Welcome to the Nanny Parent Connection Help Center
Get fast answers to most of your questions by using our Help menu below. You can also use the Search tool to find answers.
General Questions
Background checks
Concierge Service
Last Minute Care Service
Member Search
HOW TO USE YOUR Account page
Rewards program
GENERAL
How Nanny Parent Connection Works
There are many different ways that members use the tools on this site and our online community. Some only use our Last Minute Care Text Service, background check system, Pay Calculator or other tools we offer but the vast majority of members join in order to learn about, find, screen, and hire a care provider. Below are the most popular pathways that members use to find a care provider or a family to work with:
Finding a Full or Part Time Care Provider or Family to Work With
The quickest way to find a care provider or family for a long-term, full or part time position is to use our Member Search tool. Most parents and providers find that they begin hearing from interested members within a few minutes of posting their need. Don’t forget that all Family/Parent and Care Provider members are welcome to ask our team for help! Just send us an email here and we will be happy to help with your search.
If you are looking for a care provider with a specific skill set (i.e. speaks Spanish or has experience caring for special needs children), try using our Member Search tool. You can find this tool by clicking Account and then Member Search. Search for any keywords including specific member’s names, location, languages spoken, etc.
Don’t forget about our Signature Concierge Service! This is a special service for parents that don’t have the time to search for a care provider themselves or need to find a provider fast. With our Concierge Service, our expert team will take care of searching, vetting, and presenting qualified candidates to you all for an affordable price.
Finding Temporary, Date Night or Short Term Child Care Opportunities
We strongly encourage members that are looking for a temporary, date night, or short term child care arrangement to use the Member Search tool but we offer several other tools that you should use as well:
The Last Minute Care Service is a tool where parents who are in urgent need of child care (think preschool was just closed or you just found out you have a last minute meeting at work tomorrow) can text message their child care need to all of our subscribed care providers. Most parents find that they hear from multiple care providers within a few minutes of the text message being sent out. You can find the Last Minute Care Service by clicking here.
For parents looking for an already vetted/screened care provider in the near future, we offer our Verified Care Provider Service. This tool works great for parents that know they will need a temporary nanny in the coming days or weeks (such as scheduled business travel, doctor appointment, or date night) but don’t have the time to screen care providers. Similar to the Last Minute Care Service, providers are notified via text message of a parent’s child care need. The difference is that all care providers subscribed to the Verified Care Provider Service have been through our screening process. Keep in mind that Verified Care Providers are some of the most in demand care providers in our community so it may take longer to find a good match. To learn more about how we screen or about the Verified Care Provider Service, please click here.
If you are looking for a care provider with a specific skill set (i.e. speaks Spanish or has experience caring for special needs children), try using our Member Search tool. You can find this tool by clicking Account and then Member Search. Search for any keywords including specific member’s names, location, languages spoken, etc.
Below is a quick reference table for determining which tool you should use for different types of child care scenarios:
Please send us an email or call/text us at (425) 243-7032 if you need help using any of the above tools.
Joining our Community
To access our community and the tools available on this site, a membership is required. You can learn more about our memberships by clicking here. We strongly believe that everyone, no matter their income level, should be able to offer or find child care in our community. To that end, we will always keep our membership costs affordable.
To compare our community with other ways to find or offer child care, please click here.
If you have any problems signing up or have a question about joining our community, please send us an email or call/text us at (425) 243-7032.
I Need Help Finding a Nanny or Family to Work With
Don’t worry! We are here to help. One of the biggest advantages that Nanny Parent Connection offers is personal help with your search. There is no additional fee for our team to jump in and help you. Simply reach out to our founder, Colby Underwood, via email or by call/text at (425) 243-7032 and he and his team will work with you to find the right match for your child care need or opportunity.
How Much Should I Pay My Nanny or Sitter?
Not sure how much to pay your nanny or sitter? Just moved to the area and are unfamiliar with current childcare pay rates? We’ve got you covered! We offer two resources for you to check out:
Pay Rate Worksheet: Our Pay Rate Worksheet allows you to easily determine what pay rate you should target paying for childcare based on your answers to several questions. As you fill out the worksheet, our system will compare your answers to the results of our most recent Pay Rate Survey and other information about current pay rates in the Puget Sound region to provide you with a pay rate range you should consider. Click here to check out the Pay Rate Worksheet.
Pay Rate Survey: Every year, we ask our community of families, nannies and sitters to complete a pay rate survey so that we may provide a snapshot of the average childcare costs for different scenarios (i.e. one child, two children, nanny shares, sitter, part-time, etc.) as well as other information. Click here to check out the most recent Pay Rate Survey results.
How Will I Get Paid? How Do I Pay My Nanny or Sitter?
It’s up to the child care provider and family to determine how payment will work.
Here are some common ways that providers in our community are paid.
Payroll Service
Cash or Check
Direct Bank Transfer
Payment Apps or Online Platforms (i.e. Venmo, Paypal, etc.)
If you would like to pay your provider “over the table” as an employee (which we encourage) and want to have our team handle the payroll process for you, check out our Payroll Service by clicking here.
Our Payroll Service is operated by Homepay. We’ve been working with HomePay for years now to offer nanny payroll services to our members and they are FANTASTIC! It’s so easy to just pick up the phone and give them a call if you have a question or need some advice.
We offer a “No Surprises” pricing plan for payroll services starting at $59.00/month.
Submitting or Reviewing Member Feedback
To help our members gain additional insight into potential families or care providers that they may connect with, we provide a Member Feedback System. If you have questions or have an issue with our Member Feedback System, please email us here.
Leaving Feedback On A Member
To leave feedback about a member that you worked with, please follow the below steps:
Step #1: Make sure you are logged in and then go to the Member Search page.
Step #2: In the Keyword Search box, enter the name of the member that you would like to leave a review for. Click the member’s name to be taken to their Profile.
Step #3: Once at the member’s Profile, click on Add Review. Add a comment and select the number of stars you would like to leave as feedback. Click Submit and you are all set!
Review Feedback That Members Have Left For Other Members
To review feedback that other members have received, follow the below steps:
Step #1: Make sure you are logged in and then go to the Member Search page.
Step #2: In the Keyword Search box, enter the name of the member that you would like to leave a review for. Click the member’s name to be taken to their Profile.
Step #3: Once at the member’s Profile, click on Reviews. You can then see all feedback left by others for that member.
Reviewing Feedback That Members Have Left For You
When a member leaves feedback about their interactions with you, you will receive an email notifying you that a new review has been left for you. You can also see all reviews left for you by visiting your Profile and clicking on Reviews.
Questions About Screening, Interviewing, Hiring or Working with a Care Provider
We offer an extensive library of information for our members that covers all of these topics as well as pay rates, legal information, and nanny shares. Visit the Library by clicking here.
Upgrading, Changing, or Canceling your Membership
To change or cancel your subscription, visit your Membership page. From this page, you can make changes to your active subscription and view your payments.
Care Providers – if you would like to downgrade to our Free Care Provider membership, click here to visit your Membership page. Then click on Change Plan and select the free membership.
If you have a Free Care Provider membership, please contact our billing team by clicking here to cancel your membership.
CONCIERGE SERVICE
What is the Concierge Service?
We built our Concierge Service for families that would like our expert team to handle the search, vetting and placement process for them.
By utilizing our expert team with over 30 years of experience, the amazing technological tools that we have developed, and our ever-growing network of over 11,000 nannies and sitters across the United States, we can work with you to find that special nanny, sitter, or household manager who can bring joy, enrichment and peace of mind to your family.
We offer a 60 day replacement guarantee for the care provider you hire. If things aren’t working out between your family and the provider you hired, just let us know and we will begin searching for additional candidates immediately at no additional cost.
When you use our Concierge Service, you will have also have access to our Last Minute Care System (if you need help finding backup care for when your provider is out sick or on vacation) as well as our Library which has a tremendous amount of information about hiring, working with, and paying your care provider.
How Much Does the Concierge Service Cost?
We charge a registration fee of $500.00 to begin working with your family. Once we place a nanny with your family, we charge a placement fee of $2,499.00. This is one of the lowest nanny placement fees you will find. Most other nanny agencies charge anywhere between $5,000.00 – $10,000.00 for this same service.
How Do I Learn More or Sign Up for the Concierge Service?
To learn more about the Concierge Nanny Search service, please click on this link. If you would like to sign up, fill out the form on that page and you will be connected with the head of our Concierge Service!
LAST MINUTE CARE SERVICE
What is the Last Minute Care Service?
Our Last Minute Care Service is the most popular back up child care system available in the Puget Sound region today. If you urgently need child care today, tomorrow or in the coming weeks, fill out a short form and within a few minutes, the details of your child care need will be sent via text message (SMS) to all subscribed care providers. Interested care providers will then contact you via text message or telephone to offer their services. We currently have over 500 nannies and sitters subscribed to our Last Minute Care Service.
How Do I Use the Last Minute Care Service as a Parent?
It’s simple! Visit this page and complete the request form. Note: You will need an active Family/Parent Membership to access the Last Minute Care Service.
How Do I Sign Up for the Last Minute Care Service if I Am a Nanny or Sitter?
To sign up to receive Last Minute Care Service requests, all you have to do is sign in to your account (you will need an active Care Provider membership to access the Last Minute Care Service), and fill out the form on this page.
BACKGROUND CHECKS
Using the Background Check System
We built our background check system so that customers can order a background check in less than five minutes. The only information needed to order a background check is the candidate’s name, phone number and email address. Once the order has been placed, our system immediately sends an authorization email to the candidate. The candidate then inputs the remaining required information (address, driver’s license information, etc.) and then authorizes the background check to run.
The length of time needed to process the actual background check components is based on whether any flags are found and how quickly we hear back from the reporting government agencies. Most background check orders complete within one to three business days. Please understand that there is no way for us to expedite a background check order.
Once the background check order is complete, we will email the background check report to you. During the authorization process, the candidate can also request a copy of the completed background check report as well.
Our background check system works no matter where you or your candidate live in the United States of America.
If you have any questions about our background check system, please visit our Background Check FAQ section by clicking here.
If you would like to check on the status of a background check order, please email us here.
Please note that due to security and privacy concerns, we do not publish background check reports on our website. We deliver the completed report directly to you via secure email.
MEMBER SEARCH
The Member Search tool is quickly becoming the most widely used feature of our site as you can browse or search our member directory based on criteria you select. You can search for a specific member by their name (ex. “Pauline Parent” or just “Pauline”), what type of childcare a member needs or is offering, find members in certain locations as well as search for keywords in another member’s profile (ex. “Spanish”, “autism”, or “infant care”). Most parents and care providers in our community use the Member Search tool on a regular basis.
Note: To receive a text message whenever a member messages or tries to reach you, make sure you have “SMS Alerts” enabled. Click here to read more!
Using Member Search
Access the Member Search tool by clicking on Member Search on the top menu of each page, by visiting Account > Member Search or by clicking on this link. You can choose to search only certain types of members (Care Providers, Family/Parents, etc.) or all members. You can also send a friend request to connect with them or click on their name to view their Profile if you would like to learn more about them or send a Private Message.
Showing Members You Are Actively Seeking or Offering Care
Go to your Profile > Edit, and near the top, you will find a button that says, “Currently seeking….?”. Select “Yes” on the button and then scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes.
IMPORTANT: To ensure that other members can find your profile within the Member Search tool, you need to fill out your Profile first. See the instructions below on how to complete your Profile.
Showing Members You Are Not Actively Seeking or Offering Care
When you no longer need or are offering care, please follow these steps: Go to your Profile > Edit, and near the top, you will find a button that says, “Currently seeking….?”. Select “No” on the button and then scroll to the bottom and click Save Changes.
Suggested Matches
Suggested Matches For Care Provider Members: At the top of your Member Search page, you will see a section titled Suggested Matches. Using a proprietary algorithm developed by our team, our system will match you with Family/Parent member profiles based on certain information you entered into your Profile.
For example: if you are looking for a “Full Time” opportunity in “Seattle”, the system will match you with Family/Parent members that are looking for full-time care in Seattle.
If you see a Family/Parent member you would like to connect with, simply click their name and send them a message.
Suggested Matches For Family/Parent Members: At the top of your Member Search page, you will see a section titled Suggested Matches. Using a proprietary algorithm developed by our team, our system will match you with Care Provider member profiles based on certain information you entered into your Profile.
For example: if you are looking for a “Part-Time” nanny in “East King County”, the system will match you with Care Provider members that are looking for part-time opportunities in East King County (Bellevue, Redmond, Kirkland, etc.).
If you see a Care Provider member you would like to connect with, simply click their name and send them a message.
Using Suggested Matches
IMPORTANT: In order for our system to display suggested profiles, you must enable Suggested Matches. Please review the instructions in the “Enabling Suggested Matches” topic below.
Access the Suggested Matches tool by clicking on the “Member Search” on the top menu of each page, by visiting Account > Member Search, or by clicking on this link.
Once you are on the “Member Search” page, you will see Suggested Matches at the top of the page. You can scroll through profiles using the buttons on the left and right of the page. See a member you’d like to connect with? Simply click their name and send them a message!
Enabling Suggested Matches
In order for our system to match you with other members, you need to complete your Profile. To enable Suggested Matches, ensure that you have completed the following Profile sections:
For Care Provider members:
- Complete the “Bio” section
- Complete the “Availability” section
- Complete the “Resume” section
- Complete the “Background Check” section
- Complete the “First Aid/CPR Certification” section
- Complete the “References” section
For Family/Parent members:
- Complete the “Bio” section
- Complete the “Availability” section
After completing these sections, return to the Member Search page and you will see your Suggested Matches displayed.
“Favorite” Feature
Making your search even more convenient is a breeze with our new Favorite feature. Now, you can easily keep track of your preferred nannies, families or agencies by adding them to your Favorites list. Here’s how to use this feature:
First make sure you’re logged into your account so that you can access the Member Search page. If you don’t have a membership yet, sign up—it’s quick and easy.
Next, browse member profiles on the Member Search page. Once you find a member you’d like to connect with again, click on their profile.
Once you are on the profile, you’ll see a Favorite button. Simply click this button to add the nanny, parent or agency to your Favorites list (or you can directly add them to your favorites list while browsing them on Member Search page.)
Access Your Favorites: Whenever you’re ready to review or contact your favorited profiles, navigate to your Favorites section from your Account page. Once you click on the Favorites button, you’ll see all of your chosen profiles neatly organized here.
Remove Favorites: If your preferences change or you no longer need a profile in your Favorites list, you can easily remove them by clicking the Unfavorite button again in their profile or on the Member Search page.
HOW TO USE YOUR ACCOUNT PAGE
You can access your Account page by clicking here. The following is an explanation of each section of your Account page:
Profile
This is where you will build your online profile that other members can view. If you plan to use this site to find or offer child care, WE STRONGLY RECOMMEND THAT YOU FILL OUT YOUR PROFILE AS SOON AS YOU CAN. The information in your Profile is important as it will help other members find and connect with you through the Member Search tool.
Membership
Use this section to view your current subscription and payments. To change/cancel your subscription or update your credit/debit card, click on Subscriptions and then the desired action.
Notifications
When another member sends you a direct message, you will be notified in this section. You can also see when you receive a new message by keeping an eye on the notification bar located at the top of the page (if you are logged in):
Messages
This section is where you will manage messages sent to and from you. If you want to contact with another member about child care (or they want to contact you), a direct message can be sent. Below are a couple of examples on how members use this section:
“Peter Parent sees that Natalie Nanny is offering child care on an evening he would like to take his spouse to the theater. He sends a message to Natalie asking a few questions about her experience and pay rates. Natalie responds and Peter decides to book her for date night child care.”
“Pauline Parent has a new baby and often needs a break to go to doctor’s appointments, grocery shopping, or to pick up her older child from school. She has previously hired several nannies and sitters from Nanny Parent Connection and added them as Friends. When she needs child care, she simply sends a group message to all of the sitters that she knows and asks if anyone is available!”
“Natalie Nanny is a care provider that speaks Mandarin. A parent is looking for a Mandarin speaking care provider and can see that Natalie has that ability by using the Member Search tool. The parent sends a direct message Natalie to see if the can work together.”
Friends
Similar to your favorite social media site, this is where you can view your current friends and request friendships with other members. Below is an example of how members use this section:
“Pamela Parent works on-call as a nurse and can be called into work unexpectedly at times. She has previously hired several nannies and sitters from Nanny Parent Connection and added them as Friends. When she is called into work, she checks with these care provider ‘friends’ to see if they are available for child care that day. Pamela finds a provider who is available today and books her!”
Member Search
To learn about Member Search and how to use it, please review the Member Search section above.
Settings
In the Settings section, you can make changes to your account and profile:
General: You can change your email and password here.
Email Alerts: In this section, you can change your email notification settings. With this feature, you will receive an email when someone sends you a message, when someone mentions you, replies to an update or comment you posted, or someone send your a friend request. We STRONGLY recommend leaving the “A member sends you a new message” option enabled so that you are notified right away via email about a child care opportunity even if you are not logged into this site.
SMS Alerts: SMS Alerts is a feature that sends a text message to your mobile device when a member wants to connect with you or sends you a message on our website. If you have a Care Provider membership, you can also choose to receive text message alerts when our Jobs Board is updated. We STRONGLY recommend keeping SMS Alerts enabled so that you are instantly notified when a member wants to reach you.
Activating and Using SMS Alerts:
In order to activate SMS Alerts, please follow the steps shown below:
If you have not registered for a membership yet:
When signing up for a membership, make sure to include your phone number (see below image). Once you have finished the sign-up process, SMS Alerts will be automatically enabled for you.
If you already have a membership and would like to enable SMS Alerts:
Visit your Account page by clicking here:
Then, click on the Membership tab:
Under the Info tab, scroll down until you find the telephone number field (see below image). Enter your telephone number and then click Save Profile.
SMS Alerts is now enabled for you. You can verify this by going to Settings > SMS Alerts and checking that “Yes” is marked.
Note: You can always disable SMS Alerts by checking “No”.
How To Change Your Account Password
To change your password, please login into your account first, then follow the instructions below:
Go into Account > Click on Settings > Click On Password > Input your new password in both fields and click on the “Save” button.
How To Report an Incident
To report an incident with another member of our community, please contact us by emailing support@nannyparentconnection.com
REWARDS PROGRAM
Using the Rewards Program
Like many small businesses, we don’t have a massive advertising budget. That means we rely on “word of mouth” advertising to spread the word about Nanny Parent Connection. To show our appreciation, we offer the Nanny Parent Connection Rewards Program to both members and non-members. You do not need an active membership to participate in this program.
If you would like to learn more or start using our Rewards Program, please visit this link.