Workforce Development: A Missing Conversation

In all the conversations on the childcare crisis, the nanny shortage, the nanny industry as unregulated, and parental desperation, I've found it surprising that workforce development among the in-home caregiver population is not readily discussed.  

Many parents may not be aware that premiere nanny agencies screen out up to 70-90% of the nanny candidates that come through their doors.  Some of the reasons are as simple as incomplete applications, but many seasoned agency owners take that as a sign that follow through may be a further issue. 

Similarly, we are working on automated, upfront screening processes with the budding MomPro beta platform in Rhode Island and making updated CPR an initial requirement.  Even that small requirement has screened out several, potential candidates who are just not cued up and ready for our quality platform yet. 

So, where do all the nanny candidates go who do not make it through the front door with nanny agencies?!  They go to care dot com and other forums where there are very few barriers to entry -- parents need to know this.  This does not necessarily mean the nannies who do not pass the agency screenings are not suited for providing good, quality care.  But it does mean, parents need to be extremely vigilant about doing their own screenings and I can get you started here for that: Same Team Online Course

Back to workforce development, I've said it and it has been said before that looking for in-home care support can be like a box of chocolates - you never know what you are going to get.  A big part of this stems from the nanny industry being unregulated: there is no requirement, standard, test, or licensure currently needed to be a nanny or babysitter.  These leads to the actual practice of in-home caregiving look very different from individual to individual.

One way that I have helped to standardize expectations is through the Same Team Online Course but also through requiring a set of screening and training items before in-home caregivers can enter our new MomPro Platform.  In this way we are curating a pool of cued up, ready caregivers who are generally on the same page with parents from day one.

I highly recommend parents and MomPros meet to clearly discuss duties / expectations, do their own screening / vetting of each other, and assess for that elusive fit.  And still, early feedback from parents has been "you have put me 10 steps ahead the traditional babysitter/nanny search."  Why?!  Because I provide online training for MomPros and parents, a recommended list of duties, appropriate boundaries, and tips for success in working together.  The MomPro rate range (based on education, experience, background and current market), types of duties, and experience is all listed up front in every MomPro profile as well.  MomPros and parents have the door to success wide open for them.  No more fumbling through the dark to find the door or the working key.

In the end, I will forever argue, there should never be an on-demand parent to caregiver online platform.  There should always be screening and vetting on both sides: in-home caregivers should have access to knowledge of safe, quality parents to work with and vice versa.  We call this "almost on demand" at MomPros. 

FamTech is newly emerging and there are few reasons we cannot automate and standardize elements of the screening/vetting processes that nanny agencies owners know to be tried and true.  MomPros have taken these steps in the right direction and we hope to see more processes and procedures standardized to facilitate quality on both sides.  Novel automation + a platform training component married with a moderate touch of 1:1 care coaching can go a long way as we look to grow FamTech.  We are just at the beginning of this new in-home caregiver frontier.