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Nanny Management School the M.B.A. of Baby-Sitting?
Categories: Money & Work, In The News, Weird But True, Childcare
Getting a good baby sitter can be tough, but would you pay more for a nanny who was certified by the New York State Board of Education?
Doug Kozinn, one of the owners of the Absolute Best Care nanny agency is betting that you will, according to The Wall Street Journal. The agency is launching a 50-hour, $4,000 course in so-called "nanny management."
The course, which starts this month and already has eight students, is divided into two parts: nanny-management theory and hands-on care.The nanny-management portion focuses on studying a household's habits and routines and adapting to them, in order to organize children's routines around their natural habitat. Hands-on care is exactly what it sounds like -- learning skills like CPR and how to care for infants and younger kids.
Nannies are suffering these days, according to the Journal, and aren't as recession-proof as they might have hoped. Good child care is hard to find, but in light of the economic climate, parents are making less expensive day-care arrangements, like asking grandparents to take over babysitting duties.
Any nanny who shells out $4,000 for a special certification -- N.M.C., or Nanny Manager Certified -- is probably looking to recoup her investment.
The question is, would you be willing to pay more for those three letters?
Related: Parents Left Scrambling When After-School Programs Close
Doug Kozinn, one of the owners of the Absolute Best Care nanny agency is betting that you will, according to The Wall Street Journal. The agency is launching a 50-hour, $4,000 course in so-called "nanny management."
The course, which starts this month and already has eight students, is divided into two parts: nanny-management theory and hands-on care.The nanny-management portion focuses on studying a household's habits and routines and adapting to them, in order to organize children's routines around their natural habitat. Hands-on care is exactly what it sounds like -- learning skills like CPR and how to care for infants and younger kids.
Nannies are suffering these days, according to the Journal, and aren't as recession-proof as they might have hoped. Good child care is hard to find, but in light of the economic climate, parents are making less expensive day-care arrangements, like asking grandparents to take over babysitting duties.
Any nanny who shells out $4,000 for a special certification -- N.M.C., or Nanny Manager Certified -- is probably looking to recoup her investment.
The question is, would you be willing to pay more for those three letters?
Related: Parents Left Scrambling When After-School Programs Close
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Elizabeth 10-12-2009 @ 1:41PM
As a nanny myself, I can tell you there are some things you can and should learn in a classroom setting--i.e CPR and first aid. But then there are those things you can't teach, things you learn by experience. Oh sure, you can learn different disciplinary techniques, but just because you know how to use the time out chair doesn't mean it will work for little Johnny. I think the most important thing a nanny can have is experience. And if you don't have that, then yeah, it might be worth it to pay four grand to take that class, but it will be a few years before you make it back. But then, that's just me. I think when it comes to working with kids, experience is a better teacher than Professor Poppins.
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Karen 10-12-2009 @ 2:07PM
My friend's daughter attended a nanny-governess school in Ohio.
Apparently it's been in existence for quite some time, so a certified, professional nanny is not a new idea. (I'd post a link but that is not allowed with the spamming that goes on here)
I agree with Elizabeth above. CPR and first aid are a must, but there's just no substitute for proper experience. I believe the school above actually has their student nannies do a nanny internship with a real family to get a bit of experience before seeking employment.
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Nettie Weber 10-12-2009 @ 8:03PM
Nanny schools (2+ years), programs and trainings have been in existence for years and years and years.
The International Nanny Association (INA) is a great resource for this topic and itself has offered yearly conferences (the 25th in 2010), trainings, certifications, credentialing and continuing education opportunities for nannies.
INA also has a complete list of in-home childcare definitions on the website, ie the difference between a babysitter and a nanny, for future reference in your articles. :-)
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