Every working parent knows there are few things more complicated than finding child care that ticks all the right boxes, and the COVID-19 pandemic has made it even more so.
Day care is typically the least expensive option, but children don’t get the individualized attention they would at home with a parent or a nanny. Add to that the fact that many day cares and mothers’ day out program have been shut down or reduced their capacity due to the pandemic, and finding suitable child care becomes even more difficult.
But the extra attention and in-home setting of the latter option comes with the downside of lacking the socialization benefits kids get interacting with other children at day care.
What if you could combine the best aspects of both options? In theory a nanny share, in which two or more families share a nanny and split the cost, does just that – and a growing number of families are catching on. With many districts opting for a blend of at-home learning this year, Google searches related to nanny shares are reaching peak levels typically reserved for school vacation times like fall and winter breaks.
St. Elmo’s Joanna Ehman, mother of a 3-and-a-half-year-old daughter and nearly 2-year-old son, says a nanny share has been part of her child care setup since she returned to work when her oldest child was still a newborn. “For us, it was a significant thing knowing what kind of attention our child was going to get,” says Ehman, whose nanny graduated from the college Ehman works for and attends the same church. “As a new, young, hormonal mom, it was hard for me to put my 3-month-old into the arms of a stranger who was also caring for however many other babies that were going to be in a classroom,” she says.