Our extensive application and screening process gives professional nannies the spotlight! Nannies that meet our Professional Standards are invited to begin the application process by submitting a brief online application and sharing your childcare-specific resume with us. Nannies must meet our Professional Standards to be considered for a position, and we are not able to consider every nanny that applies.

All job-searching nannies should create a childcare resume that is specific to this industry. A childcare-specific resume will focus on a candidate’s professional work history working with children ages 0-5, including past childcare work positions held from age 18 forward, applicable trainings and certifications, volunteer work with children, and childcare-related skill sets.

The childcare resume is one of the very first requirements an applicant must fulfill in order to become a candidate within our Nanny Placement Service. We look for specific experience, education, and skills to qualify nannies to be represented by our agency, and a detailed childcare resume will tell us much of what we need to know about an applicant right away!

Don’t have a childcare-specific resume yet? Read more about Creating a Childcare Resume.

Before we present nanny candidates to our clients, we contact at least three recent childcare references.  These must be three people unrelated to you that have worked with you directly in a professional work environment or long-term volunteer placement.  These should be people who have observed your ongoing interactions with the children in your care, who can both validate your past employment and talk to us more about your personal and professional character and their past experiences working with you.  These references are often previous nanny or babysitting families, employers or coworkers at daycare or school, or anyone else who observed you working with children on a regular basis.

We define Professional Childcare Experience as any part-time or full-time paid childcare positions working with children ages 0-5 in a formal environment–as a nanny, family assistant, daycare employee, or preschool teacher–that a candidate has held from age 18 forward.  Other experience working with children–babysitting, social work, behavioral therapy, volunteer work, coaching, tutoring, teaching, etc.–can provide candidates with other highly specialized skill sets that families may find value in, but these types of positions do not qualify as professional childcare experience.

If you are new to the childcare industry, we encourage you to build up your resume with daycare positions and/or nanny positions. Keep in mind that the longer a position is held, the better it looks for future families who are hoping to hire a person to stay with their family for 5+ years! You can find nanny positions on many online venues or through word of mouth, but remember–even an entry-level nanny must be paid legally, so be wary of families offering lower-than-average pay and never accept a cash-only position or a position without paid time off and benefits. You’re worth a fair and legal wage!

We list all of our currently available positions on our job postings page.  Don’t see a position that you’re interested in?  You can still apply today to get immediate consideration for any future positions we have available!  Currently-registered nannies get notified first of all new positions, and are our priority when choosing nannies to introduce to families.

Our extensive application and screening process gives professional nannies the spotlight!  Nannies that meet our professional standards are invited to begin the application process by submitting a brief preliminary online application.  Nannies must meet our professional standards to be considered for a position, and we are not able to place every nanny that applies.

Our Professional Standards for Nannies are as follows:

• Must be at least 21 years old, must speak English, and must be legal to work in the United States.
• Must have a minimum of 3 years of Professional Childcare Experience in a formal work environment. We consider “Professional Childcare Experience” to be any part-time or full-time paid childcare positions working with children ages 0-5–as a nanny, family assistant, daycare employee, or preschool teacher–that a candidate has held from age 18 forward.  
• Must have at least three recent childcare references.  These must be three people unrelated to the nanny that have worked with the nanny directly to observe their past work with children, whether they be previous nanny or babysitting families, coworkers at daycare or school, or anyone else who observed them with children on a regular basis.
• Must have their own safe and reliable transportation, a valid driver’s license, auto insurance, a clean driving record, and must be willing to drive their vehicle to transport children as required by their job.
• Must have current Adult, Infant and Toddler CPR/First aid certification or agree to complete a class within 90 days of start-date if hired.
• Must be able to pass a thorough criminal background check and drug test.
• Must have a high school diploma.  Preference is given to applicants with a degree in education, child development, or family studies.

Nannies placed by Michigan Nanny Solutions make an average of $22-26 per hour for up to 40 hours in a week, and are paid time-and-a-half for all overtime hours beyond 40. 

The final hourly rate for each position will depend in part on the hours needed (part-time generally pays $1-2 more per hour), the job description and ages of the child(ren), the location of the family, and on the nanny’s experience and education.  Other household positions, such as Private Educators, Family Assistants, Household Managers, Night Nannies, and Newborn Care Specialists, will require a higher hourly rate.  

We help families determine the appropriate pay range and total compensation package for each position, and we help negotiate with their chosen nanny candidate as needed.

Being paid cash under the table or being paid via a 1099 are both illegal and may open the families you work with up to tax fraud or felony tax evasion.  Nannies are, by federal law, non-exempt hourly employees, which means you must be paid via W-2/W-4 with taxes and fees withheld.  You can learn more about this federal law here: IRS Publication 926 (2025), Household Employer’s Tax Guide 

We require that all families that we work with pay their nanny legally, and we recommend that they hire a payroll service that will pay you biweekly via direct deposit with taxes and fees withheld and paid quarterly.  While there are many great household-specific payroll companies, we refer all our clients to our Premier Payroll Partner, GTM Payroll, Inc.  Contact them today to learn more about fair and legal pay by visiting  https://gtm.com/household/michigan-nanny-solutions/

These are the required minimum benefits that families must offer their nanny if represented by our agency.

1. Guaranteed Pay: Families must guarantee their nanny’s pay 52 weeks per year in exchange for your guaranteeing the family your availability and loyalty.  For example, if you are hired for 40 hours per week, you will be paid 40 hours per week, even if the family needs you for fewer hours.  If the family is traveling and gives you a week off, or even just Thursday and Friday off, you will still be paid all for the hours you would normally work on these days.  In return, you must guarantee the family your availability for the days and times they are scheduled to work.  You MUST make the family your top priority during those times.  
2. Paid Time Off:  PTO hours are used when you choose to take a day or several days off for your own needs.  This covers vacation days, personal days, jury duty, bereavement, etc.  Nannies will start with two weeks of PTO–if their schedule is 5 days/40 hours, their PTO will be equal to 10 days/80 hours.  Generally, families will need to find alternate coverage when you use PTO hours. 
3. Paid Sick Days: Per Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act, Nannies must legally be provided with 40 hours of Paid Sick Time for the year, regardless of how many hours they are hired for per week.  As the employer, you can decide if Paid Sick Time is available immediately or have it go into effect up to 120 days after hire.  Nannies are generally expected to work regardless of their own minor illness or injury (and regardless of any illness in the family they work for), but sometimes, major illnesses and injuries may occur, and nannies will need to use their sick days to quarantine, rest, and recover. For more information about Michigan’s Earned Sick Time Act, visit https://www.michigan.gov/leo/bureaus-agencies/ber/wage-and-hour/paid-medical-leave-act
4. Paid holidays:  If you are scheduled to work on a holiday and the family does not need you, you will be paid your normal hours that day.  These paid holidays are generally Memorial Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, Christmas Day, and New Years Day.  Some families also offer Good Friday, Day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, New Years Eve, or other holidays they know nanny will not be needed.  Any other days a nanny is scheduled to work and is not needed are also covered by Guaranteed Pay (see above)
5. Federal Mileage Reimbursement: Mileage for all miles driven with the family’s children in your personal vehicle will be reimbursed at the current 2026 IRS Mileage Reimbursement rate of $0.725 per mile.  It is your responsibility to track your mileage—using whatever means you prefer—and to report all miles driven with children in the car to your employers once per month.  Federal Mileage Reimbursement is NON-taxable, so you can be reimbursed using cash, electronic transfer, or a personal check.  It does not go through payroll. It is also your responsibility to keep your vehicle maintained and clean, and you must get and maintain a business rider on your car insurance as per Michigan law.  The mileage reimbursement is intended to help you cover these costs.
6. CPR/First Aid: Family pays for CPR/First Aid certification and/or renewal when it comes due.  Nannies must stay up to date with this life-saving information.  If your certification has expired, you will have 90 days to renew it upon receiving a job offer.  However, it does reflect better during the interview process (and helps you be competitive!) if you are currently certified while job searching.
7. Vaccinations:  Family pays for any vaccines they require (most commonly COVID, flu shot and TDaP) if they are not covered under nanny’s insurance.

Nannies NEVER pay Michigan Nanny Solutions for any aspect of the placement process, nor do we ever take funds from the nanny’s paycheck going forward.  The families who hire us pay a Nanny Placement Fee that covers 100% of the costs to search, screen, interview, background check, and place the nannies we work with.

Your legal employer is the family you work for, not Michigan Nanny Solutions.  Once you are hired, the family will work with a payroll company to pay you directly every two weeks.  Families are legally considered Household Employers, and will establish themselves as such with the IRS to make sure they are legally compliant with taxes, fees, FICA, Workman’s Compensation Insurance, and Unemployment Insurance.

Michigan Nanny Solutions is a referral-based placement agency.  We represent both the families we work with and the nannies we work with during the placement process with the end goal of helping the family hire the very best nanny for their family.  At no time are we the employer or employee of any party involved.  You can consider us your highly-specialized match maker instead!

Background checks are initiated AFTER a formal job offer is extended and accepted by the nanny the family wants to hire.  As part of our preliminary screening, we will ask you to disclose traffic tickets and criminal convictions on your first application, and we decline working with nannies who disclose excessive traffic tickets or infractions or a criminal history.  

Our comprehensive background screenings include the following:

• Social Security Number trace & verification
• Screen of the candidate’s United States criminal records, covering county and national records
• Screen of the United States’ sex offender database
• A copy of the candidate’s current motor vehicle report
• Lab-based 5-panel drug test that screens for use of marijuana, PCP, cocaine, methamphetamine, and opiates

Our Background Screening Services are also available to any individual or family.

All of our Full-Time and Part-Time Nanny Placement Services are backed by a 90 Day Happy Nanny/Happy Family Guarantee.  If you or the family are unhappy with the placement, and we are unable to mediate to improve the situation, we will help you dissolve your employment relationship with the family according to the terms in the work agreement provided at hire.  

We will stay in touch with you and the family you work for to make sure things are going well during the trial period, and if there is anything happening you want to discuss with us, please don’t hesitate to reach out!  

We take great pride in doing everything we can to make sure the nanny/family employment relationship starts on a firm, respectful, professional foundation, and we will remain available throughout the duration of your placement to help advise on any issues related to your employment.  Since we aren’t your employers, we can’t immediately affect change, but we can help you have productive conversations with your employers any time the need arises!  Ongoing support and advice for our nannies is offered at no cost to you–all you have to do is ask!