Nannies Across America

An estimated one to two million nannies are currently employed in U.S. households but the in-home child care industry has no set standards by which to follow. Nannies can call themselves "Baby Nurses" even though they are NOT registered nurses; background checks that serve to protect families are hard to come by and a countless number of placement agencies refer nannies who are not even legally authorized to work in the United States. When it comes to caring for our nation's children in-home, the industry is completely unregulated. Busy parents who seek a flexible child care option are left to sift through the mess. This must change.

We agree with Assemblyman Richard Gottfried, D-Manhattan. He introduced a bill in March 2006 that would make the term "nurse" a protected title. It is not fair to the licensed nurses and to the parents who aren't able to differentiate between the two definitions.

As constituents, I am urging you to support the "In-Home Child Care Act", a bill to regulate one of the oldest traditional professions in the United States. This bill serves to address the following issues:

. Help eliminate discrimination by requiring placement agencies and families to follow standard criteria for hiring qualified screened candidates.

. Mandate specific training of nannies. This bill will allow for grants and federal support for education related to the training of nannies entering the profession or to existing nannies who need to enhance their skills.

. Ensure that nannies, though baby specialists, are no longer labeled as "nurses".

. Create a national registry for professional nannies.

. Allow agencies access to improve background checks and standardize wages.

This bipartisan bill is designed to raise the overall quality of care throughout the nanny industry, set employment guidelines regarding conditions, salary and benefits for nannies, and to ensure that the in-home child care provider standards are compatible with the rest of the child care industry. This would open doors for more jobs, promote job security and give qualified in-home child care professionals the respect and recognition they deserve.

Working parents, extended families, single parents and enterpreneurs utilize the services of professional nannies. According to the latest available U.S. Census figures, 64 percent of mothers with a child under age six were in the workforce, and 78 percent of mothers with children ages 6 to 17 work. Moreover, an estimated twenty million children in the U.S. under age 18 live in a household headed by a single parent. It is also estimated by the Department of Labor that there are over 2 million in-home child care providers in this county today, all working without formal vocational or accreditation. The nanny industry is currently unregulated - working parents who prefer in-home care for their children are forced to rely on au pairs from abroad, young people who typically come to the United States for the American experience. It's time to give working families a better option within their own country.

Please contact your senators and representatives today! Urge them to cosponsor and support this important piece of legislation. You can contact them in one or more of the following ways: via e-mail, letter, phone call, or a personal meeting. Below is a letter that you can personalize and send to your elected federal officials:

Download the letter now

Visit the following sites to find accurate contact information for your senators and representatives:

http://www.senate.gov/general/contact_information/senators_cfm.cfm

http://www.house.gov/writerep/

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