Family/Client Application

Complete and submit the form below and we will contact you.

Dear Client Family,

Thank you for your interest in Hometown Nannies+. We are a 35+ year-old full-service domestic placement agency. HTN+ was founded in 1992 by Jayne Ehrlich, a mother and former screenwriter with a Master’s Degree in counseling. She also founded malibu mamas, Inc., a Los Angeles-based agency, during the Writers Guild strike, in 1988.

Ms. Ehrlich has more than 35 years of domestic placement experience. She and her caring and well-informed staff have placed thousands of domestic employees with entertainment industry, corporate, professional, academic, political, and creative families. malibu mamas, Inc. was listed as the “Best USA Agency” by W Magazine in 1998. It was mentioned or written about in Newsweek, Town & Country, In Style, and L.A. Magazine, and was seen on the “Leeza Show” twice.

MMA Inc. inspired many national and local accolades. Hometown Nannies Plus, (seen in the Westport News and elsewhere) was originally a division of, and maintains, the same impeccably high standards as did MMA Inc. We have been members of the Westport and Greenwich Chambers of Commerce, the International Nanny Association (INA), and the National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAYEC).

We offer: LIVE OUT / LIVE IN / FULL-TIME / PART-TIME / PERMANENT & TEMPORARY job placement. We are open M – F, from 8:30 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. and some Saturdays from 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m., by appointment.

There are two ways for families to apply: we can take your family information via phone or you can fill out our online application form, on this page. Please answer all of our questions to the best of your ability. The more information we have, the better we will be at finding you viable candidates. The applicants we represent are carefully screened and thoroughly interviewed. All Applicants must meet the following minimum criteria:

  • Have been pre screened via phone or Facetime
  • Has had at least one personal interview
  • Legal (citizen, green card, or working papers only)
  • Fluent English
  • Valid, local driver’s license
  • Non-smoker
  • Ages 21 years and up (except for mother’s helpers, who are 18-20 and are not full-charge.)
  • High school graduate
  • Minimum two years of experience, three years to work with infants. (In lieu of nanny experience, a childcare worker may substitute daycare or teaching experience.)
  • Three viable local references (childcare/personal)
  • Two pieces of I.D. (these documents may include passport, green card, working papers, social security, driver’s license, birth certificate, etc.)
  • CPR certified (within 1 month of placement, if not previously certified)
  • Additionally, we encourage the following standards for our nannies
  • Long-term references
  • Some college courses or continuing education, college degree, master’s degree
  • Bilingual
  • Good swimmer
  • Familiarity with the developmental needs of children in the age group(s) for which he/she is caring for

We seek applicants who are intelligent, reliable, punctual, well-groomed, and stable. We outsource a five-step background check, consisting of local Criminal, DMV. Social Security validation, National Criminal & Sex Offender Database. Additional checks are also available. We look forward to working with you. Thank you for contacting Hometown Nannies Plus.

Warm regards,

Jayne

Jayne Ehrlich, Founder

 

Basic Questions for Childcare Workers

  1. For how long have you worked as a nanny?
  2. Why did you choose to become a nanny?
  3. What ages were the children with whom you’ve worked?
  4. Describe your last childcare experience and why it ended.
  5. Please describe your longest nanny job. Why did it work so well?
  6. What was a typical day in most of your previous nanny jobs?
  7. What do you find to be the most challenging (or interesting) part of working with children? What do children most like about you?
  8. (If applicable) Do you have any special needs experience?
  9. Have you ever taken CPR? Are you planning to? Do you know how to swim?
  10. Give examples of situations in which you had to discipline children in your care. Would you be agreeable to accepting and enforcing our methods of discipline if different?
  11. Are you willing, agreeable and able to follow our parents’ guidelines and philosophy on raising our children?
  12. What are the biggest safety issues you’ve encountered as a nanny?
  13. Have you ever had to handle an accident or emergency? If so, what action did you take?
  14. What is your experience/philosophy regarding children’s TV and/or computer time?
  15. What are your favorite children’s books? TV shows? Movies?
  16. Have you taken any childcare classes? Do you speak another language? Play an instrument? Sing? Are you currently enrolled in college/graduate school and/or do you plan to do so?
  17. Can you cook healthy meals and provide healthy snacks for children? How have you coped with children who are picky eaters? What meals or snacks have you prepared for children?
  18. Tell me about your childhood and your current relationship with your family.
  19. Do you have any health problems/allergies?
  20. What do you like to do in your free time?
  21. How do you think your closest friends would describe you and your personality?
  22. Where do you see yourself in five years?
  23. On a scale of 1- 10, how would you rate your organizational skills? Patience?
  24. What are the usual ways in which you communicate with the parents of the children for whom you are caring?
  25. How is your driving record? Please elaborate.
  26. Would you consider using your own car on a job, if reimbursed for usage/mileage?
  27. What days/hours do you usually (or want to) work as a live in or live out nanny?
  28. If one or both parents were late on occasion would you be able/willing to stay?
  29. Are you available on an occasional basis for later nights or weekends if needed?
  30. Are you available to travel occasionally?
  31. What tasks or chores, in addition to childcare have you and would you perform on a nanny job? Will you do light housekeeping? Will you work with pets?
  32. What about this job appeals to you? Do you have any questions or concerns?

For children from birth to 2 years, consider the following questions:

  1. How do you handle a crying baby?
  2. What do you see as your primary responsibility to a child this age?
  3. What activities would you engage in with a child this age?
  4. What role you do believe a nanny can play in language development?
  5. What do you like best about working with infants? Toddlers?

For 2-3 year olds, consider the following questions:

  1. What types of indoor and outdoor activities have you engaged in with children this age?
  2. What role does interaction with other toddlers have in a child’s day?
  3. What types of educational activities would you engage a child this age in?
  4. How have you prepared and introduced healthy foods to children this age?
  5. What would you do to encourage a fussy eater? How do you feel about sweets?
  6. How would you handle a temper tantrum in a grocery store? In our home?
  7. How do you feel toilet training should be approached?
  8. How would you handle a cranky toddler who needs a nap but doesn’t want to stop playing?
  9. What do you like best about this age group?

For 3-10 year olds, consider the following questions:

  1. How would you help prepare a child for a day at pre-school/kindergarten/grade school?
  2. Are you willing to supervise play time with other children in our home and/or take our child to gymnastics/activity groups, which may or may not require your active participation?
  3. What are your feelings about outdoor play without direct supervision (i.e., the child is outside and the caregiver is in the house with a younger child)?
  4. What methods of limit setting or discipline do you find effective for these ages?
  5. What talks/chores/errands are you willing to do while a child is at school?
  6. Are you willing to supervise friends of our child who are invited to our home while you are in charge?
  7. What computers software/movies/video games, television shows/books do you find viable? Why?
  8. Are you comfortable reviewing and assisting with homework? Up to what grade level?
  9. What would you do if a child told you he/she was being bullied at school? On the bus?
  10. How important is it for you to communicate important events with parents? Do you do so daily? Weekly?

For Pre-Teens and Teens, consider the following questions:

  1. Have you worked with the age group previously? What issues or problems, if any, have you encountered? How did you resolve them?
  2. What would you do if a child confided in you that he/she was doing something against the rules and asked you not to tell his/her parents?
  3. If an older child were rude to you, how would you address the issue?
  4. How would you help motivate a child who didn’t want to start his/her homework?
  5. Why do you believe that you are well-suited to work with this age group?
  6. What do you see as your role with helping a teenager (or child of any age) develop a positive self-image?
  7. How much supervision do you believe children 10 and older should have?

Background Checks for Applicants

Hometown Nannies Plus performs an employment references verification check of three (3) work references. In the event that a nanny or other applicant has long term work references, Hometown Nannies Plus may also perform personal reference checks.

We outsource the following five-step background check:

  • Social Security Number Trace
  • Driving Record Search
  • County Criminal Record Search
  • Federal Criminal Access Search
  • Sex Offender Registry Check in all 50 States
 The background check will be sent to the client family prior to the hire’s start date.

Named W Magazine “Best USA Agency,” 1998 Little Book of Bests

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Named Best of the Gold Coast Magazine “Best Nanny Agency,” Westport/Weston, 2014-2017

 

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Office Address

250 Post Road East, Westport, CT 06880