Bringing A Nanny into Your Family? Here’s What to Expect, according to a Philly Childcare Expert

Maybe your kids need some hands-on attention during the workweek, or they need care after school while you’re still in the office. Or maybe parenting has you too busy to find time and energy for laundry and cooking—or simply to find a moment of sanity. There are plenty of reasons why families seek out and lean on nannies, and plenty of benefits that a nanny offers a family. And vice versa; nannies can find meaningful, enriching careers through caretaking. In many cases, nannies even form enduring relationships with the families they work with that last as the children grow out of needing care.

When a family hires a nanny, forming that harmonious, lasting connection is the goal. And as the founder of MBR Nanny Network, a flourishing Philly-area nanny agency, Marissa Rosen is always looking for ways to achieve just that. Rosen’s expertise is crucial to making sure that families and nannies alike are happy with their arrangements, because, she says, that balance can be difficult to orchestrate—especially when families search for nannies on their own.

“Without an agency, you don’t have the reliability of a replacement,” says Rosen. She’s made clients out of the stressed-out parents who often reach out to her after the nannies they hired independently don’t show up, or need time off at the last minute. Those parents are left feeling frantic and stranded, and they turn to MBR Nanny Network because they’ve learned the hard way that finding a nanny on your own can be risky.

And whether you’ve learned the hard way or not, risks are something you don’t want to take when you’re entrusting someone to care for your child. That’s why MBR’s mission is to take all the variables out of finding a nanny, and Rosen does so by sifting through and choosing qualified nannies who best meet a family’s needs herself. Earned through 15 years of nannying before starting her own agency, Rosen’s expertise in the industry enables her to advocate for both nannies and families, and create successful partnerships.

We talked to Rosen about the value a nanny can add to a family’s life, and how Philly-area parents can find and retain high-quality nannies. Read on for a guide to preparing for a nanny’s entrance into your home, and making that stay as seamless (and fun!) as possible.

Figure out what you’re looking for

When families reach out to MBR Nanny Network, they’re sometimes in a desperate situation, and don’t know exactly what they need. Maybe their only impression of nannying is that it’s an infant-care service, or that a nanny is another word for a babysitter. And while those types of care are offered, Rosen says that nannying can encompass much more, too—especially the high caliber of nannies that MBR recruits.

“Through our agency, our nannies are full-service and can do everything that a parent would be doing in the home,” Rosen explains. “We’re not hiring someone who’s just going to be a warm body watching the children. Our nannies are qualified and able to do general household upkeep, errands, meal preparation and laundry.”

And these services are available not only for the children, but for the whole family. That means that parents can rely on nannies to take care of not only their kids, but also their household routine—making a family’s life easier both when the nannies are on-the-clock and off.

But it’s important to know that you don’t need to have all the details ironed out before you reach out to MBR. According to Rosen, families often call asking broadly for help in the home and with their children—and she’s able to help them create a more definitive sense of what they’re really asking for.

Communicate your expectations beforehand

Every time Rosen works with a client, she helps them determine a clearly defined set of expectations and responsibilities that they’re looking for in a nanny—so that when she presents the job opportunity to her network of over 1,500 qualified applicants, the nannies know exactly what they’re applying for.

“When they hire a nanny, a family will always want to create a supportive and fun work environment that keeps their children healthy and happy,” explains Rosen. “I always try to make sure they understand how important it is to set up expectations prior to starting a nanny in their home, so that everything is laid out and the nanny knows what they’re expected to be doing.”

Outlining expectations up-front allows for an open, honest line of communication between the nanny and the family, so that the nanny can fulfill their role. And, with MBR Nanny Network, that communication can be filtered through Rosen herself, so that families and nannies can begin their commitment to each other with those bases already covered.

“We’re a full-service agency,” Rosen says. “That means, for clients, nannies come to them completely pre-screened, able to do the exact hours and commitment length they need, and have experience with kids at the age their kids are.”

That full-service extends even as far as communicating about payment, so that families and nannies are spared from any uncomfortable or mismatched conversations about money. By talking to her clients about compensation before reaching out to potential nannies, Rosen ensures that applicants are aware of the pay range even before they apply for the job—so that families can choose the top applicant based on their personality and fit, knowing that the financial details are already aligned.

With all the logistics understood, once the nanny begins their role, it’s about ensuring that the placement goes smoothly. And while Rosen has documented success in finding the perfect fit, every case is different. That’s another reason why working with MBR Nanny Network can be such an asset, because should anything arise between a nanny and a family or if the two simply don’t end up being an ideal match, Rosen remains on the family’s team in terms of finding a replacement.

“With us, families are never on their own to find a replacement,” says Rosen. And that’s what sets MBR apart not only from independent nanny searches, but also from other agencies that don’t offer the same guarantee.

Ensure it’s a match

 When nannies work with an agency to find a position, it benefits their career as much as it does the family’s experience: The nanny can find more reliable, defined work, and the family can trust that the nanny is an experienced, high-quality candidate. That’s because, under Rosen’s leadership, MBR holds its nannies to high standards.

“We make sure someone’s going to be there and be on-time, so families have that added security,” explains Rosen. The alternative lies in cases where nannies don’t use an agency, so the nannies don’t have that added layer of responsibility and motivation to show up for work and deliver excellent care.

Rosen is able to make—and keep—these types of promises because the nannies she works with have proven track records of responsibility. And, should a nanny have an emergency that might jeopardize their ability to show up on-time one morning, MBR’s expansive network allows a family to have access to other high-caliber caretakers that can fill in.

That means that all that’s left for a family to do is relax and enjoy the myriad of benefits that a nanny can offer. Rosen’s clients watch their children and home thrive under the care of trustworthy, reliable and compassionate nannies—and MBR Nanny Network can help you get started in finding the perfect fit for your needs.

Click here to learn more about MBR Nanny Network, and here to reach out.

This is a paid partnership between MBR Nanny Network and Philadelphia Magazine