Most nanny relationships that end badly were never written down clearly at the start. The agreement isn't bureaucracy — it's the document you both point to when memory and expectation diverge.
Overtime. Household employees are generally entitled to overtime for hours over 40 in a week. Write the rate down rather than discovering the rule later.
Guaranteed hours. The single most common source of resentment. If you take a two-week vacation, is your nanny paid? Decide it in writing before it happens, not after.
Scope creep. Light tidying after the children becomes deep cleaning becomes laundry for the whole household. Specific written duties prevent a slow drift no one ever agreed to.
Raises. An annual review date prevents the awkward ask and the quiet resentment when it doesn't come.
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.
The screening call, the Gold Targeted Reference Check™, the three-part clinical interview, and a trial-day checklist — what to ask, and what to listen for.
Seven pages · from Tammy Gold, LCSW, author of Secrets of the Nanny Whisperer
PDF · 7 pages · no sign-up needed
A nanny working in your home is generally your employee, not an independent contractor, which carries tax and reporting obligations. Payroll services built for household employers handle this inexpensively, and a CPA can confirm what applies to you.
This is the part families most want to skip, and it's the part that creates real exposure. I'm not a tax or legal advisor — get proper advice, and get it before the first payment rather than after.
Every child's behavior has a reason, and the reason is different for every child. A Care Map call maps your child across all four domains — biological, emotional, social, environmental — so you stop guessing which advice applies to yours.
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Questions first? Text (818) 308-1358 or email info@caremapmethod.com