Michelle K., full time nanny; 30 years old; 10 years experience

Better Nannies~More Information~More Peace of Mind

With a psychologist-designed personality screen, we provide you with in-depth information about caregivers who apply to your job. Find the the very best caregiver for your family safely, quickly and affordably.

For $99.00 Better Nannies provides you with:

nannies in your area who's information has been reviewed by our staff.

clear applications showing detailed work experience, responsibilities, age of children, dates, why she left the position, etc.

personality test report detailing her strengths and areas needing improvement on nanny-related personality characteristics. The personality screen report even provides you with specific questions you can ask her to probe more deeply into any areas of concern on her personality screen.

answers to 33 pertinent questions that you should know about every applicant before you spend time pursuing her.

link to run background and driving checks

6 questions you should ask when checking an applicant's references

Over 30 professional in-person interview questions to ask once you narrow down your applicants and choose who you'd like to interview

Welcome! My name is Ann Wycoff, Ph.D. I am a licensed psychologist of 14 years and a mom. My specialty is psychological testing. I have owned and operated a successful, full-service nanny placement agency since 1998 - www.screenananny.com. We have a large following of families and nannies in San Diego because of our thorough screening process. Read our testimonials and our story.

To make our professional screening system affordable and available to a wider population, we've gone national! We can now provide you with nanny applicants close to your home wherever you live in the U.S. We post your job for you, and nannies apply to your specific position. Our professional screening process provides clear information you need to decide who is the right fit for your family. We are also available by phone if needed to help you choose the best nanny.

1) Online Application. Candidates complete the detailed online application for your job. This allows you to compare various nannies' experience easily rather than sorting through complicated resumes that may not present experience in straightforward, uniform manner.

2) Nanny Personality Screen The screen consists of 231 questions that the nanny answers when she applies to your job. It is standardized and statistically validated. It assesses her on 27 nanny-related personality traits with an automatic scoring system. WIth one click you see a detailed written report with easy-to-understand red, green and yellow lights. The report even generates suggested interview questions you can ask her to probe any areas of concern revealed by her test.  Our screen items were drawn from a pool of over 2000 personality items that have been tested on thousands of individuals. This is the same personality test we've used for over 10 years to screen nannies for our agency. We don't show a sample of the test because we want to preserve it's security so that it remains a useful tool.  The personality test should never be used alone to make a hiring decision. It provides additional data to be used together with the application, interview, reference checks, etc. Also, a nanny must be fluent in English for her results to be valid. If she is not proficient in speaking and reading English, do not use the screen. Use the other information to make your hiring decision.

Research shows that many people make hiring decisions based on an interview alone. Research has also shown that interviews alone are no better than a coin flip when making a hiring decision. This strategy usually results in hiring the candidate who has the best interview skills (i.e. a good talker who thinks on her feet) -- not the candidate who has the best childcare skills. Together with other information, our personality screen helps you to quickly assess which candidates have the personality traits needed to excel as a nanny vs. those candidates who may be unreliable, impulsive, unsuited to caring for a child -- or worse -- those candidates who may pose a risk to the care and safety of your child.

3) Online Interview. The candidate completes a 33 question Online Interview when she applies to your job. You review her answers to important, potentially disqualifying information BEFORE you invest time and energy in pursuing her. For example, can she commit to the same schedule for at least one year? Does she have childcare for her own child? Does she have reliable transportation? What is her level of education? Is she legal to work in the U.S.? Does she have a reliable car and insurance? Has she ever been arrested? Does she smoke? If you decide to pursue a nanny, you will verify this info when you interview her. But don't wait until an interview to know this information.  Once the nannies realize your process is thorough, the vast majority will answer these questions truthfully BEFORE you proceed further, saving you enormous time.

4) Reference Check Template. When you register with us, you will have access to our Reference Check Questions which allow you to check references of former employers. Many people are not experienced with checking references in a way that gives the "former employer" no clues, and requires the former employer to validate details such as dates, hours, and experience that the nanny has reported on her application. Some candidates may fabricate references or use a friend as a reference, presenting them as a former employer. Valid reference checking is "expensive" in terms of your time and effort, so it is important to make the most of each check. Our reference check questions are specific, uniform and open-ended, so the former employer must give details that help you assess not only the nanny's performance, but the authenticity of the reference and former nanny position, the level of reponsibility the nanny had over the child, the reason she left the position, etc.

5) In-Person Interview Questions. Once you register with us, you will have access to our structured In-Person Interview Questions that we've used for over 10 years to assess such areas as: knowledge of safety issues, knowledge of developmental stages, experience with different ages, judgment, ability to handle a crisis, stability, problem-solving skills, energy level, ability to take direction, level of genuine interest and love for the child, etc. We also include situational questions, how to rate the candidate's answers, and what non-verbal cues to look for in a candidate during an interview. Often, the nannies who are the most outgoing and friendly receive the most offers. These are sometimes not the best candidates. We know why; you should too. We also include a list of common interviewing mistakes and how to avoid them.

It is important to keep in mind what you are measuring during your interview. In a typical unstructured interview, the questions flow as a conversation might flow. By going with your "gut" to assess a nanny, the only thing you are measuring is how good a conversationalist the candidate is -- and research repeatedly shows that this does not predict how good a job the nanny will do. Our structured interview yields more valuable information and helps you to compare nannies more accurately and objectively.

7) Background Check. The final step in selecting your nanny is to run a court-record check and a driving record check.  Not all background checks are the same.  Many companies offer an inexpensive check of a national criminal databases, often for less than $15.00.  These bare-bones checks are often not a safe solution, as these databases may be incomplete and may not contain many offenses. We recommend the Nationwide Plus check by Talentwise (Intelius Screening Solutions) because it provides a physcial, on-site check at the county courthouse(s) where the nanny has lived.  This type of on-site search is what we recommend to ensure that your candidate is free of criminal convictions.  To run this background check, go to www.talentwise.com/employment-screening.html

8) Nanny Contract. We supply a sample Nanny Contract that outlines the specific requirements, pay, hours, possible overtime, responsibilities, vacation, holidays, sick days, etc. that you and the candidate are agreeing to. A good contract prevents issues from arising in the future that may jeopardize your long term relationship with your nanny.

Finding the RIGHT Nanny

Most families don't know how to efficiently find a loving, conscientious, stable, reliable nanny. Many people believe that finding a good nanny is a matter of liking her in an interview and running a background check. There is a difference between an adequate nanny and an excellent nanny. Using our tools such as the personality screen, reference check, in-person interview, etc., can help you find a nanny who is more likely to:

• Be reliable and on-time
• Keep your child safe in a variety of situations
• Give your child plenty of love, warmth, and attention
• Remain calm and patient under stress
• Be responsive to your child's needs while also letting your child gain healthy independence and confidence
• Set limits appropriately and with love
• Follow directions and treat your child according to your rules and parenting style
• Stimulate your child's developing brain appropriately
• Model good judgment, appropriate language, grooming and respect for society's rules
• Put your child's well being first and initiate activities that are healthy and stimulating
• Keep appropriate boundaries and not compete with parents for love and attention from the child
• Commit long term so that your child and the nanny form a loving bond which is vital to your child's healthy emotional development
• Communicate clearly and honestly with you and your child
• Remain calm and clear-headed in a crisis
• Come to work each day with a positive attitude and truly enjoy being with your child
• Not stir up trouble in your home or neighborhood
• Keep things organized, clean and safe in child-related areas of the house

Finding a nanny with the right skills and behaviors requires a systematic approach. Because our process is efficient and utilizes current psychological research and current computer/internet technology, it dramatically reduces the amount of time and money required to find a highly qualified nanny.

Avoid the "revolving door"

Especially in today's economic environment, many candidates would prefer other types of work but are willing to "fall back" on a nanny position. This type of nanny may be in the field for the wrong reasons, but may come across as highly enthusiastic initially.

Turnover among poorly screened nannies tends to be high, potentially jeopardizing the emotional well-being of your child. Use your personal screening dashboard to help you find the candidates who are loving, committed, stable and experienced, and who have a genuine love for children. These are the nannies who understand that your child needs a stable bond with his or her caregiver to lay the foundation for healthy future relationships.

As an agency using the same system we're providing to you, we rule out 80% of applicants who come to us for the following reasons:

• personality screen results that show immaturity, impulsivity, emotional instabilty, unreliability, poor judgment, etc.
• poor, mediocre or unverifiable references
• employment history showing job-hopping, "babysitting" vs. nanny experience or lack of commitment
• fabricated references (a relative or boyfriend posing as a previous employer)
• unexplained gaps in employment history
• interviews that reveal: interpersonal weaknesses, poor problem solving skills, inadequate childcare skills, lack of warmth, lack of genuine interest in or love of children, reliance on television, etc.
• history of arrests or driving infractions