SO YOU WANT TO BE A NANNY? Working in a glamorous setting, rubbing elbows with the rich and famous, and traveling the world with small children by your side may sound enticing. The truth is, positions like this don’t come along often. Most nannies are employed by professional couples who sim­ply desire to have the best care for their children while they are at work. Having a solid understanding about the in-home child care indus­try can help you decide if working as a nanny is right for you. If you are considering becoming a nanny, it’s important that you have a clear understanding of: the roles and responsibilities of a nanny recommended educational competencies for nannies, and professional standards and best practices for nannies. Above all else, if you are think­ing about becoming a nanny, it is essential that you genuinely enjoy being around children. Being a successful nanny requires that you have the patience for working with children for long hours, often with little or no adult interaction, and that you honestly look forward to making a positive contribution to the lives of the children you care for and the families for whom you work. WHAT IS A NANNY? A nanny is a child care special­ist whose workplace is a family’s private home. A nanny is employed by a family to provide the highest level of customized child care and to give personalized attention to the family’s children. A nanny may be employed full time or part time, and the nanny may or may not live with the family. The nanny’s role is to provide support to the family by serving as a loving, nurturing and trustworthy companion to the children. Ideally, a nanny will have special­ized child care skills, a deep under­standing of children and a genuine love of caring for children. A nanny offers the family convenient and consistent high quality child care by meeting each child’s physical, emotional, social and intellectual needs. In addition to traditional nannies who