I can safely say that I became an expert in how to look for a trustworthy nanny in Los Angeles.
When my sister Rose had her first baby, she was only 18 years old, and after the first shock of unwittingly becoming pregnant, with a 19 year old boy, she started to panic. Obviously, she had no idea of where to start.
Our mom had passed away years before, and our dad always worked full time, including lots of travel.This situation made me the most senior person in the household that could give Rose some guidance and reassurance. And I was only 20. In spite of my young age, I was very responsible and resourceful, therefore I started reading everything I could find about pregnancy and newborn care. After a few months, we realized that a nanny was going to be needed quite soon, since my sister planned to start college classes soon after childbirth.
I immediately contacted every mom I knew and asked for advice related to nanny searching. Most had used their own moms for assistance, or were housewives and full time mothers. But a couple of them had used nannies, although found them by word of mouth. They advised me that if I couldn’t find nannies by referral, my alternative would be the internet, but, “to be careful with wanted ads”. Well, that was easier said that done. When I typed on a search engine ‘Nanny in Los Angeles’, pages of results appeared before me, completely overwhelming me.
I had no idea how to select among so many choices, since all looked pretty much the same. My gut feeling said to avoid places where anyone could send resumes, without any pre-screening, thus, blogs and social networks were out; I needed more caution and safety. I found some big national outfits that claimed to have hundreds of nannies on their rosters, but I thought “hundreds”?, wow, that seemed like a lot of work. And on top, their nannies could apply freely without any serious screening. I would have had to do all the interviewing, references checking, criminal history checks, etc. I said NO to those right away.
Finally, I chose to select local Los Angeles nanny agencies that had been in business for years, and I narrowed it down to three. Then, I went into their websites and carefully read every page looking for their strengths and weaknesses.
After an hour of investigating, I decided on an agency that had it all: Longevity (47 years), impressive testimonials, even had awards for their nanny service in Beverly Hills and Los Angeles, did their own personal interviewing and pre-screening, references verification, criminal background checks, affordable fees and great guarantee plans, and had a tremendous list of substantial clients.
Finally, I called them, and was immediately reassured of their expertise by a very professional counselor, who asked for my requirements, and within 24 hours had three perfect nanny candidates. Rose decided on a lovely nanny she preferred, and now is a relaxed mom and art student.
Thank you, Sandra Taylor Agency!
