Full Time Nannies in South Florida: The Ultimate Guide
Kensington Nanny has been operating in South Florida since 2003, and the standards have changed over the years. With our experience, we’ve compiled some basic information to help you understand what a Full Time Nanny entails to give you helpful guidance on industry standards. Read below to see if a Full Time Nanny meets your family’s needs.
Schedule
Full Time Nannies generally work between 35 and 50 hours per week. Schedules can vary depending on the family, their individual needs, and the level of on-call availability required.
The most popular schedule is Monday through Friday, 8am to 5pm. Schedules may fall outside of the norm, however. It depends on your family’s needs. Families that require over 40 or 50 hours of nanny care per week, may want to consider hiring a second nanny. That way, you can be assured that your nanny is operating at her best and your children are well taken care of, happy, and safe throughout the day.
Furthermore, it is recommended to give your nanny at least two consecutive days off per week. Whereas occasional six-day-weeks may not have a long-term effect on your nanny, over time, chronic six-day-weeks can lead to burn out and reduced productivity in the long run. And again, it’s important for the nanny to be happy and energetic so that the children receive excellent care and attention.
A note about job duration.
Nannies typically work with a family anywhere from 12 months to 5+ years. Some families prefer age-specialization in their nannies. For example, an infant nanny in the beginning, a toddler nanny starting at 13-months-old, and a school-age nanny for school pick-ups and homework help. Conversely, some families want the same person for the entirety of their child’s youth. Every family is different. When hiring your nanny, think about how long you would like to keep your nanny. Our placement staff can also give you guidance on keeping your nanny long term.
Salary and Compensation
A Nanny’s salary can fluctuate depending on the duties, number of children, and schedule availability. There are a number of things that impact the rate. Typically, we see competitive full time nanny rates in South Florida anywhere between $30 and $45+ per hour. A few years ago and pre-pandemic, the rates were lower. As with all things, nanny rates are subject to change with inflation and economic factors. Not to mention, our agency has seen a significant increase in demand for nannies which can also impact rates.
Don't forget about your competition!
In fact, when you are looking to employ a full time nanny, you are also competing with other families in your area. At Kensington, our placement staff can help you craft an attractive position to properly compete for the right nannies – which is a feat for any family to do on their own! Our experts have been recruiting and staffing nannies since 2003. And with that, comes a lot of tried and true methods of finding the best full-time nannies in South Florida.
And finally, full time nanny positions typically include various benefits like paid time off.
Paid Time Off or PTO
Two weeks is the norm. However, some families will give their nannies PTO for the weeks they have vacations planned and will not need the nanny. On average, we see 2-4 weeks of PTO per year in South Florida.
Holidays and Sick Days
Typically, families will allocate which holidays they need the nanny to work and which holidays will be PTO in the work contract along with a number of sick days. Sick days are paid days off when the nanny calls in sick. As inconvenient as it is, it’s important to keep your children safe. However, because nannies provide childcare at home, sick days happen less often than daycare childcare for example.
If you want to learn more about how to hire a nanny in South Florida, read our helpful guide here.
Job Duties
Due to our stringent requirements, Full Time Nannies at Kensington provide personalized care tailored to your child’s needs. And our nannies not only provide nurturing care but also engage in educational activities, fostering your child’s development. Below is a list of the basic job duties for a full-time nanny.
Basic job duties for a full-time nanny
- Create a stimulating, nurturing, and safe environment for the children
- Supervise the children’s activities at all times
- Plan and prepare meals and bottles for, and feed, the children
- Dress the children
- Place the children down for naps and bedtime
- Bathe the children
- Change diapers
- Potty train the children
- Perform housework related to child care, including washing the children’s clothes, cleaning up after meals, tidying play areas, and washing bottles
- Teach the children good social manners
- Play with the children, both indoors and outdoors
- Plan and lead educational activities, including reading, with the children
- Discipline the children, when necessary
- Drive the children to and from activities
- Administer medicine to the children
This list encompasses the basics of home-based childcare, but that is only the starting point. Hiring a dedicated childcare provider like a nanny to care for your child at home also requires an active strategy of fostering development, learning, and nurturing environments. Nannies are not babysitters. There’a big difference between custodial care and holistic care. Here are some of the duties we consider to be essential for full time nannies.
Holistic childcare qualities
- Bespoke approach, tailored care specific to your child’s level and needs
- Education focus and milestone development, building a solid foundation for lifelong learning and essential competencies
- Diverse cultural backgrounds, developing a greater awareness and appreciation for different ways of life
As you can see, nannies are in charge of all things child-related. It’s important to pick the right nanny to meet your family’s needs. Every nanny is different and offers a variety of skills, knowledge, and cultural backgrounds. Similarly, every family is different and your family might have specific duties you need your nanny to do.
At Kensington, our team can help you determine which duties and nanny responsibilities are appropriate or if you may need additional help like a housekeeper or special education tutor, for example.
Actively looking for a nanny? Check out our helpful article about crafting your perfect Nanny Job Description.
A note about household cleaning
Please note, where Nannies handle all child-related cleaning, they do not usually handle general housekeeping. Families find that this distracts nannies from providing quality childcare. If you need cleaning, hiring a housekeeper can be a tremendous help.
Summary
In summary, full time nannies are great for families needing long days of home-based childcare during the work week. And because Kensington Nanny has strict requirements for recruitment, our nannies offer a bespoke approach and educational focus. Meanwhile, our international network enables us to connect you with nannies from diverse cultural backgrounds, giving your child the best and most well-rounded beginning. Find the best nanny with our expert placement service.
Key Takeaways
- Full time nanny schedules are typically 8-9 hours per day and five days a week, primarily Monday through Friday.
- Nanny rates fluctuate greatly depending on the number of children, job duties, and the nanny’s experience level and any related skills or education.
- Every available nanny job is actively competing with other jobs for the best talent so drafting an appealing position is important.
- Nanny duties cover all aspects of child-related care such as skill and milestone development, education, introducing new concepts, fostering curiosity and exploration, meal preparation, and child-related cleaning.
Ready to find your perfect Nanny?
We conduct a custom search for your family. Start your search today by filling out the family application.