What makes PNN stand apart from other agencies?

We’re fast, detailed and have what you need, when you need it.

• Our unrivaled screening procedures that make us an industry leader
• Our renowned professionalism
• Our eminent ability to listen and respond to our employees, candidates and families
• Our incomparable availability and responsiveness

As you can see from the testimonials on our website, all of these claims are steadily reinforced by client and candidate feedback. We are proud to have earned the trust of families, candidates and employees who say we are the most responsive, caring agency with whom they’ve ever worked. We don’t compromise on any level.

Can I use you only for screening services? Does this mean I can hire my own candidate and your agency will help me with screening?

We recognize that not everyone can do proper screening on their own. It’s often burdensome and time-consuming. It’s also difficult to identify red flags and blind spots. So for clients who find potential candidates through other resources, we offer a DIY option. That means we can do everything from background checking to interviewing to reference checking. We can do our whole screening process on a candidate or any combination of vetting services. Clients who want to thoroughly screen and check a candidate’s background and credentials regularly use us for this service option. If you’re interested in this service, call us!

How do you screen your nannies, sitters and household helpers?

We have a five-step process:

1. We screen the candidate over the telephone to qualify them for an interview.
2. The candidate completes a comprehensive six-page application form and we check the US Justice Department Sex Offender Registry.
3. We meet for an in-depth interview.
4. We check references. This consists of detailed conversations with former childcare employers, and a verification of education and all other types of employment.
5. We engage upon hire a private security firm to conduct all the following checks: Department of Motor Vehicles, National and State Criminal Records, Office of Foreign Assets Control, PA Child Abuse Clearance and social security trace.

Can I directly hire a candidate who PNN had introduced to me a long time ago or who had worked for me as a babysitter or as a temporary helper in the past?

No. Whether the individual actually worked for you in the past or you met her for an interview, you remain obligated to compensate PNN for the Application, Registration and Agency Fees should you engage her services for a temporary job, babysitting job or a long term job. Failure to do so may be legally actionable, and could result in your financial liability.  Also, stated in the Services Agreement is that the nanny cannot be passed along to another person for the purpose to hire.  We do a lot to recruit the best nannies.  To redirect them away from PNN, as a fully agency vetted employee is not ethical or in keeping of the contractual agreement.

How long does it take to hire a nanny, sitter or household helper?

For temporary care, almost immediately. For longer temps, it could be a few weeks.  Our nanny employees are ready to work!

For long term hiring of at least one year, the average range is from three to six weeks—start to finish. With that said, we’ve made referrals in as little as one day and some have taken up two months. It all depends on the circumstances unique to the family. We will not compromise our screening quality. Much also depends on how quickly you’re able to work with us. If you return our calls promptly and call the candidates immediately, it will be a shorter process. If you wait several days to return our calls or to contact a candidate, the process will take longer. The important piece we emphasize is to hire the right nanny, sitter or household helper. Many of our clients find the right person within the first few interviews.

In this competitive environment, you need to jump on it.  If you don’t hire the nanny or respond when we reach out to you, she’ll be hired in a NY minute by someone else!

Do I interview the nanny first?

For long term jobs, YES!  You will go through the interview process, meeting all the candidates you consider a potential good fit.  For the temps, we will assign one of our nanny employees  to your request, though we want you to let us know we have done a great job of matching.  For temp requests that are booked for multiple weeks for a set recurring schedule of course, you can phone,  video or meet in person to confirm the match.

Why did the temporary service model change April 1, 2022?

There are 2 BIG reasons.  Firstly, we have a team of nannies that we employ for corporate backup care.  By offering these nannies more opportunity to work as our employees, they have access to benefits such as PTO, healthcare support, and a retirement plan.  Working for several different employers, individual families, a nanny doesn’t have any of that.  Working for 1 employer, upgrades the job, the profession and the dedication to the position of a nanny.  The second reason is simple.  This model makes it easier for our clients.  The client doesn’t have to think about any of the above, nor do they have to worry about all the employee tax liabilities.  The client can still have the tax credit for paying for the child care without the tax liability exposure. Our goal is to make things easier and better for everyone.

What if I want a babysitter or nanny for my temp request who is a very experienced nanny?

All of our nannies have solid childcare experience.  If you want someone who has advanced experience as a nanny, it will be an additional $3.50 per hour.  While these career nannies are typically working in long term jobs, there are occasions when, in between long term positions they will work in shorter term jobs until they start their next long term, more permanent role.

For my temporary nanny who is the agency's employee, is sales tax charged on the hourly rate?

Sales tax is not paid on the employment portion of the hourly rate.  Sales tax, 6%,  is paid on $5 per hour equal to .30 per hour for PA residents.

For my temporary nanny who is the agency's employee, can she drive my kids?

If you need driving, no problem.  We will have you sign a waiver to allow the nanny to drive your children in her car or in your car.  If she needs to use her car, she will clock the mileage and you’ll be charged 58.5 cents per mile (or current IRS mileage reimbursement rate)  + 2% service fee which equals 60 cents per mile.

For my temporary nanny who is the agency's employee, what about overtime?

As long as the nanny can accommodate the change in schedule for longer hours, she will ask you for a signed time card and she’ll submit it to us for payroll.  The service does not allow for paying the nanny directly or paying her “on the side” for any time outside of the arrangement with PNN.  Paying outside of the agency would be a conflict with the contractual services agreement between you and PNN and between the nanny and PNN.  So while it could seem easy to ask the nanny to work a few extra hours in the week, and pay her cash, that’s prohibited.  This policy of not allowing circumventing the agency is carried over from the legacy model.

For my temporary nanny who is the agency's employee, what if I need fewer hours for the day than what I booked?

Because the nanny is booked and committed to you for all the hours requested, we are not double booking her, just in case you cancel.  That means she is counting on your job for her means of support.  You can count on her and she is counting on you. You will be charged for all hours booked and the nanny will be paid for all hours booked.

How do I handle if the nanny needs a day off or if they are sick? Is it a requirement or expectation to give a paid day off?

In long term jobs, there should be an agreement with your employee about how paid time off is used.  In most compensation packages, there are days that are paid as paid vacation, paid holidays and paid sick/personal time.

For the nannies who are PNN employees, they all accrue PTO.  If one of our employees is working a consistent  schedule on a short term basis, we work with you to arrange time off needed to recover from illness or refresh on vacation.

As we navigate COVID-19 pandemic we never know who or how or when someone will get exposed to the virus.  Because of that we all have to be flexible and understanding.  We recommend to set expectations, that you have an agreement in the beginning.  Paid or unpaid can be dependent on  who is initiating the time off.  For employee’s request: we are seeing up to 3 days per year is  given paid and any more than that, as unpaid.  For employer’s request:  we recommend the employee is paid.  In a pandemic illness cannot be predicted, there may be times when self-quarantine is imperative.

Please use this link to Best Practices.  CDC recommended practices can be found here.

For my temporary nanny who is the agency's employee, what if I cancel a day here or there?

If you need to cancel your booking, we’d love a heads up at least 24 hours in advance.

If you give us more than 24 hours’ notice before your service is due to start, we’ll turn the hours you’ve paid for into credits. You can use these credits any time you want to book another service with us – they’ll be waiting in your account for you.

If something comes up and you have to cancel with less than 24 hours’ notice, we unfortunately won’t be able to convert your paid hours into credits or give a refund. The reason for this is because our nannies rely on these bookings, and we need to make sure they get paid for the time they set aside for you. We know life can be unpredictable, but we’re sure you understand.

Thanks for your cooperation, and we’re here to help if you have any more questions!

For my temporary nanny who is the agency's employee, what if we have a vacation planned in the time block we booked ? Do I have to give paid time off?

While paid time off is always a nice benefit, you are not obligated to give that.  We can accommodate a vacation block planned at least 1 month in advance because we will fill her time with another family’s request while you are gone.  Our nanny employees accrue PTO.  Their time off is arranged through PNN as their employer.

For my temporary nanny who is the agency's employee, what if I don’t want the nanny to work for another family while we are on vacation?

If that is your request, we can make that happen.  It means you would be charged for the time away and the nanny would receive paid time off out of what you have been charged. What we cannot do is to ask the nanny not to work and then tell her that she will not get paid. It is not fair to prohibit someone from earning a living!

For a nanny share, does each family pay the full amount posted or is that shared?

The beauty of a share is that the cost is shared.  If the nanny is getting $25 per hour, each family is paying $12.50 per hour.   The agency fee is paid by each family.  Instead of each paying the full agency fee, each pays a smaller percentage.  The is a real cost savings.

For the School@Home program, what is the difference between if I employ the educator or PNN employs the educator?

As the employer, we take care of all the payroll, insurances and tax liabilities. It’s more streamlined. Otherwise, that is left to you and the “share” families. We are happy to accommodate either way.

For the School@Home program, can the agency find a fill-in if my educator cannot come to work?

Because we are in an unusual set of circumstances with the pandemic, the agency cannot help with the “one-off” fill in.

For the School@Home program, if I share an educator or participate in a Learning Pod, do all the families register with PNN?

Yes! all families who participate in a pod or a share will pay the Annual Registration fee. The extra bonus is that all the families can have access through us to our temporary nannies and babysitters.