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5 Important Tips to know when searching for a Chicago Nanny Agency

May 29, 2012

Meet Childcare Expert Erin Krex the President of First Class Care, Inc. which was selected as the 2010 APNA Agency of the Year!  First Class Care places exceptional nannies, newborn care specialists, housekeepers, house managers, personal chefs & more throughout Illinois.

Here is what Erin has to say when finding a nanny agency…

When you are using an agency to help with your nanny search it is important to pick a quality agency that has your best interest at heart! You want an agency that you can trust and you know will do everything to protect your family. All agencies are not created equal. Research them carefully before choosing one.

1. Make sure they are licensed by the State of Illinois. All Nanny agencies are required to be licensed by the Illinois Department of Labor. You can request to see their license for proof. The license needs to be current as they are renewed annually.

2. Ask if their employees are licensed employment counselors. Everyone who speaks to a client or candidate is required to be a licensed employment counselor. This license also requires an annual renewal.

3. Ask about fees. Illinois agencies are not allowed to charge ANY upfront fees! No registration fees & no application fees!

-Ask who pays the fee. If the candidates are being charged you should be careful. The agency then has no incentive to find you the perfect match.

-If the family is the only one paying a fee then the agency has a huge incentive to find the family a perfect match because if they have to do a replacement it costs the agency money!

4. Ask about their screening process.

-What are the requirements of the agency for candidates?

-Do they meet the candidates in person and if so are they interviewed individually or in a group by licensed counselor? Face to face interviews are required by the State of Illinois Department of Labor.

-When are reference checks done and by whom? Beware of agencies who do not call the references until after you interview the candidates. This is a huge waste of your time because in many cases the references are negative and then you just wasted your very valuable time.

5. What kind of background checks are done and how often?

-Are they database driven checks or are they court runner checks? Database driven checks are not even close to 100% accurate and can be out of date by as much as 6 months.

-Make sure they are not just running background checks in your state. If the candidate has lived in multiple states – every state should be checked.

-The proper checks include:

i. Proof they are legal to work.

ii. Social security check

iii. DMV check

iv. Criminal check

v. Sexual offender check

vi. Domestic physical – The state of Illinois requires that all candidates have a physical exam in the past 12 months.

After asking these questions you should feel 100% comfortable that the agency knows what they are doing and will find you the best nanny. If at any point during a search with an agency you don’t like how they handled something, change. If they cut corners in any way you can be sure they are doing it in other places as well.

 
 

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All users who are minors in the jurisdiction in which they reside (generally under the age of 18) must have the permission of, and be directly supervised by, their parent or guardian to use our website. If you are a minor, you must have your parent or guardian read and agree to these terms of use prior to you using our website. By continuing to use www.luckylildarlings.com, you agree you have read these terms of use and agree to these terms of use. You also agree that your continued use of the website after any modifications to these Terms of Use is consent to the modified terms. If you do not agree to these Terms of Use, then do not use this website.

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