INA in the News
Demand for nannies on upswing in Greater Boston
By Davis Bushnell, Boston Globe Correspondent
Sunday March 13, 2005
Demand for nannies in the Greater Boston area is on the upswing, spurred by an improving economy and harried parents seeking a flexible child-care option.
"We can't keep up with the demand today, unlike a few years ago, when demand
didn't meet supply," said Marsha Epstein, the founder-owner of American Nanny
Co. Inc., a placement agency for child-care providers in Newton.
Fast-track parents are wanting one-on-one care for their kids," said Pat Cascio,
the president of the International Nanny Association, based in Houston.
Although the federal government doesn't track nannies, there are probably about 1 million of these caregivers working for families nationwide, Cascio said.
Cascio said that more and more nannies have taken childhood education-related courses at community colleges or four-year schools. As a result, she said, they come to a family better prepared to deal with the intricacies of child rearing.
In Greater Boston, there are between 400 and to 500 nannies who are working regularly, Epstein and others said. Nearly all of them are women, many of whom are in their 20s and 30s. They typically earn from $12 to $16 an hour and, in many cases, families pay a portion of their health insurance costs.
The pickup in demand can also be attributed to "parents becoming more aware that nannies are third-party contributors to the raising of their children," said Michelle LaRowe, 29, of Waltham, whom the international association named as its 2004 Nanny of the Year.
"They're not housekeepers or maids, but professionals."
Many women are going into the field because there is no longer a perception that nannies "are glorified babysitters," said Katherine Robinson, the cofounder and owner of Beacon Hill Nannies Inc., of Newton. "So, they are drawn to becoming what's now a respected child-care professional, or nanny-governess."
Still, a continuing challenge is separating the most qualified nannies from those who are not. And this can only be done through extensive background checks, said Robinson.
"Some [nannies] look good on paper," but then prove to be otherwise, she said. Beacon Hill Nannies charges families a placement fee of $3,500.
Nannies are competing against au pairs, young women from abroad who are participating in a structured program overseen by the US State Department. And their numbers are growing, too -from 11,171 in 2003 to 15,297 in 2004. The State Department does not break out the number of au pairs by state.
Au pairs, who live with families and who are between 18 and to 26 years old, are paid $139.05 a week, according to the State Department, and work no longer than 45 hours a week.
Today, "some families don't care whether it's an au pair or nanny who can help them maintain a hectic [child-care] schedule," said Ronna S. Cohen, a work-life consultant in Framingham. Generally, though, "nannies have more education, training, and experience," Cohen added.
Epstein and Robinson said most of the nannies they deal with have college degrees. "Sixty percent of the nannies we work with have come out of college well schooled in disciplines such as elementary education and child psychology," Robinson added.
When Donna Kouyoumjian was looking for someone to help care for her 2-year-old twin boys, she set her sights on a nanny rather than an au pair.
"Au pairs are typically young people who come here for the American experience," said Kouyoumjian, 48. "I didn't want somebody living with us because we didn't need another responsibility. A nanny comes, does her work, and leaves."
Last month, Kouyoumjian hired Stephanie McMaster, 23, of Cambridge. McMaster, an Emerson College graduate, is paid $13 an hour and is given a stipend to cover half of her health insurance costs, said Kouyoumjian.
"She's mature and engages the boys," Kouyoumjian said of McMaster's work in caring for her sons, Alexander and Richard.
McMaster, who has been a nanny for six years, said she's equally pleased with her new assignment. "I've preferred caring for young kids since I became a nanny as a college freshman," she said. "This is a life's work for me"
From her research, many nannies do indeed look on their work "as a career," said Robin Welch, 38, of Newton, who hired Michaela Galvin, 22, of Andover last October. Galvin was referred by Epstein's firm.
Although she pored over several resumes, Welch said the decision to retain Galvin came down to "chemistry. That's how you can know a nanny who's right for you."
Galvin works four days a week caring for 8-month-old Sammy. Welch said that Galvin is paid between $12 and to $16 per hour and receives some money for her health insurance. "She's become part of the family," Welch said of Galvin, "and pitches in by taking Sammy to the library and, of course, taking care of his every need."
She had once considered a day-care center for her son, Welch said, but "we then decided that having someone in the home would give us more flexibility and keep things simple for Sammy, who now has the best of both worlds - us and the nanny."