Nannies are educators too

It's well known that the first five years of development are the most important learning years of a child's life. Taking this to heart, and meeting the needs of a new era of discerning parents, a new breed of nannies has emerged. They are career nanny-educators who are educated in Early Childhood Development.

Nanny-educators create a learning environment by providing a wide range of age-appropriate activities and resources designed to meet the needs of children at all levels. These nannies observe and enhance fine and large motor skills, cognitive and language abilities, and social development. They create a fun learning environment with weekly educational themes to stimulate a child's mind and development. A detailed Nanny Journal is also kept for the parents so they can be informed of daily activities.

For infant care, a nanny-educator is in touch with the many precious milestones achieved during a baby's development. Daily activities include reaching and tracking, cross/crawl movements (excellent for right/left brain development), kicking movements, stretching activities, walks, infant massage, baby signing, music, lots of eye contact, mirroring facial gestures/sounds and, of course, plenty of hugs.

For toddlers and older children, nanny-educators design a home pre-school or pre-K environment that focuses on creative and fun weekly themes. Nannies organize sensory and educational-stations to explore reading and phonics, foreign language, numbers, colors, shapes, art projects and imaginary play. Skilled nanny-educators are intuitive with children and balance fun, developmentally age-appropriate learning with a child's need to just play alone and explore the world through "child-led interest."

If you are planning to hire a nanny-educator try using these ideas in your screening and hiring process. Most nannies would love to take on more of a role as an educator. Often nannies who work full-time get their certification or degrees through college correspondence courses.