10 Things Parents Should Expect While Working with an Agency
By Prescilla Sanchez
Understanding the process behind successful placements and what truly sets professional agencies apart
Working with a nanny agency should be a personal, tailored, and intentional experience designed around your family’s needs—not a transactional one. Understanding how the process truly works, and what you can expect, not only leads to stronger hires but also lays the foundation for healthier, more sustainable working relationships between families and childcare professionals. A reputable placement agency acts as a professional partner, guiding families through expectations, market standards, vetting, and long-term compatibility. Here’s what to expect:
A Thorough Intake and Consultation Call
A reputable agency begins with an in-depth consultation to understand a family’s needs, values, routine, and expectations. This step is essential for creating a successful and lasting match.
Professional Guidance and Recommendations
Parents should expect agencies to provide honest feedback and guidance based on industry experience, even when it challenges initial assumptions.
Intentional Placement
Quality agencies do not send random candidates, and they don’t just send whoever is available. Every placement is intentional and based on careful screening, compatibility, and the family’s specific needs.
Clear Pay Rates and Trial Periods
Agencies help set realistic, market-based compensation and clarify how trial periods work to ensure fairness for both the family and the nanny.
Signed Contracts and Formal Agreements
Professional placements always include clear contracts outlining expectations, responsibilities, schedules, and employment terms.
Advocacy for Both the Family and the Nanny
A strong agency acts as a neutral advocate, ensuring that both the family’s needs and the nanny’s professionalism are respected throughout the process.
Timely and Constructive Feedback
Quick, clear feedback helps agencies refine the search and present better-aligned candidates, leading to faster and more successful placements.
Transparency About Agency Fees
An ethical agency will be transparent about its fees and what they include, ensuring families fully understand the value and services provided.
Support Beyond Placement
Ongoing support beyond placement is part of a quality agency experience. Ethical agencies don’t disappear after placement—they remain available to support both parties as the relationship develops.
Not Every Family Is the Right Fit for Every Agency
A successful placement requires mutual selection, not one-sided hiring. A strong match happens when both the family and the nanny agree that the fit is right. The process is collaborative.
Parents who approach the hiring process with clarity and trust are far more likely to experience stable, long-term, and successful placements that benefit both their family and their childcare provider.
Prescilla Sanchez is a professional nanny and childcare specialist who supports families through attentive, relationship-centered care. She is known for creating calm, structured environments where children feel emotionally safe, respected, and supported as they grow. She approaches caregiving with intention, blending intuition and evidence-based practices, along with clear, thoughtful communication.
She actively pursues continued education and encourages caregivers to view their work as skilled, ethical, and meaningful. In addition to her hands-on work, Prescilla is the founder of Pixie Nanny Agency, which she created to advocate for nannies and caregivers, help them feel respected and professionally valued, and educate families on the importance of thoughtful, consistent, long-term, emotionally attuned care.
Outside of her work, Prescilla enjoys spending time with her large extended Latin family, connecting with friends, reading, relaxing at the beach, supporting small businesses, and savoring a good iced matcha.