Specialist Child Care

Class List and Information

Enroll Now to Elevate your Nanny Career

Start Date: Enrolling Now

Program Hours: 40

Program Cost: $1,630

Includes 10 Hours of Basic Child Care, 10 Hours of Intermediate Child Care & 10 Hours of Advanced Child Care

Specialist Child Care Training & Certification

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The Specialist Child Care Certification program broadens your Nanny career. Specialist Child Care graduates gain insights into special needs child care, children with medical needs and special diets, and expands leadership skills needed to be a Family Assistant or Household Manager.

Focused on expanded responsibilities including schedule management and overnights, the Specialized Child Care program is 40 hours of child care classes. The 40 hours include 10 hours of Specialist classes, 10 hours of Advanced classes, 10 hours of Intermediate classes and 10 hours of Basic classes.

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Who Should Enroll?

The Specialist Child Care program is designed for nannies seeking full-time positions with additional responsibilities including family assistance and household management.

What Topics are Covered?

  • Baby sign language
  • Teaching social skills
  • Childhood obesity
  • Children at risk
  • Lesson planning
  • Special diets
  • Special education
  • Diversity & inclusion
  • Developmental milestones
  • Household management

Review the full course list

Who are the Instructors?

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. 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.

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Tuition Payment & Payment Plan Options

Do you need a payment plan? We offer a payment plan that allows you to purchase each program individually. This gives you the flexibility to take classes when it fits your budget. To enroll in the payment plan, select the Basic program and pay the tuition and fees. When you are ready, you can come back to the payment plan page and enroll in the Intermediate program. You must complete Basic, then Intermediate, then Advanced and Specialist before enrolling in the Professional program.

New Students – Enroll Here

We have many programs that will align with your career goals. Please see our program overview page to see the different options available.

What is the Class Structure?

Each class is an on-demand video by our faculty and every class has a study guide that you download. You complete the study guide as you watch the course. After each course, there is a short quiz to test your understanding of the course material. The study guide and quiz prepare you for the multiple choice exam at the end of the program. The assignments and proficiency requirements (quizzes & exams) in addition to a comprehensive curriculum and college faculty are the foundation for the Nanny Institute to issue Certifications, not certificates of attendance.

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How Do I Get Certified?

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1. Sign Up For A Program

Choose from one of our learning programs that will meet your needs.

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2. Attend The Online Courses

Our online courses are taught by industry experts.

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3. Earn A Certification

At the end of the program, you will take a multiple choice exam that will test your knowledge.

What Courses are in the Specialist Child Care Certification?

CC 401: Lesson Planning

This course teaches how to use lesson plans, components of an effective lesson plan and provides example weekly plans for ages 3-10 with tools to clearly define learning outcomes.

CC 402: Children at Risk

This course examines the factors that create or increase risk to children. The course reviews cause of risk, including strain theory, and provides practical ways to support children at risk.

CC 403 Special Education

Special education skills are needed to care for children with special needs or those with disabilities. This course introduces childcare providers to different types of special needs, tools that can be used with children, and how to be an advocate for young children with special needs and their families.

CC 404: Baby Sign Language

Most babies can sign before they speak so parents are using baby sign language to boost communication. This course teaches why and how to use baby sign language, when to teach signs to babies and teaches you the most common baby signs.

CC 405: Multiples and Siblings

This course is designed to help you better understand the multiple birth dynamics, what may be expected of you and how you can better manage the unique challenges of caring for multiples and supporting siblings.

CC 406: Supporting eLearning

Children face different challenges when learning from home as part of a home schooling program or a public or private school curriculum being implemented at home. This course shares how to best support the teacher and help the child stay focused and progressing forward in their academic development.

CC 407: Developmental Milestones

After 20 years, the CDC updated the child developmental milestones. This course shares why the milestones are important, what the milestones are for each age group and how to identify the milestones. The course also provides recommendations to assist in healthy child development.

GE 401: Teaching Social Skills

This course provides tools to teach children how to listen attentively, apologize, accept ‘no’ as an answer, disagree appropriately and greet others. Etiquette and manners are taught so children understand personal space, table manners, phone etiquette, and internet safety.

GE 404: Diversity and Inclusion

This course defines culture and discusses culture relativism and culture appropriation as well as provides practical ways to teach children about diversity and inclusion.

HS 401: Child Obesity and Diabetes

This course discusses the impact a diet has on overall health, reviews weight management and height norms for children, teaches how to read labels and make healthy dietary choices, and explains diabetes management.

HS 402: Special Diets

This course discusses when a special diet is needed for behavioral, medical or cultural reasons and teaches common types of diets including elimination, gluten-free, ketogenic, FODMAPs, paleo and others.

GE 402: Household Management (Optional)

Childcare positions may add household management responsibilities including schedule management, food preparation, cleaning, and pet care. This course defines household management and family assistant responsibilities, provides examples of weekly meal and activities schedules, and reviews the basic skills of cleaning, doing laundry, and sewing.

GE 403: Caring for Pets (Optional)

Most families have a pet so this course teaches how to meet a new dog, how to identify medical emergencies in a dog or cat and reviews daily care for dogs and cats.

All Nanny and Sitter Courses are Taught by Child Care and Academic Experts
Meet Our Amazing Faculty

Staying healthy is important as we all manage busy schedules. I remind myself of this everyday as I balance helping others and being a great mom to my young daughter, who I’m raising with my husband.
Dr. Alexandra Murr

Most high-income nanny jobs require multi-disciplinary training and nannies need the added skills of effectively communicating their talents on a resume and during an interview.
Sarah Olson, MS

I’m excited for the Nanny Institute’s programs and this opportunity to contribute to the Nanny community. The specially deigned curriculum advances Nanny qualifications and skills.

Karli Ortmann, MA

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I watch the classes on my phone?

Yes. You can download the SAP Litmos app and log in to your student portal on your phone. Each class has a study guide that can be completed so you may want to download or print the study guide from a computer prior to watching the class on your phone.

Are there financial payment plans, discounts or sales?

The Nanny Institute allows you to make $445 payments over time by purchasing each level separately. This allows students to pay for 10 hours of class at a time.

The Nanny Institute also offers scholarships, when available. While businesses can offer discounts and sales, the Nanny Institute is a career college and adheres to the Department of Education requirements. Licensed post-secondary schools must comply with 6E-1.0032(7), F.A.C which states, “Tuition or fee discounts are not permissible.”

I am not living in the United States and I am not a US citizen, can I enroll?

Yes, you can enroll online and complete the program from any location in the world. Job placement services; however, are only available to those living in the United States.

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.

Do these programs count for the US Nanny Association Certifications?

Yes. All programs (Basic, Intermediate, Advanced, Specialist and Professional Childcare, Newborn Care Specialist and eLearning Facilitator) are accepted by the US Nanny Association for the training requirements to earn the Nanny and Childcare Provider (NCP) Credential. The Newborn Care is accepted by the US Nanny Association for the training requirements for the Newborn and Infant Care Professional (NICP). The Professional Childcare program is accepted by the US Nanny Association for the training requirements to earn the Professional Nanny and Childcare Provider (PNCP) Credential.

The US Nanny Association and the Nanny Institute are separate entities. Like many childcare businesses, the Nanny Institute is an organization member of the US Nanny Association.

What are the enrollment requirements?

Enrollment requires students to be at least 18 years old and have a government-issued identification (from any recognized country). Students sign up online by paying the tuition and fees, then immediately checking their email SPAM or Junk folder to access and log in to their student account. Students must sign an Enrollment Agreement and upload a copy of government-issued identification. Within 30 minutes of signing the paperwork and confirming the student’s identity, the classes will unlock in the student’s account and they can begin the program.

Will I need to buy textbooks?

No, all the course materials are available online and included in the tuition and fees. Every course has a study guide that can be downloaded and used to capture notes from the course. These study guides create a textbook that you can keep. The materials are for personal use only. All course videos and resources are copyrighted and cannot be used for any business purpose.

woman reading to children

Need Help Staying on Track?

Download Litmus App

The Nanny Institute proudly uses Litmos as our eLearning partner. Litmos Mobile makes learning more accessible for you by ensuring you can access all your eLearning courses via your smartphone. With this app, you can easily search for your organization’s learning content and access it anytime, anywhere. With this app, students gain flexibility, have greater engagement and course consumption. This app requires an active Litmos account which is your Nanny Institute username and password.

Job Placement

The Nanny Institute is Invested in Your Success, Including Getting a Job with a Great Family. All Nanny Institute Programs Include Job Placement Classes.

PS 601: Expert Resumes for Nannies by Elizabeth Malson

This course uses nanny specific examples of a traditional and visual resume to teach resume writing as well as demonstrates how to modernize a nanny portfolio using LinkedIn.

PS 602: Job Search Strategies by Sarah Olson

Knowing the most current job seeking trends and skills creates an advantage in gaining a desired position. This course will review the types of jobs in childcare, practical tools to find the right job opportunities, and how to network and use social media to enhance your professional reputation.

PS 603: Interview Skills by Gregory Cassiere

Interviews are a critical part of the employment process that enables potential employers and candidates to learn about each other. This course will help you prepare for an interview, know what to expect during the interview, how to end an interview, and what to write in thank you notes.

PS 604: Negotiating Compensation by Sarah Olson

Negotiating employment compensation may create anxiety but is an important skill to make sure you feel valued and fairly compensated for your work. This course will help you determine what components of compensation are most important to you and how to effectively communicate with a potential employer on salary and benefits.

PS 605: Work Agreements by Elizabeth Malson

Taking the time to think through and write down job expectations will help ensure everyone understands the responsibilities and compensation. Work agreements help reduce confusion and create a more positive experience. This course will introduce work agreement templates and tools to discuss a work schedule as well as pay, overtime, and other benefits.
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