2003 Nanny Survey: Results

Last updated: June 16, 2003
Number of responses = 208

How much do you pay your nanny?

The going rate for one child is about $12 an hour. Nearly half of the respondents say they pay either $10 or $12 an hour. More people pay $12 than $10, and there were enough people paying more than $12 to push the average to nearly $12 an hour. The highest hourly rates reported for one child were $18 - $20 an hour (4 people). The highest rates may reflect a situation where the nanny was hired to care for 2 or 3 children, and is paid the same rate regardless of how many children are present.

For two children, people are paying about $8 per child -- $15 or $16 an hour for two children is by far the most typical rate. The total rate for two ranged from a low of $10/hour to a high of $25 an hour.

Not many parents reported a rate for 3 children, but of those who did, $6/hour per child was the most common rate, which was also the typical per-child rate for 4 children. The lowest total rate paid for three was $12.00/hour, and the highest was $27.00. For four children, the lowest total rate was $15.00 and the highest was $30.00, which was also the most commonly reported rate.

See Hourly Rate below for notes about adjustments made to survey results.

Hourly rates

rate for...	# respondents	most common rates	average
one child	171	$12.00 (41), $10.00 (32), $13.00 (18)	$11.75
2 children	158	$16.00 (44), $15.00 (34), $17.00 (16)	$15.74
3 children	36	$18.00 (8), $21.00 (5), $20.00 (4)	$19.13
4 children	7	$30.00 (3)	$24.00

It's interesting to look at the way rates differ by neighborhoods. Of course five people in your neighborhood don't necessarily represent prevailing rates, so take it with a grain of salt. Surprisingly, nanny rates do not seem to correlate with house prices!

Hourly rate for one child, by neighborhood, highest to lowest (4 or more responses)

zip	neighborhood	avg hourly	# responses
94619	Oakland Hills - Redwood	$13.20	5
94549	Lafayette	$13.00	4
94705	Claremont/Elmwood	$12.82	11
94702	Berkeley West	$12.70	5
94611	Piedmont/Montclair	$12.29	21
94703	Berkeley West	$12.20	5
94610	Piedmont/Oakland	$11.85	10
94707	N. Berkeley/Kensington	$11.62	10
94618	Rockridge	$11.24	21
94706	Albany	$11.07	13
94708	Berkeley Hills/Grizzly	$11.00	6
94602	Oakland/Lincoln	$10.37	12

Hourly rate for two children, by neighborhood, highest to lowest (4 or more responses)

zip	neighborhood	avg hourly	# responses
94530	El Cerrito	$17.00	5
94611	Piedmont/Montclair	$16.83	21
94702	Berkeley West	$16.67	6
94619	Oakland Hills - Redwood	$16.25	4
94705	Claremont/Elmwood	$15.77	15
94618	Rockridge	$15.64	18
94707	N. Berkeley/Kensington	$15.59	11
94602	Oakland/Lincoln	$15.55	10
94610	Piedmont/Oakland	$15.39	9
94703	Berkeley West	$15.25	4
94706	Albany	$15.20	14
94501	Alameda	$15.00	4
94609	Oakland - Temescal	$14.44	4
94708	Berkeley Hills/Grizzly	$13.89	9

Where do you live?

zip	neighborhood	# responses
94611	Piedmont/Montclair	30
94618	Rockridge	24
94705	Claremont/Elmwood	19
94707	N. Berkeley/Kensington	17
94706	Albany	16
94610	Piedmont/Oakland	13
94602	Oakland/Lincoln	13
94708	Berkeley Hills/Grizzly	11
94702	Berkeley West	6
94501	Alameda	6
94703	Berkeley West	5
94530	El Cerrito	5
94619	Oakland Hills - Redwood	5
94609	Oakland - Temescal	5
94549	Lafayette	4

2 each from: 94704, 94710, 94709, 94563, 94803, 94801
1 each from: 94502, 94612, 94541, 94583, 94547, 94131, 94577, 94110, 94556, 94804, 94010, 94103, 94507, 94114

Reasons for different rates

These two questions were very subjective since respondents had to assume that they pay higher or lower than the going rate, and then give the reason why. However, it's useful to look at the reasons why people adjust prevailing rates up or down.

My nanny's rate is more than is typical because of ...

not applicable - 81%
nanny's training or experience - 19
twins - 7
other reasons: 2 infants, has been with us a long time, great nanny, lots of driving, high need child, we pay taxes, we pay 2-child rate even if only one child

My nanny's rate is less than is typical because of ...

not applicable - 85%
I provide special perks - 8
nanny lives in - 7
nanny has limited English - 4
reduced duties (hours, or help) - 4
other reasons: her own child comes with her, she didn't have references, she just arrived in the US, "I pay higher than she expected"

Finding a nanny

It doesn't take very long to find a nanny. Most people looked for about a month. Only 10 people (5%) said it took longer than two months to find their nanny. More than half of the respondents found their nanny in one of two places: someone they know, or the Parents Net. The next best place to find a nanny is either Craigslist or Bananas. Not many people are finding nannies using agencies or newspaper ads.

How long did it take to find your current nanny once you started looking?

average: 1.3 months
most common: 1 month (60%), 2 months (22%), 0 months (9%)
quickest: 0 (18 respondents)

longest: 6 months (3 respondents)

How did you find your current nanny?

	# responses (pct)
Friend, neighbor, relative	60 (29%)
Parents Network	57 (27%)
Craigslist	24 (16%)
Bananas	22 (11%)
Other	16 ( 8%)
Nanny Agency	9 ( 4%)
Another nanny	9 ( 4%)
Newspaper ad	7 ( 3%)

How long has your current nanny worked for you?

more than 3 yrs	7%
2-3 years	9%
1-2 years	29%
6mos - 1 year	25%
fewer than 6 months	28%

About Sharing a Nanny

Most respondents have only one child in the care of a nanny, and most of them share the nanny with another family. More than a fifth of respondents have two children in the care of a nanny, and a little more than half of these also share.

By far, the most common situation was a family with one child, sharing a nanny with one other child at the same time.

Of the families who don't share a nanny, about half have only one child in the care of the nanny. Some of the people who reported not sharing, also reported that the nanny cares for more than just their child. I interpreted this to mean that the nanny is caring for another family's child, but on different days (or times of the day).

Do you share your nanny with another family?

yes	133 (64%)
no	75 (36%)

How many of your own children are in the care of your nanny?

one child	159 (76%)	of these, 71% share and 29% don't
two children	46 (22%)	of these, 59% share and 41% don't
three children	3 (0.01%)	of these, 2 share, 1 doesn't
four children	no one reported a nanny for 4 of their own children

What is the total number of children in the share?

# my own kids	max kids at once	# responses	pct of all families who share (133)
1	1	10	8%
1	2	83	62%
1	3	17	13%
1	4	3	2%
2	2	10	8%
2	3	6	5%
2	4	3	2%
3	3	1

Not sharing a nanny: number of children

# of children	# responses	pct of families who don't share
1	38	51%
2	23	31%
3	1	1%

Hours

The interesting thing that came out of this part of the survey is that most nannies work full time (avg 38 hrs/week), but most families hire their nannies part-time (avg 28.3 hours/week). Presumably, another family is bringing the nanny up to 40 or more hours per week. More than a third of respondents said their nanny works more than 40 hours a week as a childcare provider. In fact, 50 hrs/week was the second most commonly reported number for the nanny's total hours. Some people reported as many as 60,70, 90 hours a week their nanny is working. It is reasonable to assume that few of these nannies are receiving overtime pay, since individual families mostly have the nanny less than full-time.

How many hours per week does your nanny work as a paid childcare provider?

average: 38 hrs/week
most common: 40 hrs/week (23%), 50 hrs/week (16%), 45 hrs/week (10%)
fewest: 8 hrs/week (2), 14 hrs/week (1), 15 hrs/week (3)
most: 60 hrs/week (2), 70 hrs/week (1), 90 hrs/week (1)
How many hours per week does she care for your children?
average: 28.3 hrs/week
most common: 40 hrs/wk (23), 20 hrs/wk (19), 45 hrs/wk (14)
fewest: 1 hr/week (1), 6 hrs/wk (1), 7 hrs/wk (1)
most: 55 hrs/wk (1), 53 hrs/wk (1), 50 hrs/week (8)
How often is another adult at home while the nanny is working?
average: 8 hrs/wk
never: 30% (these parents have a nanny avg. 30 hrs/wk)
0 - 10 hours a week: 44% (these parents have a nanny avg. 25.7 hrs/wk)
10 - 20 hours a week: 13% (these parents have a nanny avg. 25 hrs/wk)
20 or more hours a week: 13% (these parents have a nanny avg. of 36.5 hrs/wk)
Is there another adult providing childcare while your nanny is working?
- No - 68%
- Yes - 32% (an avg of 5 hours/week)

Ages of Children

Most families that have a nanny have children under 24 months old. The children in the nanny share are just as likely to be different ages as the same age, although the two most commonly reported situations were two toddlers, both about the same age. Here are the most common ages of the children that the nanny cares for at the same time. The number in parentheses is number of respondents.

two children, both 19-24 months (18)
two children, both 13-18 months (16)
one child 7-12 months (16)
one child 19-24 months (11)
two children, both 25-36 months (10)
one child 13-18 months (10)
two children, one 13-18 months and one 19-24 months (8)
two children, one 19-24 months and one 25-36 months (8)
two children, both under 6 months (7)
two children, one 7-12 months and one 13-18 months (7)
two children, both 7-12 months (7)
one child 25-36 months (6)
two children, both 3-5 years old (5)
two children, one 13-18 months and one 3-5 years old (5)
two children, both older than 5 years old (4)
two children, one 25-36 months and one 3-5 years old (4)
There were many other configurations but these had 3 or fewer responses.

Withholdings and Benefits
Two-thirds of respondents do not have a contract with their nannies. About the same number do not take the tax break for childcare, perhaps because they are not withholding taxes or insurance for the nanny. The most commonly reported reason for not doing withholdings was the nanny wanted to be paid under the table or cannot legally work in the US. In terms of other benefits, about a quarter of respondents provide some meals. Other perks such as transportation and phone were not as common. Most people give a cash bonus at the end of the year. The most common bonus is the equivalent of a week's salary. Only 7% of respondents said they give no bonus or gift.
Do you and your nanny have a written contract?
No - 138 (66%)
Yes - 70 (34%)
Do you take the childcare deduction on your income tax or use pre-tax withholding for childcare?
No - 141 (68%) (of these, 87% also don't withhold taxes, etc. from nanny's check)
Yes - 67 (32%) (however, 34% of those who get a tax break for childcare do not withhold taxes, etc. from the nanny's check)
Do you withhold any tax, insurance, etc. from your nanny's check?
No - 146 (70%)
Yes - 62 (30%)
If yes, what do you withhold?
state and/or federal income taxes - 42
state disabilty/unemployment insurance - 46
medical/dental insurance or expenses - 8
Social Security & Medicare - 44
workers' compensation - 20
other - 2 (1 person said life insurance)
If you don't do withholdings, what's the main reason? (number in parens is percent of people who don't withhold)
nanny wants to be paid "under the table" or can't work legally (64%)
nanny didn't ask me to (16%)
other (12%) *
it's too complicated (8%)
it's too expensive (3%)
I pay a higher rate instead (3%)
a family I share with does the withholding (2%)
* Other reasons: "she doesn't work enough hours", "other family didn't want to", "care is at other family's house", "she/I declaire", "we do a combination of under/over the table", "she is independently licensed contractor, not my employee", "Nanny is in charge of this herself"

If you do do withholdings, how do you calculate/pay them?(number in parens is percent of people who do withhold)
I do it myself - 27 (44%)
I use a service - 26 (42%)

What service?

PayCycle.com (10)

my accountant or tax preparer (7)

Breedlove & Assoc. (2)

Paychex (2)

1 each: HETO online, "payroll svc", Paperwork Pro, GTM Associates

What other kinds of non-salary benefits do you provide?

some meals - 48 (23%)
transportation - 34 (16%)
cell phone - 17 (8%)
car - 15 (7%)
room - 8 (3%)

other: (some respondents repeated benefits that were asked about elsewhere, such as paid vacation, insurance and transportation. These "others" have been excluded in the following list.)

Other benefits:

gifts, furniture, sundries, etc. 4

laundry 3

camps/tuition for her kids - 2

memberships (claremont, habitot) 2

paid for trip to home country 1

CPR training 1

flexible hours tailored to nanny's schedule 1

"free use of whatever she needs" 1

help learning english 1

local phone service 1

medical bills 1

Do you give, or plan to give, an end of year bonus?

Yes, based on n weeks	40%	avg = 1.3 weeks most common = 1 wk (78%) low = 0.7 wks high = 4 wks
Yes, a flat amount	28%	avg = $300 most common = $100 (40%) low = $50 high = $3,000
No but I give a gift	20%
No	7%

Raises, Bonuses, Days Off

Most people have never given their nanny a raise. However, this could be because most people have not had the nanny for very long.

Most people pay the nanny when she is sick, and also pay for holidays and for vacations. Only 10% of respondents say they do not pay the nanny when their child is not there on a regular work day.

How many raises have you given your nanny?

# raises	pct	how long with this nanny?
none	61%	most said fewer than 6 months
one	23%	most said 1-2 years
two	10%	most said 2-3 years
three	4%	most said 1-3+ yrs
five	2%	all said more than 3 yrs
eight	1%	all said more than 3 yrs

How do you pay your nanny?

hourly - 155 (74%)
weekly - 43 (21%)
monthly - 9 (4%)
other - 1
Cash or check? (68 responses)
check - 109 (52%)
cash - 93 (45%)

other - 4

Do you pay your nanny when she or her family is sick?

yes	67%	37% of all respondents pay for n days/year (avg n = 5.4 days, most common = 5 days) 30% pay as many as needed
no	33%

Do you pay your nanny for federal/legal holidays?

yes	88%	58% of all respondents pay for "all the holidays I get paid for" 20% pay for n days/year (avg n = 6.7 days)
no	22%

Do you pay your nanny for her own personal vacation days?

yes	84%	50% of all respondents pay for n days/year (avg n = 8.6 days, most common = 10 days) 17% pay mostly for days when their family is on vacation 6% pay only for the days when their family is on vacation
no	26%

Do you pay your nanny when you don't need childcare on her regular day? (For example, if your child is sick, or you are on vacation, or you are away for some other reason)

yes, always	73%
yes, depending	17%
no, but I give her advanced notice	5%
no, because she works few hours for me	3%
no	2%

Out-of-town and Overnight Rates

Have you ever taken a nanny with you on an out-of-town trip?

no - 184 (88%)
yes - 24 (12%)

If yes, what did you pay? (percentage of 24 people who said yes)

lodging - 22 (92%)
transportation/airfare - 21 (88%)
most/all meals - 20 (84%)
nanny's usual salary - 13 (54%)
flat daily rate - 4 (17%) amts given were: $50, $75, $100, $150
other - 5 (21%) "additional $ for watching additional children", "agreed-upon pay", "Hourly pay for sitting as needed", "incidentals", "regular rate when watching the kids on her own"

Has a nanny taken care of your child overnight?

no - 178 (86%)
yes - 30 (14%)

if a nanny has ever provided overnight care in your home or hers, how much do you usually pay?

flat fee - 14 (avg= $75.30/night ... most common: $50 (5), $100 (2), $150 (2)
hourly rate - 10 (avg = $12.10/hour ... most common: $15 (3), $10 (3)
other - 4
not paid (nanny is live-in) - 2
- no - 22 (73%)

yes - 8 (27%)

Expectations and Practices

Do you expect that your nanny will provide other services besides child care? (where "childcare" includes picking up after the child, feeding him, doing his laundry, etc.)

no, only childcare	45%
yes, but at her discretion	28%
yes, it's part of her job	25%
yes, but I pay her extra	2%

If you said yes, what other services has your nanny provided?

115 people (55% of respondents) said yes, they expect the nanny to provide more than just childcare, either as part of her job, or at her discretion. They checked one or more of these duties (precentage of people who said "yes"):

light housework (such as picking up, folding laundry, doing dishes)	84%
laundry	50%
shopping, running errands	23%
cooking for the family	16%
heavier housework	10%

How often does your nanny take your child(ren) on outings such as to a park or the zoo, a long walk, or to a playmate's house (who isn't sharing the nanny)?

most every day	68%
frequently	17%
rarely or never	7%
occasionally	4%

About 86% of respondents say their nanny regularly takes the children on outings (using the totals above from "every day" and "frequently" = 178 total). Of those 178 respondents, the following was asked ...

If your nanny regularly takes your child(ren) on outings, how long are they typically gone?

an hour or two	82 (46%)
several hours	81 (45%)
most of the nanny's workday	17 (10%)
less than an hour	7 ( 4%)

How often does your nanny take your child(ren) to appointments and activities that you yourself have arranged, such as doctor and dentist appointments, music & art lessons, playgroups, other events?

rarely or never	73%
occasionally	15%
frequently	7%
every day	1%

If you said that your nanny does take your child(ren) on outings or to appointments, how does she usually get them there?

no reply or n/a	34%
drives them in her or my car	37%
they walk	25%
takes them on the bus/BART	1%
other	1%

Does your nanny have a car she can use while she is working for you (either her own car or yours)?

yes	65%
no	33%

About how many hours a day on average would you say your child is engaged in activities with the nanny that take place away from the home where the care is taking place?

avg: 2.6 hrs/day

most common: 3 hrs/day (24%), 2 hrs/day (23%)

least: no hrs/day (10%)

most: 10 hrs/day (1%)

About how many hours a day on average would you say your child watches TV or videos while the nanny is there?

avg: 0.3 hrs/day

most common: 0 hours (68%), 1 hr/day (15%)

least: 0 hours

most: 2.5 hours

What is your policy about your nanny socializing and running personal errands while she is caring for your child(ren)?

socializing or personal errands while she is on duty	OK=8% notOK=92%
socializing with other nannys at the park	OK=69% notOK=31%
inviting friends or other nannys to the house	OK=35% notOK=65%
taking my child with her to visit friends or other nannys	OK=30% notOK=70%
taking my child shopping	OK=26% notOK=74%
personal calls on my phone	OK=39% notOK=61%
personal calls on her cell phone	OK=53% notOK=47%

What is your policy about how your nanny passes the time while your child is napping, or at an appoinment, or not at home for some other reason while she is on duty and being paid?

nanny can use the time however she likes - 69%

nanny should use the time to tidy up, fold laundry, etc. - 27%

Languages

Most respondents (80%) reported that they and their nanny speak two different native languages. However, most nannies (86%) speak their employer's native language "well enough" or better. Conversely, more than half of the respondents said that they do not speak their nanny's native language at all. What language does the nanny speak to the child? Only a fifth of respondents reported that their nanny speaks her own native language to the child.

My nanny speaks my native language ...

as a native	20%
fluently	25%
well enough	41%
not very well	9%
not at all	4%

I speak my nanny's native language ...

as a native	18%
fluently	5%
well enough	8%
not very well	11%
not at all	56%

What language does your nanny speak to your child(ren)?

we all speak the same native language	25%
mostly nanny's native language	21%
mostly my native language	42%
both our native languages equally	11%
some other language, neither mine nor my nanny's	.01%

Comments

People are pretty happy with their nannies overall. Nearly two-thirds of respondents say they "couldn't be happier" and 93% of all respondents are satisified.

On the whole, how happy are you with your current nanny?

couldn't be happier - my nanny rules	63%
satisfied - nanny is competent	30%
think I could probably do better	2%
actively looking for alternatives	1%
(no reply)	3%

Any other comments you'd like to share with other parents?

A consummate professional deserves to be treated as such -- with paid vacations and holidays, as well as year-end bonuses and thank-you gifts for all the little "extras" that she does. We ask that share families expect to pay a higher hourly rate for les...
although we love our nanny,she is a childcare professional, we are a bit disappointed with the high rate and feel for that $ we'd like to get more childcare responsibilities done during nap time.

how do I get my nanny to be more interactive with my child? I have a severely visually impaired child who enjoys constant narration/explanation of the world around her, entertainment while eating in high chair, etc. Nanny is very, very quiet and it's hard ...

don't sweat the small stuff and pay well.

I expect the same things from my nanny that I would do if I was at home. Laundry, yes, toilets no. Same goes for talking on the phone with friends, etc.

I fell into a different market, which works great for me as a single parent with a tight budget. My nanny's friend first offered childcare in her home for $15 per day! (I planned to pay her more) When she got another job I hired my current nanny ...

I find that my Nanny is not as safety conscious as I would like.

I think I could find cheaper, but we couldn't bear to part with her.

I think it is very important to pay your nanny for holidays and vacation. I give my nanny at least 6 paid holidays and 2 or 3 weeks paid vacation in addition to paid sick days. I also let her leave early if my husband and I are both at home early in the ...

I think my child's nanny is competent, but I think she probably is paid over-scale and receives more perks than average. Though I used to perceive this over-compensation as a positive, I think it is out-of-hand. My daughter's nanny expects to be let go early ...

I trust my nanny with my child's well-being, and she is devoted and responsible. That's why I pay her what is probably slightly more than the going rate, even though she doesn't drive or speak English fluently.

I used to have a zero tolerance policy for any TV/videos, but she will soon be caring for 3 kids on one day with different nap times,so I will allow up to an hour of videos so that she can have her lunch/break.

I work from my home, so I think of the nanny as more of a "babysitter." I think it's very hard to find someone competent who only wants to work a few hours each week. That's been my biggest challenge. Also, I wonder what to do when I see nannies being ...

I work ony 2-3days but they are 10 hr days. On my days off I go walking with my son so I don't expect my nanny to do it. She does take him outside on the porch or in the yard. The most important thing for me is that she shows him a lot of love. She fe ...

I would prefer that my nanny do more around the house, but she is also a student with a busy life. Therefore, if she needs to study or nap during the kids naptime, I've accepted the fact that it is better for her to be happy and not stressed and to take c...

I've been having 1-year duration au pairs since my youngest (6) was 6 months old; they've been a mixed bag. Some fabulous that we are still in touch with and who come back to visit; some we've been relieved to see go. All have loved my girls. Just got ...

It is important to be very clear up front about the job requirements and benefits. And to communicate frequently about any changes.

My nanny is from Kenya. She speaks English and Swahili fluently, and has taught my son some Swahili. She mostly speaks and reads to him in English, though I have encouraged her to speak Swahili if she wants to. I believe that she uses mostly English at ho ...

My nanny is very opinionated, so at times it has been a challenge when we disagree. She has difficulties following my instructions of when my child should nap, and can't seem to understand why I would ever put her down "awake". In her culture, children ...

My nanny takes very good care of my daughter and the convenience rules, and for that I cannot complain. The negotiating and feeling like I'm paying more than I should for holidays/vacations/etc. bug me a little. But again, the care is great and any nanny ...

My nanny was/is EXCELLENT with babies, and would have been rated "my nanny rules" when we first hired her. Her language limitations mean that she's a little less than perfect for toddlers -- so we're putting our two-year-old in preschool in the fall. Ho ...

my nany gets two weeks vacation, but she works for us part time, so it's not "14 days"

Our nanny makes our life possible. We are paying her all we can afford, and treating her like the royalty she is. She repays us tenfold with love and care for our kids, professionalism, and flexibility.

Our vacation/sick leave is minimal because we hired her to work 1/03 - 8/03. If she were "permanent," we would pay her more for her time off.

Parents must understand that a nanny will find her or his own way of caring for your baby along with your guidelines. Please learn to trust once you have seen that this person is capable and most imporatantly loving and caring towards your child. It might

Parents network rules!

Re the question on housework - she does only my daughter's laundry as per my original job description. My main goal is that she should focus on childcare when she is working.

Sharing a nanny with another family has worked out incredibly well for us.

she is amazing. i don't have to talk about "rule" because her instinct is to do exactly what i might want her to do.

She just asked for a raise today from $15 to 17/hr for 2 children.

Showing some respect and caring towards your nanny means she will be happy and so will your child.

Since all care takes place at the other child's house, no cleaning is ever done at my house. I'm OK with this because if she came to my house, I would need her to arrive earlier and leave later while I drive my other child to/from school, so it evens out.

Some of these questions didn't really apply because while I wouldn't mind if my nanny went shopping or had friends over (since I am happy for my child to witness all that is part of a normal life) she never would.

Sometimes we find it hard to communicate with our nanny since English is not her native language and since we do a nanny share with another couple who is from another country sometimes things get confused! We have gotten around this by writing things down

Thanks for setting up this survey. Can't wait to see the result!

The key is to find what her needs are and work together to find mutually beneficial solutions. EX: She considers doing laundry at my house a key benefit because it makes her life so much easier.

The rates are not so straight foward for us as our "nanny" is a friend who stays at home with her child of the same age and watches ours. We pay her as a nanny, but treats our daughter like her own.

There is a "nanny glut" right now due to layoffs in other sectors- this survey should help people decide on a going rate for recent hires. Nanny candidates who may have been paid better in past, likely willing to accept less, just like high-tech workers w ...

We are very happy with how our nanny takes care of our child; our only dissatisfaction is with her unwillingness to do any chores other than childcare (e.g. child's laundry) and her inflexibility about changing hours (e.g. if we give her a Friday off, she ...

We have a good relationship because we are clear *the children come first*. We agree we love the children and really work hard to teach, love, occupy and get them ready for life. It works well because of this basic areement and flexibility on both sides.

We have had issues with a previous nanny taking our child to visit her friends without our knowledge or permission.

We pay for more morning hours than we routinely use as an insurance policy--if I ever have to be to work early, we know the nanny will be there for us.

we plan giving our nanny a raise at 6mo- so soon here rate will be 14dol/hr for just our child and 8.50 (up from 8 each family) when she taking care of two children. She is paid on the books- I was wondering what the true percentage of nanny's were that w...

We see our caregiver as a member of our family. She is afterall, caring for the most precious things in our lives. We believe that she should use work hours when the children are not present to do as she pleases as we recognize how physically demanding c ...

While a nanny is technically an employee, having a strong and caring personal relationship iwth the nanny is paramount to good care.

While I initially balked at paying my part-time (12 hrs per week) shared nanny vacation and sick days, I wholeheartedly feel that you pay for what you get. I can rest assured that my son is well taken care of, as she is well taken care of. Additionally, w ...

With 2 active kids, if both are napping simultaneously it's unusual and she deserves a break. It's also about showing our nanny that we value her work as a caregiver -- not trying to fill up every minute with a task. One day a week she only has our son.

Notes
About the Survey
This survey was conducted during May and June 2003 among parents in the San Francisco Bay area, primarily East Bay. Only members of the Parents Networkwere allowed to respond. As of June 2003, there were about 6600 Parents Net members. We don't know how many of our members employ a nanny, but we can make a rough guess. Most people who have a nanny have a child under two years old. On our member survey in 2001, 46% of respondents had a child younger than 5. If we assume conservatively that half of these have a child under two, we get about 23% of the membership, which corresponds to about 1500 current subscribers. How many of these 1500 parents with under-2's use a nanny? Let's say that 20% do, and the rest of us use a daycare center, or a relative, or don't pay for childcare. So that means that around 300 of our members have a nanny. The survey received 208 responses, which corresponds to about 70% of the people on our list who have a nanny. Pretty good survey response!
Technical notes about the survey: all responses were made using the web form here. Replies were anonymous. We tagged email addresses on the list yes/no as to whether a survey was submitted, but no other information about individuals was recorded. Responses were stored in a mysql database and results were compiled and summarized by Ginger Ogle on June 16, 2003. Send email to me at parents AT parents.berkeley.edu if you'd like to run a query on the data we collected, or if you have any other questions about the survey.

Hourly Rate

There were 5 respondents who clearly entered only their share of the 2-child or 3-child rate instead of the total the nanny is paid. Example: one=$10.00, two=$8.00. In these cases, I changed the rates to reflect the total, by doubling the two_child rate and tripling the three-child rate.
There were 9 responses where the rates were the same for one child and two children. For most of these, the one child rate was higher than average, $16-20, so I have assumed that the rates really are the totals, and the nanny is paid the same regardless of how many children happen to be home.

Live-in nannies

Unfortunately, the survey had a bug and didn't record the number of responses to the live-in question. However we can guess at the number of live-in nannies based on two questions: 7 people said they pay their nanny less than prevailing because she lives in, and 8 people reported that a room was one of the perks they provide.

Comments

Some comments were truncated because they ran over 255 characters. Unfortunately the form allowed people to enter more than 255 chars even though the limit was stated as 255, which is all the database would allow. Sorry about the lost comments folks!

Last updated: June 16, 2003 Number of responses = 208