Hiring a nanny and welcoming them into your home requires trust and a personal connection. Take the time to complete a robust background check and call references. Then you will have the confidence to hire someone who can really help with the day to day of caring of your children.
Background checks search federal, state, and local databases for criminal records to help families hire with confidence. To legally run a background check, you must be an employer (Chapter 15 will share how to become an employer with a Federal Employer Identification Number (EIN)). If you want to conduct background checks before filing for an EIN, you can do so with permission from the nanny or asking the nanny to submit for the background check on their own.
Types of Background Checks
- Legal and criminal information is housed across the United States in different federal, state, and local government systems. Up to 70% of employers conduct a background check before hiring, but it is not a straightforward process. With consent from the nanny, most families invest in the criminal background check, but additional checks are also available. Consider these types of checks:
- Criminal history. Comprehensive criminal background checks search county, city, state, federal criminal, federal civil, and the sex offender registry. Nannies must submit their addresses for the past 6 years to identify all the locations that need to be checked to ensure a thorough review.
- Identity check and verification. This check obtains US address history and confirms social security numbers as well as verifying government identification and eligibility to be legally employed in the US.
- Motor vehicle report. Motor vehicle reports provide the dates and circumstances of any traffic violations, license suspensions or revocations, and accident reports. This may be important for a family hiring a nanny to transport their children daily to and from school or other activities.
- Drug screening. Some employers mandate a drug-free workplace and require drug testing. The nanny would have to be willing to volunteer for a laboratory-based urine test, with all expenses paid by the employer.
- Employment and education. Not all potential employees are honest, and some families may want to confirm their educational and professional backgrounds. Employers, professional licenses, and educational degrees can and should be verified prior to any job offers.
- Credit report. Assessing the financial risk of a potential employee can be conducted by reviewing a credit report. Check your state laws to ensure you comply with them, as they vary from state to state.
- Civil litigation search. Non-criminal disputes between a potential employee will not show up in a standard criminal background check as these are civil lawsuits filed to resolve money, contract, and other disputes. A civil litigation search can identify the propensity of a potential employee to be sued or to sue others, a potentially important characteristic when hiring an employee to work in your home.
- Public web search. You can execute this search by simply inputting the nanny’s name in a web search browser and see what information is provided in the results. Does the nanny have a website or public pictures online? How does the nanny represent themselves online?
Many companies offer background check services with prices that range between $20-$75 but be aware of ‘instant’ results. If a company is providing instant results, they are likely using a single, privately compiled database. To use secure databases and include up-to-date information, reputable background screening companies will need some information about the nanny and between 5-7 business days to complete the research. Good background checks cost between $100 to $300.
Families can pay to run a background check or ask the nanny to run a background check on themselves using a reputable service that complies with the Fair Credit Reporting Act. Nannies can then choose to share the report with potential employers. The US Nanny Association lists nanny background check businesses that are organization members of the Association and thus agree to the Code of Ethics and Professional Conduct.
Why Do Nanny References Matter?
You have found a great nanny – he or she is qualified, confident, and nailed the interview. You are pulling up a work agreement example and ready to dive into the details. Keep your excitement but slow down and invest the time to call the nanny’s references.
When you call a nanny’s reference, you must be professional and respectful. References are volunteering their time to help a nanny. If references are treated poorly by potential employees, then they are less likely to be a reference in the future and will tell the nanny about the experience such that the nanny may no longer be interested in working with your family. References are not the candidate so do not interview them or grill them. Focus on open-ended questions where they are free to share their experiences. An appropriate amount of time for a reference call is 10-15 minutes and you must thank them for their time.
Many families do not call references, feeling that anyone willing to take the call will only have positive things to say about the nanny. Although this is likely true, hearing the tone of voice and type of answers from a reference can provide tremendous insights. Does the reference readily provide examples and stories, or do they share vague positive statements, “she did a good job.” Responses from references can also help fill in gaps in the candidates’ performance history and provide deeper insights into the type of nanny work that was completed under the reference’s supervision.
Good references are from the most recent child care work experiences, not from family members or friends. Ideally, the nanny worked for the employer for at least 6 months. If you are provided with a long list of references, focus on the most recent employers who required duties and responsibilities like the job you have available. It is important to know that some companies are only allowed to confirm dates of employment but not comment on employee performance. This can be relevant for candidates who may have worked in larger, franchised child care settings.
Bad references are people who barely remember the nanny or do not know the nanny well enough to comment on their professional or child care skills. When you encounter these references, ask them a few questions, genuinely thank them for their time, and move on. Extending a call with a reference who cannot share meaningful insights will only cause frustration for both you and the reference.
A negative reference is different from a bad reference as a negative reference is someone who worked with the nanny and can provide insights into their professional and child care skills. Negative references may provide useful insights; however, they may also be exaggerating or remembering events incorrectly. Ask the nanny for additional references and if they are not available, then the nanny may not be the best fit for your family. If additional references are available, use your best judgment to assess both good and negative references.
Some nannies work for families that require a non-disclosure agreement and for privacy reasons, these families do not allow the nanny to disclose any information about their work. While genuine, most nannies who work with high-net-worth families have a career that built up P: to this station filled with positive references. Be wary if a nanny with only a few years of experience claims they cannot provide any references because they signed a non-disclosure agreement. This may be true, or it may be an attempt to conceal a lack of positive references.
Questions to Ask the Nanny’s References
Every family employer is unique, so it is helpful to understand the job and duties that were valued by the reference. Context can be important and can help you understand the insights being shared. A reference may share that the nanny communicated daily by text, but you are looking for someone who is more independent. Asking a follow-up question like, “was it your preference to be updated daily or was the nanny reaching out every day with questions?” can provide powerful insights.
The response to the follow-up question may show that the nanny was flexible and sent a daily text to reassure a worried mother versus sending texts asking questions about what to do with the children when rain interrupts outside playtime. Here are some potential questions to ask:
References can share a lot of information about a nanny’s engagement with the children, initiative to implement dynamic play, and how satisfied the nanny was in their chosen job. These insights can help you understand how well the nanny would fit with your family and child care needs.
About the Nanny Job
- What type of child care services did the nanny provide?
- How long did the nanny work for you?
- How many children did the nanny care for and what were their ages?
- Did the nanny drive your children to activities and if so, were you comfortable with her driving skills?
- Was the nanny allowed to let the children watch television or use screen time?
- Did the nanny provide snacks or meals and if so, what food did the nanny serve?
- How did you and the nanny communicate with each other? Did you talk during transitions, have a written message center with daily summaries, text or email, talk on the phone?
- How often did you communicate – daily or just to manage changes in the schedule?
- How much independence did the nanny have in this role regarding the schedule, planning activities, and ways to care for the children?
- What type of training did you provide the nanny?
About the Nanny’s Performance
- What did your children say about the nanny?
- Did the nanny always arrive to work on time? Did the nanny seem excited to be at work?
- What types of games and activities did the nanny do with your children?
- Was the nanny reachable when you contacted her during working hours?
- Can you share a story about a difficult situation that was handled well by the nanny?
- Can you tell me about a time you think the candidate could have handled a situation better?
- Did the nanny have to handle an emergency such as an injury, while caring for your children. If so, can you share what happened and how the nanny managed the situation?
- Did you end the position or did the nanny provide notice? If the nanny left the position, how much notice was given?
- Would you hire the nanny again if you needed a nanny and this nanny was interested in working for your family?
- What was the nanny’s role within your family?
Nanny Reference Questions – Questions NOT to Ask
Being an employer means your home is a workplace. The Equal Employment Opportunity Commission (EEOC) prohibits discrimination based on the following: race, color, religion, sex (including gender identity, sexual orientation, and pregnancy), national origin, age, or disability. To be an equal opportunity employer, you cannot ask a nanny if he or she has children of their own or plans to have children in the future. It is okay; however, for a nanny to volunteer they are a nanny mom or that they are planning to have their own children. To be an equal opportunity employer, you cannot ask a nanny if they are a citizen from another country, but you can ask a nanny if they can provide documentation to legally work in the United States.
