It is only natural for a parent to be worried about leaving their children with a sitter or in a daycare facility; yet unfortunately, it usually requires two incomes to raise a family. For single parents, unless they have family members willing to watch their children, they have no choice but to avail themselves of alternate childcare. Many people use the option of contacting a nanny agency for help in finding a nanny to care for their children while they are not at home.

If you are considering the possibility of hiring a professional nanny, then the first thing you want to do is locate an appropriate agency. There are several questions that you may want to ask or things you may want to look for before deciding which agency to use. For instance, when you call a placement agency, does a live person answer the phone, or do you have to leave a message on an answering machine? This can be important if you hire a nanny and you have a problem with the services provided and need to speak with someone right away.

Be sure you ask the nanny agency what type of screening process they use before they even send you a candidate to interview. You do not want to have any unscreened candidates coming to your home to apply for a nanny live in or live out position. Find out what type of contract they offer and be sure it is clear about any type or refund and/or replacement policies they may have.

Also, be sure to ask the nanny service how their interviews with the nannies are conducted. It has been recommended by the International Nanny Association that a nanny placement agency conduct their interviews in person; if this is not done then they should tell the client exactly how the interview was done, i.e., by an agent acting on behalf of the agency, by telephone, etc.

You may also want to consider asking them how long they have been in business and even though every business has to start somewhere, it is much more comforting to know that the nanny agency you are considering has been in business for awhile. Ask them what their procedure is regarding reference checks and how many references are called. The International Nanny Association suggests that for a nanny position a minimum of 2 references should be checked and that the agency should tell you all of the information that they have about the candidate, including the results of a background check.

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