A healthy relationship with your family’s nanny can improve satisfaction for everyone involved. Forming this relationship starts during the hiring process but extends throughout the life of your partnership. The following tips can help both your family and nanny thrive.
Create an initial contract.
You and your nanny are both more likely to be satisfied if you understand each other’s expectations right away. Create a contract that goes over everything from the duties and hours worked to the payment schedule and benefits and go through it together. This gives you both a document to refer back to when you have questions and gives you a clear starting point for any potential disputes.
Develop a system for daily updates.
Ongoing communication can helpeveryone manage expectations throughout the week, but you can both easily forget to share updates as distractions arise. To keep up with your child’s activities, create activity charts or sheets that your nanny can fill out throughout the day.
For example, there may be spaces for filling in meals, homework, chores, and games played. You can also create sheets that you fill out for them, sharing activities you have scheduled before the day starts.
Give them autonomy.
Every family has non-negotiables when it comes to childcare, but once those are met, give your nanny freedom to manage your children in the manner they feel most comfortable with. For example, provide a list of homework assignments they should work on with your children each day; then allow them to set their own activities once those are complete. This may help both your nanny and children to enjoy each day more and allow them to play to their own strengths.