Fairfield County

Choosing a nanny agency in Fairfield County, Connecticut

Greenwich, Stamford, Darien, Westport, New Canaan: Fairfield County families often draw on both local and New York City agencies. Connecticut’s rules for household employers are lighter than New York’s, but they’re changing, starting with paid sick leave in 2027.

By Tammy Gold, LCSW
Author of Secrets of the Nanny Whisperer (Penguin)

Tammy Gold, LCSW, MSW

Columbia University

20 years placing & training nannies

Book an hour with Tammy — $189 →

Hiring in Fairfield County

Long commutes into New York mean long nanny days. Agree on hours, overtime and late pickups in writing before the first week.

If a candidate has worked mainly in New York, she may expect New York’s rules, like a weekly day of rest and paid days off after a year. Offering them anyway is a good way to keep a strong nanny.

Connecticut rules that apply to you

In most placements, you, not the agency, are the nanny’s employer. That makes the household-employment rules your responsibility.

Minimum wage. Connecticut’s minimum wage is $16.94 an hour in 2026, adjusted each January. There are no local rates.

Overtime. A live-out nanny earns overtime after 40 hours a week. Connecticut has no separate domestic worker law, and how state rules apply to live-in nannies is worth confirming with a payroll provider.

Paid sick leave is expanding. Connecticut’s paid sick leave law reaches employers with 1 or more employees on January 1, 2027, accruing 1 hour per 30 hours worked, up to 40 hours a year. Ask Connecticut’s Department of Labor or a payroll provider how it applies to household employers.

CT Paid Leave. Connecticut’s paid family leave program has a household-employer process. A payroll provider can confirm whether and how you register.

Pay, tax and labor rules vary by state and city. This guide explains common practice; a household payroll provider, accountant or your state labor department can confirm what applies to you.

Secrets of the Nanny Whisperer by Tammy Gold, published by Penguin

FROM THE AUTHOR OF SECRETS OF THE NANNY WHISPERER

Guidance from the therapist who wrote the Penguin book on hiring a nanny

Tammy Gold, LCSW, spent years matching families with nannies before writing Secrets of the Nanny Whisperer (Penguin). Today she works beside families, and their agencies, as a neutral expert: defining the job, interviewing candidates, checking references and setting up the first 30 days.

Book an hour with Tammy — $189 → Press and media

How to tell a strong agency from the rest

Every agency describes itself as the best. These are the signals that separate a great one:

It asks about your child before it sends résumés: temperament, routines and your parenting style, not just hours and budget
It sends a few strong candidates, not a stack
It explains its screening in specifics: who checks references, how, and what they ask
Its fee and replacement terms are in writing, including what triggers the fee and what voids the guarantee
It’s clear about the legal side: whether it helps with payroll and local rules, or leaves them to you
It lets you talk to families it placed a year or more ago

Questions to ask a Fairfield County agency

Do you help Connecticut families set up pay that follows state rules, including the 2027 sick leave change?
Do you place nannies on both sides of the New York state line, and do you explain the different rules?
How do you screen, and what do you verify yourselves versus leave to the family?
How long is your replacement guarantee, and what does it require?
Can I speak with Fairfield County families you placed more than a year ago?

Hiring on your own instead?

Many families find a great nanny without an agency, through referrals, local parent groups and job sites. You save the fee and take on the screening yourself: interviews, reference checks, a paid trial day and a written agreement. See how to hire a nanny.

Where Tammy fits in

Tammy Gold, LCSW, is not an agency and has no stake in which candidate you choose. By video, she works with families in Fairfield County and anywhere else: defining the job, reviewing candidates an agency sends, joining your interviews, and planning the first 30 days with your new nanny.

Questions to ask an agency How agency fees work The agency agreement Agency red flags Replacement guarantee Agency or on your own?

EXPERT HELP, ONE HOUR AT A TIME

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Keep the agency, or skip it, and add someone with no stake in which candidate you choose. $189 for an hour, by video.

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Evaluate agencies and the candidates they send
Tammy joins your interview as a second set of eyes and ears
Plan the offer, the trial and the first 30 days

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The Nanny Hiring Kit

Screening call, reference questions, clinical interview, and trial-day checklist.

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Questions first? Text (818) 308-1358 · info@caremapmethod.com

Tammy is not a placement agency and has no affiliation with, or financial interest in, any agency, daycare or payroll service. She provides independent expert guidance; decisions remain your family’s. Legal, tax and licensing questions belong with the appropriate professional or state agency.