Our number one objective is to give you peace of mind! When you contact our agency we will supply you with an information form which will ask you what you would expect from your nanny (a detailed job description). You will receive a client agency agreement that explains our obligations to you during the search process. We can refer you to experts in the fields of payroll taxes and insurance coverage. We are available to help you throughout the hiring process and welcome your call at any point after you have hired a nanny.

The first question that many potential clients ask us is, "What do you charge?" There are many things to take into consideration when comparing fees of various agencies. Our fee structure is competitive locally as well as nationally. In the beginning of our relationship we require a $100.00 search fee, which is a one time only fee. We will charge you 10% of the nanny's annual salary, which is payable at the time of hire. There is a minimum fee of $1000.00 on any long-term referral. This fee is based on the cost of doing business and the amount of time devoted to screening applicants. We take the saftey and security of your family very seriously.

What can you expect to pay a nanny? In the Houston area, nannies' salaries average between $10.00 an hour all the way up to $20.00 an hour. On average, a well referenced, experienced nanny will earn a minimum of $12.00 an hour. Live in nannies usually earn $450 to $700 per week. Many live in and live out nannies usually work between 45 and 55 hours per week. We also place part time nannies as well as on-call visiting nannies.

If a replacement nanny becomes necessary within the first ninety (90) days, we will assist you in locating another nanny at no additional fee. After the free replacement period, we offer a fifty-percent discount ($1000.00 minimum replacement fee) through the first year following the original start date. The careful matching of a nanny’s skills, experience and personality to your expectations is the area where we excel. We don’t want to waste your time. Good communication between you and your consultant is essential. Your consultant will follow up with you frequently during your search.

Morningside Nannies Provides:

Background Investigation*: a professional pre-employment screening service will run a check on each full time nanny at the time of hire, which includes:

• Multi-state criminal record search. *Click here to read an excerpt from a recent article from The Wall Street Journal.
• Identity verification
• Social security trace
• National fugitive search.
• Harris County criminal and civil records search
• Driving History

Work History: includes the previous employers' names, phone numbers and occupations, the nanny's responsibilities, the dates of employment, the ages of the child or children cared for and the reason the job ended.

    Click Here for a free tax calculator for nanny employers.

The Wall Street Journal
October 24, 2002

When the Nanny Has a Past
WORK & FAMILY
By SUE SHELLENBARGER

Charlotte Foster has a tip for parents: Before you hire a nanny, do a thorough background check. Without realizing it, the Houston mother once hired a convicted killer to care for her three children. The candidate was warm and pleasant. He came through a nanny agency Ms. Foster had used before, one that said it conducted background checks. The idea of having a male nanny oversee her three boys intrigued her, Ms. Foster says; "I thought I had somebody who was going to be able to play soccer with the kids."

The Fosters hired the man but decided to check him out further and uncovered a nightmare: Not only was the nanny using a false name, but a subsequent police check showed he had been convicted of a killing in an armed robbery 12 years earlier in Switzerland and escaped from jail there. The Fosters turned him over to police, and he eventually was extradited to Europe.

Running a thorough background check on a prospective nanny can be cumbersome, taking three to seven days or longer. But as the weak economy drives more people with varied backgrounds to seek child-care jobs, it has never been more important. Only about 50% to 75% of nanny agencies conduct background checks on applicants, based on estimates from several nanny agencies and security agencies I surveyed. While that is up from an estimated 10% to 30% a decade ago, it still leaves a wide margin of error.

A good background probe includes a check of the applicant's Social Security number, to verify name and past addresses. Court records, including felonies, misdemeanors, civil proceedings and sex-offender listings, should be checked in the places the applicant has lived. Past employment should be verified, driving records checked and references interviewed in depth. Finally, a credit check can help expose any gaps in the past addresses or employment history provided by the candidate.

The easiest route to accomplishing all this is to hire a high-quality nanny agency. While agencies usually charge 10% of a nanny's first-year salary, plus a $100 to $300 application fee, a good agency is a de facto screening mechanism. Job seekers who want to hide a checkered past avoid reputable agencies.

If possible, seek out an agency that belongs to the Alliance of Professional Nanny Agencies, a professional group that requires members to conduct rigorous background checks.

Some other nanny agencies, however, do little more than pass on candidates' names. Ask your agency for written results of a background check. Though Ms. Foster's former agency assured her that a background check had been done, the only documentation it could offer was verification of one employer and one recent reference. "I didn't like the paper trail," Ms. Foster says. Her husband, an oil-company executive, secured checks of the nanny's Social Security number and references through his company, which revealed the nanny was using a false name and turned out to be a convicted felon. Police uncovered the other facts about his own criminal past. Fortunately, the nanny only cared for her children for a few days and behaved well while he was there, Ms. Foster says.

It is possible to do some parts of a background check yourself, such as interviewing references. You can check criminal records by visiting county courthouses where the applicant has lived, assuming you have the time and patience.

Most parents, however, still turn to the experts for help. Ms. Foster relies on a high-quality nanny agency, Morningside Nannies of Houston, which checks civil and criminal court records, Social Security numbers and driving and credit history on nanny candidates, says owner Pat Cascio. Paying whatever it takes to get expert screening, Ms. Foster says, gives her peace of mind.