Nanny Agency Jobs How-to / checklist

Before starting a nanny job, ask the family to walk you through a day with the children. Where does your responsibility begin? Who takes over at the end? Then use the checklist below to record what else the family wants done, whose needs it serves and when it can happen. You should both be able to look at the list and describe the same job.

Copy the nanny duties checklist

Use one copy for the role. Work through the categories together and fill in a task record for each recurring duty you both agree belongs in the job. An example is a prompt for a question. Leave it off your agreed list if it belongs to someone else, or mark it open if you still need an answer.

  • Care and coverage. Which children will be in your care, and during which hours? Name the transitions, such as the moment a parent leaves for work or takes over after school. Who covers the younger child while you collect an older sibling?
  • Meals and snacks. Whose food will you prepare? Walk through one lunch from ingredients to dishes. Someone needs to choose the food, have it in the house, prepare it and clear up. Which of those steps are yours?
  • Children’s belongings and spaces. List the items you will handle. Putting wet clothes in the hamper after an outing is one task. Washing, drying and putting away the children’s clothes on laundry day is another. Agree where your part ends.
  • Activities, travel and errands. Pick one regular trip and name who books it, gives permission, provides transport and packs what the children need. If you will run an errand on the way back, check who will be with you and whether pickup time allows it.
  • Communication and planning. Will you pass along a school notice, or are you responsible for replying and booking a place? Include any expected end-of-day update and when you will write it.
  • Work for the wider household. Ask about requests such as adult laundry, grocery shopping for the family or meeting a repair person. For each proposed duty, name the result, the time available and who can take over if a child needs you.

Task record to copy for each agreed duty

  • Task and what counts as finished ____________________
  • Whose needs or belongings it covers ____________________
  • Frequency and days ____________________
  • Time available within the shift ____________________
  • Priority if it conflicts with care, and what can wait ____________________
  • Support, supplies or decisions needed, and from whom ____________________
  • Agreed boundary, including the part someone else handles ____________________

Test the plan on a busy day

Choose a day when several duties are due. Put the fixed care commitments on the calendar first, including the time it takes to get everyone ready and out the door. Look at the remaining time together. If a job depends on a child sleeping, agree what happens on a day the child stays awake.

Fictional example. On Wednesdays, Mae will refill the older child’s swim bag after the lesson. The family’s first list says “wash swim kit before leaving.” Mae points out that the shift ends at six, just twenty minutes after they get home, while both children still need her attention. They agree that Mae will empty the bag and hang up the wet kit after a parent takes over. The parent will wash it and set out a dry towel. Mae will repack the bag at the start of Thursday’s shift. Each person now knows which part to check before the next lesson.

Confirm the agreed list

Read back any term that still covers several possible jobs. If you wrote “help with dinner,” can each person name who eats it, how often you cook and who buys ingredients? For a brief with substantial coordination or cleaning, compare the family assistant and nanny-housekeeper roles. For individual tasks, use the meal or laundry guides below.

Ask for the agreed list to be reflected in the written offer or work agreement. Keep open questions separate and name who will answer them before the start date. The checklist covers duties only. Use the work agreement review to check the other terms alongside them.

O*NET’s nanny profile describes activities across the occupation, including preparing children’s meals and transporting children. The duties for your particular job come from the arrangement you and the family agree.