Adventure Nannies Blog

Lead Nanny vs. Staff Nanny: What’s The Difference?

September 14th, 2017

What Is A Lead Nanny – Do You Need One For Your Family?

We’ve Got The Answers You Need!

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The Many Hats A Lead Nanny Must Wear

Lead nannies are often the difference between chaos, and a well-staffed, peaceful home. Also referred to as a head nanny, a lead nanny is essentially the household manager for the children. They manage anything and everything kid-related. Clients are sometimes confused over the role of a lead nanny so in this blog, we will discuss the differences between a lead and a staff nanny. We will also go over the tasks that lead nannies are responsible for, their qualifications, and the typical pay for one of these lifesavers.

What Does A Lead Nanny Do?

A lead nanny is in charge of managing the big picture of all other childcare staff working in the household. They are the person in charge of going through the backpacks at the end of the day, scheduling snack days, pajama day, preparing for birthday parties, guitar lessons, and coordinating teacher appreciation gifts. A lead nanny also manages any hiccups or logistical issues that may arise with other staff members so that the parents don’t have to.

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A Typical Day For A Lead Nanny:

Before Work

A lead nanny begins their day long before they arrive at work. They keep track of and streamline multiple schedules and calendars including that of the children, parents, staff nannies, school, extra-curricular activities, and of course their own. Before they arrive, they will know who is working and when, make sure any shifts are covered if someone is sick, ensure that every detail is managed for each activity that the kids need to be prepared for, they know when the parents are coming home, and if any guests will be visiting the home or the children..

Morning

Upon arrival at the home, a lead nanny will go straight to work setting up the day for the kids and other nannies. This might include laying out the appropriate clothes for each kid based on the day’s activities, preparing any snacks they need to bring to soccer practice, setting out goods for the bake sale, or even wrapping the gift for the friend’s birthday party that day. They will be greeting each nanny/staff member that comes in that day, and briefing them on the day’s activities and tasks. The lead nanny will also be caring for the children if another staff member is off that day, or comes in at a later time.

Afternoon

While the kids are at school, the lead nanny will spend the day preparing for the next part of the day, and all upcoming activities that week. This includes shopping for any events or birthday parties the kids will be attending, planning events or parties for the kids, and looking ahead to see if any appointments need to be scheduled or rescheduled. They may also spend this time training other staff members, updating the training manual, conducting interviews of tutors, scheduling doctors appointments, and enrolling the kids in activities for the remainder of the school year. When the kids come back home, a lead nanny will have everything prepared for their after-school activities. They will check in with the kids and other nannies to see how the day went, and address any issues that came up throughout the day. They will also take note of what’s coming up for the family next so that they can plan accordingly.

Evening

A report of the day’s happenings is put together by the lead nanny and shared with the parents or chief of staff. This is often done in writing, or with a shared app, but can also happen verbally. Once a plan is in place for the next day, the cycle repeats!

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