Barbara Kline, the owner of White House Nannies is awful. They don't really care about clients' budgets or needs. The bottom line for her and her business is their placement fee, which for a full-time nanny is around $10,000.
WHN essentially does the same thing as Care.com, but for $10,000.00 more. So, you have to figure out if having WHN vetting a few nannies on your behalf, is really worth that.

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Feels overwhelming to start search on our own. We are looking for a nanny, likely for 55 hours a week, for this fall. We have always done daycare but with our oldest starting school in the fall two separate pickups and drop offs will be tough. So will need someone to care for our almost 2 year old and our Kindergartner before and after school.

Thanks for any advice on starting a search! Also, is an agency significantly more expensive? Do they handle admin issues for you, like help with taxes or any other paperwork?

When I first started searching, I thought the agencies were so expensive. We can afford a nanny but didn't want to have to pay a middle man an exorbitant fee. I found our nanny here on DCUM and we just lucked out. She was legal, fluent in English, could drive, etc... Where are you at? My nanny needs a new job this fall (we are being transferred) and she may be the perfect fit for you! She worked for us for at least 50 hours a week, so I know she can handle the schedule. In fact, she did the exact same thing for us: took care of the youngest while the other two were at school. She did drop-off and pickup each day.

You can contact me with more info at: weloveournanny@gmail.com

Thanks! OP here just checking back this thread. We are in Silver Spring. If she'd be interested in that area I'd love to email you for more info.

Anonymous wrote:Feels overwhelming to start search on our own. We are looking for a nanny, likely for 55 hours a week, for this fall. We have always done daycare but with our oldest starting school in the fall two separate pickups and drop offs will be tough. So will need someone to care for our almost 2 year old and our Kindergartner before and after school.

Thanks for any advice on starting a search! Also, is an agency significantly more expensive? Do they handle admin issues for you, like help with taxes or any other paperwork?

When I first started searching, I thought the agencies were so expensive. We can afford a nanny but didn't want to have to pay a middle man an exorbitant fee. I found our nanny here on DCUM and we just lucked out. She was legal, fluent in English, could drive, etc... Where are you at? My nanny needs a new job this fall (we are being transferred) and she may be the perfect fit for you! She worked for us for at least 50 hours a week, so I know she can handle the schedule. In fact, she did the exact same thing for us: took care of the youngest while the other two were at school. She did drop-off and pickup each day.

You can contact me with more info at: weloveournanny@gmail.com

Agencies usually make you pay a non refundable registration fee of $200-300 to make sure you are serious about working with them. White House's registration fee is $300.

After that they have two main pricing structures.

Either they charge you a flat fee for a placement. I have seen this number range from $1500- $3500 per placement.

Or they charge you a percentage of your chosen candidate's annual salary. I have seen this percentage range anywhere from 10-20%. With this structure they usually have a minimum fee.

Most agencies do you have a guarantee of some sort. I think the most common is 90 days, but have seen anywhere from 30 days to a 1 year guarantee before.


White House Nannies is one of those agencies that has a staggered fee structure. You can choose the level of service you want and pay anywhere from 15-20% of your candidate's annual salary, with a minimum of $2500. Each level comes with an increasing level of guarantee replacement if your nanny doesn't work out ranging from 30 days to 6 months.

Yes, the agencies have guarantees that cover that sort of thing (though they'll find you another candidate, not just refund the monies.)

You need to talk to the agencies. They all have clear (and slightly differing) policies.

You can ask a gazillion questions here and get partial/imperfect answers or you can make a couple of calls and get the complete answers.

What do they do with that 10% if the nanny quits after a month and they don't have a comparable replacement? Refund part of it?

Yes, it's usually a percentage of the first year's salary. There may be other fees (background check, credit refs, etc...) depending on the agency.

A 10 minute conversation w/ a couple of agencies will give you the specific fees, etc...

Anonymous wrote:3-4k or 10% of nanny's salary.

for white house?

3-4k or 10% of nanny's salary.

Only $2,000-?

I have used White House before. I had a good experience, but its very expensive. We found a nanny within a week, and the agency fee was a couple thousand dollars. I think its based on a percentage of their first year's income. They don't help with anything except giving you candidates and talking you through your needs to make sure you find someone who will fit with what you want. After that you are on your own as far as taxes. If the nanny doesn't work out, they give you a credit toward your next one if its less than 6 months or so.

What do agencies charge?

I had the best success with our neighborhood listserv. There will be lots of turnover in nannies at the end of the summer w/ school starting up so you'll be looking at a good time (for employers) and probably wouldn't even need an agency. Have friends post on their neighborhood listservs also. You can get reliable people w/ terrific references that way.

I have, however, used an agency for fill-in care and I know they do permanent placements as well. I highly recommend Stacie Smith with MetroParentRelief if you'd like another agency option.

Good luck!

Which agency depends on where exactly you are located -- some specialize in certain areas, while others more broadly cover the entire metro region.

Feels overwhelming to start search on our own. We are looking for a nanny, likely for 55 hours a week, for this fall. We have always done daycare but with our oldest starting school in the fall two separate pickups and drop offs will be tough. So will need someone to care for our almost 2 year old and our Kindergartner before and after school.

Thanks for any advice on starting a search! Also, is an agency significantly more expensive? Do they handle admin issues for you, like help with taxes or any other paperwork?