You should have already received Part 1: Pre-hire Requirements for a Kensington Nanny. Part 2 of this manual was designed to ensure your success as a Kensington Nanny upon hire. All Nannies who accept a job through Kensington Nanny Service are asked to follow the suggestions discussed in this manual.

Being a Good Role Model

You may not be able to fully appreciate how much your actions influence the children and how it affects the home environment. This section will help you understand how influential your role is in the family. Most nannies are the primary caregivers and role models for their charges. This means that how you behave is very important.

What are some examples of a positive role model? 

• Dress appropriately – knee length shorts, pants, closed-toe shoes, hair pulled back and out of the face, minimal makeup. Remove visible piercings and cover tattoos.
• Do not wear low-cut shirts, sweatpants, high-heels, strong perfume or dangling jewelry.
• Always remain calm; never curse
• Never talk/gossip about other people
• Observe the speed limit/use a seat belt
• Say please and thank you
• Use good table manners
• Take proper care of yourself, have good hygiene

When you care for children, it’s easy to forget to also take care of yourself! Taking care of yourself will put you in the right frame of mind when you are working with your charges each day and reduce stress when you leave work. If you take care of children who require extra effort at certain times throughout the day, then you may want to make friends with other nannies in your neighborhood who can offer encouragement and support.

What Parents Expect from Their Nanny

This section was created by professional nannies as well as parents who have employed nannies over the years. This is an especially important section because it reviews the most common problems that parents might have with a nanny.  

Tips from Nannies & Families

Cleanliness  

• Make sure the kitchen and all shared areas are clean and tidy
• Make sure the children are clean, changed and fed (perhaps a small snack so they aren’t too hungry while waiting for dinner)
• Keep the floors swept and items picked off the floor

Children’s rooms

• Make sure the children’s toys are put away and organized
• Keep the children’s rooms and closets clutter-free
• Make the children’s beds

Organization

• Have the family mail and all phone messages placed in a visible area
• Have a grocery list prepared for the family, or provide receipts from any grocery shopping 
• When the parents come home, give them a daily recap of the child’s day and mood

Summary

Parents have busy schedules and lifestyles. Therefore, they need a nanny! A nanny’s job is to make sure the household runs smoothly. Making the transition from good to great for nannies is not difficult if you apply the skills learned in this section.

Successful Nanny Habits

The daily habits below can assure the family that their home is running smoothly. This will leave the family feeling pleased and satisfied with your job performance. Proper conduct in the family’s home is paramount!  

Below are the successful nanny habits:

Kitchen Cleanliness

• Wipe down kitchen counters and sweep kitchen floors every day
• Put dirty dishes in the dishwasher and empty the dishwasher before the parents come home each day
• Remove any spots on floor that you may find, use a stain remover if necessary

Safety Precautions 

• Never open the door to a stranger or let the children answer the door
• Always keep front doors locked, back doors if necessary 
• Always keep windows closed and locked
• Always close the blinds at night
• Always keep the garage(s) closed
• Never leave the children outside unsupervised 

Personal Hygiene

Always wash your hands before and/or after you:

• Cook dinner
• Change diapers
• Use the restroom
• Come in from outside play

Child’s Room & Playroom

• Keep toys organized, remove old/outgrown toys with parents permission
• Keep clothes neat and organized in the drawer and closet
• Change diaper pail and insert a fresh liner each day

Tidying the House

• Fluff bedroom and sofa pillows
• Disinfect commonly used toilet surfaces
• Change family linens/turn bed in the evening
• Change toilet rolls if running low or out
• Change tissue boxes if running low or out
• Hang up/put away any clean laundry

A Nanny’s Top Priority: Whole Child Development

Simply put, the nanny’s job is to identify the child’s social, emotional, and cognitive level then build a simple plan to achieve healthy developmental milestones. 

Social Development

Healthy social development allows children to form positive relationships with family, friends, teachers, and other people in our lives. Children constantly interact with people in their environments. Nannies must regularly introduce children to situations, such as age-appropriate discovery classes or interactive playground time, which will allow them to practice their age-appropriate social skills. 

Emotional Development

The nanny’s role is to help the child to have healthy Emotional Intelligence (EI). Emotional intelligence is the capability of individuals to recognize their own and other people’s emotions, discern between different feelings and label them appropriately, use emotional information to guide thinking and behavior, and manage and/or adjust emotions to adapt to environments or achieve one’s goal(s).

Cognitive Development (Education) 

Cognitive development is the construction of thought processes, including remembering, problem solving, and decision-making, from childhood through adolescence. Nannies must use age-appropriate educational tools and resources to help the child build their cognitive skills.

Keeping a Milestone Planner 

Kensington recommends keeping a “Milestone” planner which is a calendar-based planning tool that outlines a teaching path for each child. Don’t put too many activities in your planner as it may overwhelm the children and yourself. 

For example, depending on the child, you could teach a shape, a letter of the alphabet, a number, and/or a color during the week or month. The child should set the pace of the education. Do not put too much pressure on “getting it right” at first and be sure to give lots of praise during learning time.

Tip: If two children are close in age, you could use the same plan but simply adjust each activity so that both children can participate in the same activity but at their individual skill level.

Examples of Whole Child Development

Below are three basic examples of how to incorporate the three concepts of whole child development.

Example 1: Letter Day

In your Milestone planner, create a special “Letter Day.” If you decide to use the letter “P” then you would have a Letter “P” Day and pre-plan activities around the letter “P.” The child could write or fingerpaint the word “P,” eat pizza, go to a park, pet a puppy, or go to the playground to play with a new friend, identify a new feeling such as a pouty face, etc. 

Example 2: Theme Week

Perhaps you may plan a “Theme Week.” Theme week is a theme-based learning concept whereby a pre-planned theme is taught throughout the week. Each activity is specifically designed to learn about the theme. 

For example, it’s summer and you may decide that you’re going to learn about sea animals. The child may color/paint a sea animal and print the name of the sea animal. You may take a trip to the library to read stories about the sea animal, their habitat, and what they like to eat. The child may paint a picture of his/her favorite sea animal, etc. 

Depending on the age of the child, you might help them to make a storybook with pictures to read to their parents. You visit an animal rehabilitation center to see some sea animals up close, for example. 

Example 3: Make a Play

Theater is a terrific way to incorporate all three development centers. With your help, the child would choose a story, then spend some time creating the script and scenes. You would help him/her to recruit friends to take on various acting parts. The child could design the set and costumes, and you work to help create it with him. It does not have to be a complicated activity, just use household items to create the scenery and costumes if you’re on a budget. 

“Rehearsals” should be directed by the nanny and not the child. When the child is ready, he/she can put on the play for family and friends. 

Tip: Some children are shy so be sure to let the child decide if they want to do this activity.

Positive Discipline Strategies

Positive discipline means any time a nanny observes a child performing a good task (like saying please or thank you or following a rule they may have been struggling with), the nanny will PRAISE the child. Children respond very well to this strategy because it gives them a good feeling and reminds them that they are cared for and loved.

Positive v/s Negative Discipline

Webster’s Dictionary defines discipline as follows: “Discipline” (n): Is training that corrects, molds or perfects mental faculties for moral character.

Discipline does not mean punishment. We refer to positive discipline as the encouragement of good behavior and modeling of appropriate behavior. 

How to work with parents:

When working with discipline strategies, it is imperative to maintain daily communication with the parents on the subject. Establish an effective timeline with the parents to follow up on the child’s progress with the strategies used. Contact the Kensington office if you need more information on this subject.

Family Communication Tips

Parents need to know what’s going on in their children’s daily lives. The more regularly you update parents on your progress with developmental and emotional milestones the better you can work together, and the more they will trust you and appreciate your efforts. It may be a clever idea to keep a daily log of the children’s schedule of activities. 

Since one or both parents may work and have obligations outside of the home, it is important they feel part of their child’s daily lives. A nanny’s communication with her employers will reduce much anxiety parents may feel when they leave in the morning and arrive home in the evening. Though keeping a log of every detail of the day may become cumbersome, especially if you are out of the home, on the playground for example. So, it’s important to brief the family at the end of each day. You should get into the habit of taking 5-10 minutes to talk with the parent/s about their child’s day.

Avoiding Problems

All our families are given a Nanny/Family Work Agreement and are encouraged to provide it to their Kensington Nanny before the first day of work. The purpose of this Agreement is to ensure that the family fully communicates the position duties, salary, work hours, expectations, and house rules. This Agreement will help to avoid misunderstandings later. Because you are the employee of the family, a formal discussion is necessary and will allow both parties to refer to it if there is ever a question. If a Kensington family does not present an Agreement before you begin working, please politely request if the family could please provide this document or equivalent agreement paperwork. 

Addressing Child Issues with Parents

Always talk to the parents about any behavior problems. Be sure the children are not in the room. If your family is busy, then ask them when a suitable time would be to talk. Let them know that something has come up that needs to be discussed. Before you tell them the problem, let them know that you want to help to work together to resolve the problem. Remember, you are interested in working with the family to resolve the issue.

How to Stay Happy

Professional nannies everywhere will tell you to be sure to get out of the house each day when possible. Whether it’s a simple walk around the block or a drive in the car, getting out for some fresh air will do you and the child/ren a great deal of good. Children need fresh air, and you do too!  Changing your environment is one of the best ways for nannies to remain happy with their work.

Here are some ideas to stay happy in your job:

• Plan unique activities
• Make play dates (to play with other children)
• Go to the park (you could plan play dates there!)
• Go on a nature walk
• Start bird watching with the children
• Visit a zoo
• Volunteer
• Learn about children’s activities at your local park and library 
• Visit a museum, art fair or local music event

Plan Special Days 

You can plan special days as a reward for the child’s good behavior or achievements. Most families encourage their Kensington Nanny to take the children on outing as long as they are kept safe and carefully attended. Be sure to always get the parents’ permission before you take the children on an outing. And check in with the parents when you arrive and leave. Also remember, if the outing requires money, be sure to budget and plan; give the family plenty of notice.

In Conclusion 

You have taken your first step to a rewarding career as a Kensington Nanny. By following the guidelines written in this manual, you should have a long and satisfying career with a great family.

My Kensington Nanny & Home Services is always a resource for you. If you should ever have a question, need help or advice, or just want to talk, we are here for you! Call the office at 561-923-0856.