

In this case, OP isn't sure what she needs. Given the description of her child and her concerns, I think she'd be better off with a newish college grad or enrolled master's candidate who has formal training in child development and a desire to apply that training than with an experienced nanny who lacks formal training in differentiated instruction, lesson planning, developmental milestones, and the like. That is why I suggested that she market the position as a tutoring or private teaching job for a child development specialist or specialist-in-training rather than as a nanny job, especially if she is a SAHM or doesn't actually need full time nanny coverage. A lot of very smart, motivated students are willing to work hard for little money in order to gain professional experience. Some may use the work as a basis for internship credit or a class paper. These same candidates may see nanny work as beneath them and are likely to relish the challenge of a child who needs differentiation. OP, if you go this route, just be sure to pay for a few hours per week in addition to the time the person spends with your child, because he or she will need time to research and plan activities.

Clearly, a person with a master's degree and several years of experience in the field would be ideal, but that may be out of the MB's budget and duplicative of what her child is getting through OT and PT. Note that I never said she could hire someone with a master's degree at $15 per hour. Not sure where you read that.