Job Definitions

Nanny

A nanny is a professional, childcare provider who works in a family's home caring for their children on a full time or part time basis. Depending on the position, a nanny may or may not live with the family. They can often be an affordable alternative to daycare/childcare facilities, depending on the salary range being offered and especially if there is more than one child to be cared for. Additionally, having a nanny provides individual and experienced attention for your child/children in the comfort and safety of their own home and can offer greater peace of mind than with daycare with higher child/provider ratios.

The main role of a nanny is to provide a safe, caring, nurturing and stimulating environment in which a child (children) can develop. Each nanny position may have slightly different responsibilities depending on the family requirements, the age(s) of the child/children, and other factors, but typically include such responsibilities as caring for a child's physical needs, meal planning and preparation, cleaning up after children, helping children with schoolwork, organizing and engaging in activities, disciplining, teaching new skills, etc. Nannies can also transport children to classes, pre-school, routine medical appointments, haircuts, etc. Any housekeeping responsibilities are primary child-related and may include light household pick-up, loading and unloading the dishwasher and children's laundry.

A nanny may work anywhere from a few hours/week up to 12 hours/day depending on the requirements of the family.

Mother's/Parent's Helper

A mother's helper is often described as "an extra set of hands" and has very similar responsibilities to a Nanny, including caring for children and related responsibilities, light housekeeping, running errands, etc. The main differences between a Mother's Helper and a Nanny are typically:

• With a Parent's Helper, a parent (often the Mother) is usually present in the home while the Helper "helps" with the responsibilities of caring for the child/children and household. Though the Mother's Helper will often be responsible for carrying out many of the designated tasks on her own, she is not constantly solely responsible for all the tasks as a nanny is since the parent(s) are typically not present during a nannies work hours.
• Since a parent is usually present with a Mother's Helper, the experience required of a Mother's Helper may be less extensive (and as a result will often involve a lower salary than a nanny).

Household Manager

A Household Manager is usually what a nanny position will "turn into" after the children reach school age and the family still requires their services. House Managers usually are required to work full time to get the children off to school, use the middle of the day to complete household tasks and errands, and then again take on childcare duty after the children get out of school each day. Families need to remember though, that during the summer months, less House Manager duties will be completed during the day, as the House Manager duties are still to give quality childcare to the children as first priority.

Housekeeper

Housekeepers/Maids are responsible for making sure all assigned areas of the home are clean, neat, and tidy. This includes any indoor household cleaning and organizing tasks assigned by the employer and may regularly include cleaning "projects" (e.g., cleaning and organizing a messy closet). Typical responsibilities include vacuuming, dusting, laundry, mopping and waxing floors, changing linen, etc. Some Housekeeper/Maid positions also require cooking or food preparation. This should be specified early in the interview process if desired.