Start Date: Enrolling Now
Time: 10 to 60 hours
Cost: $350 to $1,600
Start in 45 minutes
Compare the 6 nanny certification programs
Not sure where to start? Here's the simplified version. Want to see all options:
| Level | Total hours | New student bundled, includes all levels below | Returning student buying one level at a time | Who it's for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Basic | 10 | $350 | — | Sitters and new nannies |
| Intermediate | 20 | $700 | $350 | Birth through the elementary years |
| Advanced | 30 | $1,000 | $350 | Homework, self-regulation, enrichment |
| Specialist | 40 | $1,300 | $350 | Special needs, special diets, household management |
| Professional | 50 | $1,600 | $350 | Career nannies. Earns 7 certifications including NCFE CACHE Level 4 |
Levels must be completed in order. Once you've taken a course, you don't need to repeat it as you progress to higher level programs. Adding one level at a time lets you spread payments across 10 hours at a time, which totals $1,750 for all five. By comparison, enrolling in the full 50 hours at once is $1,600.
 | Want our program and course catalog? All six certification programs, every course, tuition, and what each certification covers. We'll email it to you. |
Program details
Basic Nanny, 10 hours, $350
For the 1st level, graduates learn positive discipline techniques from a child psychologist and get safety tips including active shooter response tactics from experts. Sitters and nannies also gain legal insights from a child care lawyer to confidently supervise and manage children.
Intermediate Nanny, 20 hours, $700
This 2nd level includes Basic plus specialized training by age, covering infant care, toddlers, preschool and elementary school-aged children. Ideal for nannies caring for children from birth through elementary years.
Advanced Nanny, 30 hours, $1,000
This 3rd level includes Basic and Intermediate. Graduates learn how to help children with their homework and support them as they develop self-regulation skills. Nannies also learn to create positive learning environments with music, art, and exercise.
Specialist Nanny, 40 hours, $1,300
The 4th level includes Basic, Intermediate, and Advanced. Graduates gain insight into special needs child care, children with medical needs and special diets. The program also builds the leadership skills needed to work as a Family Assistant or Household Manager.
Professional Nanny, 50 hours, $1,600
This 5th level includes Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, and Specialist, so graduates earn 7 certifications in total, including the Newborn and Infant Care certification and the NCFE CACHE Level 4. Graduates are actively recruited by nanny agencies as they meet the job requirements and have the specialized training high net worth families want.
Newborn and Infant, 20 hours, $700
The Newborn and Infant Care certification is a stand-alone certification with no prerequisites. Its 20 hours come from within the Basic to Professional curriculum, so they count if you continue. Newborn care specialists and night nannies primarily work during the child’s first 18.
International certification and NCFE CACHE Level 4
The International Nanny certification is for those who plan to work outside the United States, or with families who move internationally, or with agencies placing nannies abroad. The Professional program earns seven certifications including Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Specialist and Professional Nanny plus the Newborn and Infant Care and the NCFE CACHE US Nanny Institute Level 4 credential.
NCFE CACHE is the Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education. In addition, it has set qualification standards for more than 70 years and works with over 1,000 delivery partners in the UK and internationally. Its qualifications are recognized by employers, educational institutions and regulatory bodies in the United Kingdom. The Professional program is a Customised Level 4 Qualification. It is an unregulated qualification and is not a nationally recognized qualification. You can verify the Nanny Institute’s accreditation on the NCFE CACHE website.
Our faculty elevate your career
We invested in the right people to build and teach our curriculum so you learn from pediatricians, early childhood educators and child psychologists, many of whom were former nannies.
The Nanny Institute has 30+ faculty members who are experts as all our faculty have advanced degrees, at least 5 years of experience and a passion for child care.
How do I get certified?
1. Sign Up For A Program
Choose from one of our learning programs that will meet your needs.
2. Attend The Online Courses
Our online courses are taught by industry experts.
3. Earn A Certification
At the end of the program, you will take a multiple choice exam that will test your knowledge.
What happens after I enroll?
1. Pay online and check your email. You’ll receive an email immediately with a link to log into your private, secure student account. If it isn’t in your inbox within a few minutes, check your spam or junk folder.
2. Complete your enrollment agreement. Download it, fill it out, sign it and upload it to your student account.
3. Upload your identification. A government-issued photo ID from any recognized country.
4. Start within 45 minutes. Once your paperwork and identity are confirmed, your classes load into your student account and you can begin.
Returning students adding a level: administrators must confirm your prerequisites before releasing the new classes so allow a little longer. You’ll be notified when your program is ready.
Additional industry credentials
The Nanny Institute’s specialized curriculum provides a comprehensive approach to child care and child development. All of the Nanny Institute child care programs are approved by the US Nanny Association.
Nanny Institute training is accepted for the Certified Nanny and Childcare Provider (NCP), Certified Newborn and Infant Care Professional (NICP), and Certified Professional Nanny and Childcare Provider (PNCP) credentials offered by the US Nanny Association.
Frequently asked questions
Which program should I start with?
Do you work specifically with newborns and infants? Start with Newborn and Infant, 20 hours, $700. No prerequisites, so you can take it first. Night nannies and newborn care specialists start here.
Everyone else starts with Basic, 10 hours, $350. The five levels build in order: Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Specialist, Professional. Stop at any level or continue when you are ready.
Already know you want the full credential? The complete 50-hour Professional program is $1,600 as a bundle and earns 7 certifications, including Professional Nanny, Newborn and Infant Care and NCFE CACHE Level 4. Taking it level by level costs more, because each level is enrolled and processed separately.
Already completed Newborn? Your 20 hours count toward the ladder. $900 completes the remaining 30 hours to Professional.
Do I have to take the programs in order?
Yes, for the ladder. Basic, then Intermediate, Advanced, Specialist and Professional. Newborn and Infant is the exception and has no prerequisites.
I have ten years of experience. Can I skip ahead?
No. The programs are designed and approved as one curriculum, and every course including Basic covers fundamentals alongside advanced material. Administrators confirm prerequisite levels before releasing classes.
Should I take Newborn or take the nanny career ladder?
They serve different careers. Newborn and Infant trains newborn care specialists and night nannies working with the first 18 months. The Basic to Professional ladder trains nannies working with children from birth through the elementary years. Newborn’s 20 hours are drawn from within the ladder, so if you take Newborn first, those hours count and $900 completes the remaining 30 to Professional.
If you enroll in the full Professional program instead, you earn the Newborn and Infant Care certification as part of it.
What is the difference between the bundle and paying level by level?
The content and certifications are identical. The bundle is $1,600 and paying level by level costs more, because each level is enrolled and processed separately. Paying over time lets you spread the cost across 10 hours at a time.
How long does it take?
You have 3 months from enrollment. A 20-hour program works out at roughly 2 hours a week. The Admissions Office grants a single six-week extension for documented hardship.
How soon can I start?
Classes unlock within 45 minutes of signing the enrollment agreement and confirming your ID.
Who teaches the courses?
30+ college faculty, all with advanced degrees and at least five years of experience: pediatricians, registered nurses, child psychologists and early childhood educators. The Nanny Institute does not hire generalist nannies as faculty.
Is the Nanny Institute accredited?
Yes. The Nanny Institute is internationally accredited by NCFE CACHE, the Council for Awards in Care, Health and Education. The Professional program is benchmarked at NCFE CACHE Level 4. Programs also meet the National Standards published by the US Nanny Association.
Can I try a class before enrolling?
Yes. The work agreements seminar on our nanny contracts page is a full class from the curriculum, free to watch, no sign-up. It shows the format every course uses: a faculty-taught video with a downloadable study guide you keep as your textbook.
Do I need experience or a diploma to enroll?
No experience is required. You must be 16 or older and upload a government-issued photo ID from any recognized country. A high school diploma is required for the US Nanny Association credentials, not for Institute training.
Can I enroll from outside the United States?
Yes, you can enroll online and complete the program from any location in the world. You do not need to be a United States citizen but you must upload a copy of a government-issued identification from any recognized country to verify your identity.
Will I need to buy textbooks?
No. Every course includes a downloadable study guide that serves as your textbook and is included in the tuition.
Meet our faculty
I’m especially excited to join the nanny community as I’m expecting my first child and will likely be seeking the assistance of a qualified nanny soon. Like most families, it’s very important to me to provide quality care for my child when I go back to work.
Testimonials
“You can’t grow unless you are learning. We should always be looking to increase our skills. We owe it to ourselves and to our families. We need to grow personally and professionally. It makes our lives so much better!”
“These classes are so worth it. I didn’t realize how much has changed in parenting and childcare. I learned so much and used it at work the next day.”
“I love teaching children about music and jumped at the chance to share my best tips and songs in a music course. Music is fun and nannies have an opportunity to delight and educate the children in their care.”