Get lunch and rest started
Make a child's lunch, help with handwashing, and clear the plates before the day moves on.
Career profile
Nanny
Nannies usually care for one household's children at home and learn its schedule and habits.
A single shift can include coaxing a frustrated child through a puzzle, fixing lunch, and later telling a parent what made the afternoon go better.
A day in the life
Match play to the child
Set out a puzzle or read a picture book, simplifying it so an upset child can try again.
Make the school pickup on time
In driving jobs, check the calendar, collect the kids, and take them home or to an activity.
Teach turn-taking over a toy
When kids argue over a toy, coach each one to say what they want and to wait patiently.
Log the day for parents
Log meals, rest and activities, then tell parents about changes, like a child struggling with a usual favorite.
Quick facts
High school diploma or equivalent
United States · 2026
$16.82/hour — broader childcare group
United States · May 2025
2% decline — broader childcare group
United States · 2025–2035
Quick orientation
Preparation, pay & outlook
Preparation
High school diploma or equivalentTypical preparation; families and agencies differ in the experience and training they expect.
Pay
$16.82/hour — broader childcare groupMay 2025 median for Childcare Workers, equivalent to $34,980 annually. Nanny-only pay is not reported; this wage survey excludes private household employers.
Outlook
2% decline — broader childcare groupChildcare Workers employment is projected to decline from 2025 to 2035, with 150,300 openings annually on average. These are not nanny-only estimates.
Fit, tradeoffs & changing tools
You might like this if…
- You can repeat a simple explanation patiently when a child needs another try.
- You notice small changes in someone's mood or behavior.
- You are comfortable discussing a difficult day honestly with a parent.
Things to weigh
- Expect time on your feet, bending down, and working close to children. Noise and constant attention can be tiring.
- A full-time schedule may exceed 40 hours because parents need coverage during their commute as well as their workday.
Where AI may help
Calendar software can organize pickups and appointments, while digital records can help you share the day's routine.
What people still lead
You still watch the child in front of you, respond to distress, and decide when an activity needs to change.
What we can’t predict yet
How much planning software will take over is uncertain: a workable schedule has to respond to children's changing needs.
Pay in context
Earnings
A national nanny-only wage is not reported here. The nearest official figures cover Childcare Workers more broadly and exclude workers employed directly by private households.
Use the median as broad context
For Childcare Workers, the May 2025 median was $16.82 an hour, with an annual equivalent of $34,980. It is not a typical salary estimate for a family's nanny.
See the national spread
The broader group's 10th-to-90th-percentile range was $11.66–$22.12 an hour, or $24,260–$46,010 annually. These percentiles describe the wage distribution, not starting and experienced nanny rates.
Compare the whole offer
Ask for the hourly rate, expected hours, overtime arrangements, paid leave, and any reimbursement for driving your own car. Put the agreed terms in writing.
Openings can coexist with a decline
Childcare Workers employment is projected to fall 2% during 2025–2035, while averaging 150,300 openings a year. Openings include replacing people who leave; they are not a count of new nanny positions.
Getting started
Build documented childcare experience
- What the route involves
- Build paid experience caring for children and keep records of your hours, responsibilities, and employer contacts.
- What it can lead to
- You can show families or placement agencies what you have handled and provide references they can check.
- What to check
- Check each position's age, experience, and screening requirements before applying.
Add childhood education coursework
- What the route involves
- Study childhood education or a related subject to build your understanding of children's development and care.
- What it can lead to
- Formal study can help you meet the preferences of families seeking a nanny with classroom preparation, particularly for full-time work.
- What to check
- Coursework alone does not satisfy every family's experience and screening expectations.
Families and agencies set their hiring criteria. Expect questions about childcare experience, references, training, and background checks. Current first aid and cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training are common expectations.
After entry
Career paths
This starts where the entry routes leave off: early work, growing capability, and advancement or specialization.
Get established
Learn the family's meal, rest, and pickup routines. Make your daily updates useful enough that parents know what happened while they were away.
Adapt as children grow
Build a wider collection of activities and learn to adjust them to a child's abilities. Child-development courses can help you understand the changes you notice.
Develop a specialty
You could focus on newborn and infant care, adding training and relevant experience before seeking jobs centered on that age group.
Where you can work
A family's home, with your own home elsewhere
As a live-out nanny, you travel to the family's home and leave after your shift. Your hours may cover parents' commutes as well as their working time.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
A family's home where you also live
A live-in position makes the family's home your home too. Clarify your private space, working hours, and time off before accepting the arrangement.
- Indoors
- Physical demands
- Safety-sensitive
Try it
See whether the job clicks before you commit to the path.
On paper, plan a preschooler's afternoon at home with lunch, play, and rest. Then imagine the child is tired earlier than expected: revise the plan and write a two-sentence update to the parent. Notice whether adapting the routine interests you.
Sources
- O*NET OnLine. 39-9011.01 — Nannies. Accessed 2026-10-11.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Childcare Workers — Occupational Outlook Handbook. Accessed 2026-10-11.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. May 2025 Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics — national estimates, SOC 39-9011. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. Employment Projections Table 1.2 — 2025–2035, SOC 39-9011. Accessed 2026-09-29.
- US Nanny Association. Nanny certifications. Accessed 2026-10-11.
- International Nanny Association. Recommended Practices for Nannies. Accessed 2026-10-11.
- International Nanny Association. Hiring a Nanny. Accessed 2026-10-11.