As childcare costs soar, many parents feel like they’re running out of options to find affordable, quality care for their kiddos. A nanny share — where one nanny watches two or more children from different families together — could be the answer since it blends the socialization of daycare with the personalization of a nanny while families split the cost.
In this new and unique study, Care.com data analysts crunched the numbers to find the best U.S. metro areas for a nanny share, with Denver, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Jose and Washington, D.C., topping the list. By looking at factors like the number of families interested in a share, nannies available to provide care and the likelihood of finding an arrangement nearby, the study shows parents where their city ranks in putting these nanny share pieces together.
Using proprietary internal data and public information from the U.S. Census Bureau, Care.com ranked all U.S. ZIP codes to find the top 10 cities for a nanny share. In these metros, you’ll find a larger overall population, proportion of young families or population density, making it more likely to find the right nanny share partner living close by.
Care.com also named the best ZIP codes for a nanny share, with some rising to the top for other factors like more nannies looking for work and higher-than-average childcare costs. This can all influence families to think outside the box when it comes to finding the right care at the right price.
The 5 Front-Runners
Denver, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, San Jose and Washington, D.C., round out the top five with the most high-scoring ZIP codes in their metros. The heat maps below highlight the best neighborhoods for a nanny share in each of these cities.
Denver, Colorado
Salt Lake City, Utah
San Francisco, California
San Jose, California
Washington, D.C.
Denver’s spot at the top was driven mostly by its larger population and percentage of adults in their 30s. Residents using Care.com also had a greater interest in nanny sharing, which can help increase the pool of potential partners.
“With the Denver market growing at the rate it is, I imagine that there is a family out there for everyone,” says Laura Hugo, a former nanny share mom. “We also have so many family-friendly neighborhoods, so it’s easy to connect with social media like Nextdoor or Care.com to find other people nearby who want to go in on childcare.”
Sally Ford, a mom from San Francisco, said cost and convenience was what drove her family’s decision. She looked into private nanny rates in her area and is saving roughly $1,200 per month by nanny sharing — that’s $14,000 a year.
Don’t see your city listed? Check out Care.com’s nanny share rankings tool, which analyzes nanny shares across all metro U.S. ZIP codes.
If you’re living in a city with the most nanny share potential, look into your options to see if it is right for your family. Even if your ZIP code ranks low, you can still benefit from a share but it’s important to know where to look. Here’s how to get started:
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Step 1: Make a Plan – Identify your family’s specific needs, and then check out Care.com’s childcare cost calculator to determine potential savings with a share. Make sure you look into local rules before moving forward since nanny sharing may require a childcare license in some areas.
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Step 2: Find a Family – Get the word out to your friends, relatives, and local Facebook and parent groups to find a partner that fits the bill. Families may find success by posting on Care.com’s community discussion boards.
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Step 3: Find a Nanny – Once you’ve found your partner family, create a job description to share via the networks above and Care.com’s local nanny database. Narrow it down to a few candidates to vet and interview, and then make your final decision.
Still need help? Here are more steps for getting started.
What Makes a City Nanny Share-Friendly?
Care.com generated a combined score for each metro U.S. ZIP code by finding the weighted averages across supply, demand and capacity-related factors.
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Supply of nannies measures the percentage of nannies in a population, their experience level and their interest in finding a new role.
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Demand for a nanny share includes the proportion of young families in a ZIP code, interest in finding a nanny share and average childcare costs.
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Capacity factors includes total population and population density to measure the likelihood of finding a partner living close by.
Cities with the most high-scoring ZIP codes were ranked at the top.
Methodology
The “Best U.S. Cities for a Nanny Share” rank is based on scores in three categories: Supply, Demand and Capacity.
“Supply” accounts for nannies as a percentage of the total population in a ZIP code, average years of experience for nannies and availability to start a new role based on the number of nanny applications to Care.com job posts. Metrics are drawn from Care.com member data as of March 2018.
“Demand” measures the population of those ages 0-4, 5-9 and 30-39 as a percentage of the total population in a ZIP code, with data from the U.S. Census Bureau. Average daycare costs and nanny hourly rates are factored in based on Care.com member data since 2017, normalized by median household income generated from Census data. Internal Care.com data related to interest in a nanny share as of April 2018 is also represented.
“Capacity” includes the total population and population density (for absolute population and relative to children 0-4). Data is from the U.S. Census Bureau.
Metrics in these categories are normalized on a scale from 0 to 1, and combined using a weighted average with the following weights: Supply (15%), Demand (42%) and Capacity (42%). Census data on median household income is factored in to account for differences in income. A higher score in a ZIP code means it is better situated for a nanny share, and cities are ranked based on their percentage of ZIP codes above the 80th percentile.
The information contained in this article is provided only as a general guide and is not intended to be nor should it be construed to contain legal, medical or financial advice. The selection of a caregiver and terms of any caregiving arrangement are solely the responsibility of the individuals involved and not Care.com.
