I think my well-paid nanny may be illiterate

[Anonymous]

OP, a wonderful nanny just finished working with my second little guy and is available now if you decide you need to find a new person. Send me an email at wesilverthree @ gmail.com

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You're a new mom, so just wanted to acknowledge how nerve-wracking it is to leave your baby with someone else. It really is hard. It will get easier. Good luck.

[Anonymous]

Can you ask the previous family outright if they know if she is indeed illiterate?

I hate to say this, but as a parent, I wouldn't want my child in the care of someone who couldn't read basic English. And the fact that she is not telling you that she cannot read English is an act of dishonestly. Not exactly a lie per say, but one by omission.

I wouldn't hire her.

Just me. My child's safety and welfare would be of the utmost importance.

[Anonymous]

I would not hire her.

Even being able to read a child's book wouldn't assure me she had the literacy needed to keep a child safe.

[Anonymous]

"I talked to her and she is literate, just intimidated by official paperwork and forms as she didn't have any formal education until she moved here. I talked to her about continuing education and helping her with her reading and writing skills. I'm having such a hard time as she is such a kind and hard working person but I'm not sure if she is the right fit for our dear child. "

You need her to demonstrate that for you. Ask her to come today and read to your child. Offer to pay for the hour. Tell her you are sorry but you really need to make sure about this if it's so critical to you.

We hired a nanny similarly thinking that anyone that spoke English as fluently as she did must of course be literate. Over the course of the first few years, it became pretty clear that she cannot read (although she has not admitted this.) We have worked around it but if we did not know this, it could create dangerous situations for medication. Our kids have been healthy enough to just have occassional antibiotics so it is not hard to verbally explain "1 Tablespoon of "x" at noon". But if your child had mroe serious medical issues it would be impossible to work through i think.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"I talked to her and she is literate, just intimidated by official paperwork and forms as she didn't have any formal education until she moved here. I talked to her about continuing education and helping her with her reading and writing skills. I'm having such a hard time as she is such a kind and hard working person but I'm not sure if she is the right fit for our dear child. "

You need her to demonstrate that for you. Ask her to come today and read to your child. Offer to pay for the hour. Tell her you are sorry but you really need to make sure about this if it's so critical to you.

We hired a nanny similarly thinking that anyone that spoke English as fluently as she did must of course be literate. Over the course of the first few years, it became pretty clear that she cannot read (although she has not admitted this.) We have worked around it but if we did not know this, it could create dangerous situations for medication. Our kids have been healthy enough to just have occassional antibiotics so it is not hard to verbally explain "1 Tablespoon of "x" at noon". But if your child had mroe serious medical issues it would be impossible to work through i think.

I would do this for any nanny. I wouldn't trust most nannies, let alone anyone on this board to be smart enough to read the bottle before giving medicine. I always spell every little step out for our nanny, sometimes I feel like I am being condescending but I just can't risk it.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:"I talked to her and she is literate, just intimidated by official paperwork and forms as she didn't have any formal education until she moved here. I talked to her about continuing education and helping her with her reading and writing skills. I'm having such a hard time as she is such a kind and hard working person but I'm not sure if she is the right fit for our dear child. "

You need her to demonstrate that for you. Ask her to come today and read to your child. Offer to pay for the hour. Tell her you are sorry but you really need to make sure about this if it's so critical to you.

We hired a nanny similarly thinking that anyone that spoke English as fluently as she did must of course be literate. Over the course of the first few years, it became pretty clear that she cannot read (although she has not admitted this.) We have worked around it but if we did not know this, it could create dangerous situations for medication. Our kids have been healthy enough to just have occassional antibiotics so it is not hard to verbally explain "1 Tablespoon of "x" at noon". But if your child had mroe serious medical issues it would be impossible to work through i think.

What if your child accidentally comes into contact with a toxic substance and the nanny must call Poison Control? Are they going to be able to read the labels and follow directions over the phone?

[Anonymous]

Our nanny starts on Monday. There have been several communication issues that have me guessing if she may not be able to read and write. Our nanny speaks English fluently and is a US citizen. English is her second language, but she has lived in the US for 20 plus years. When we were negotiating her contract, she glossed through the contract and wanted to sign it without reading it or asking any questions. My husband and I wanted to make sure she was okay with everything and she was very upset as she misunderstood that we were guaranteeing her a weekly salary of at least $1K after taxes. This doesn't include overtime. We also offer three weeks paid leave of her choice, sick days/personal days, a Metro card for use for the metro and bus and bonuses for the holidays. We will also periodically increase her pay based on performance. She returned her tax and background check documents completely blank. We asked her to complete them and that we could not fill them out for her but would be happy to help with any questions she had as my husband is a tax lawyer and CPA. She said that her past employers completed them for her, which my husband said was illegal and unethical.

She's either illiterate and/or manipulative. She is not worth 1K. You made a mistake, move on and hire better the next time.

[Anonymous]

OP, since her previous family was so involved in the hiring, why don't you email or call them and ask point-blank about nanny's literacy skills? Surely they had a chance to observe her reading or writing.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:"I talked to her and she is literate, just intimidated by official paperwork and forms as she didn't have any formal education until she moved here. I talked to her about continuing education and helping her with her reading and writing skills. I'm having such a hard time as she is such a kind and hard working person but I'm not sure if she is the right fit for our dear child. "

You need her to demonstrate that for you. Ask her to come today and read to your child. Offer to pay for the hour. Tell her you are sorry but you really need to make sure about this if it's so critical to you.

We hired a nanny similarly thinking that anyone that spoke English as fluently as she did must of course be literate. Over the course of the first few years, it became pretty clear that she cannot read (although she has not admitted this.) We have worked around it but if we did not know this, it could create dangerous situations for medication. Our kids have been healthy enough to just have occassional antibiotics so it is not hard to verbally explain "1 Tablespoon of "x" at noon". But if your child had mroe serious medical issues it would be impossible to work through i think.

I would do this for any nanny. I wouldn't trust most nannies, let alone anyone on this board to be smart enough to read the bottle before giving medicine. I always spell every little step out for our nanny, sometimes I feel like I am being condescending but I just can't risk it.

10:33, I am so sorry that your previous experiences with nannies have made you so bitter and unwilling to trust. Have you considered attempting to deal with your issues through therapy? Of course, I am sure your nannies in the past have been well educated and highly experienced women with great references, and that you paid them legal appropriate livable wages along with terrific benefits. Such a shame they were all lazy and incapable!

I do want to offer a gentle suggestion. If all your nannies have been so bad, you might wish to reflect on what the common denominator was. Oh heck, I'll help you. You are the common denominator, which logically means YOU are the problem.

Therapy. It might help.

[Anonymous]

OP, your salary is extremely generous given the nanny's educational background. As a nanny, I make half of what you're offering and I have a degree in child development. I will come work for you!

In all seriousness though, if education is so important to you and you don't feel this nanny will be able to provide what you want/need for your child, you shouldn't hire her. What if you need your nanny to take your child to the doctor and she is unable to fill out the forms.