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Running a background check on a potential nanny, babysitter or caregiver hire is a must to ensure you’re leaving your children with a safe and reliable person. There is a lot of public information that you can use, plus in some states, you can ask applicants to sign a consent that gives you permission to check driving records, arrest records, and more. We cover all of that in this post, which includes 11 steps to DIY your own nanny background check.

If you’re looking to run a background check on a nanny, these are some ways you can do it.

How do you screen a nanny? 11 steps to run a background check for caregivers

1. Google search potential babysitters
2. Social media search
3. Check identification
4. Schedule first interview
5. Schedule second, working interview
6. Interview past employers
7. Interview family and friends
8. Verify education records
9. Check sex offender registry
10. Check driving record
11. Use a background check website that’s FCRA compliant

Best background check websites for nannies, babysitters and caregivers

• Care.com
• eNannySource

Other ways to find people online and check someone’s background

How do you screen a nanny? 11 steps to run a background check for caregivers

#1. Google search potential babysitters

The simplest way to run a background check when you’re hiring a nanny or hiring a babysitter is to Google the person’s name. Get more specific results by searching “[name] nanny” or “[name] city/state.” Or put the name in quotation marks to cut down on the volume of your results. 

#2. Social media search

Research for potential nannies on social media sites such as:

• Facebook
• Twitter
• Instagram
• Linkedin

Almost every social media platform has an internal search function where you can search for someone by name, email, or phone number (though you may need to create an account yourself to do so).

If the person’s profile is public, the content on their page may give you a peek into their lifestyle and professionalism.

#3. Check identification

Ask for the nanny’s driver’s license or other photo ID (such as a passport, or a government or military ID). A real ID should have:

• A smooth surface
• A solid feel (not flimsy) 
• An unaltered image
• Text that is not blurry or smeared

Make sure the applicant’s ID has not expired. Don’t accept copies. The applicant should allow you to make a copy of their ID, which you can use to conduct a professional background check.

The free site eForms offers background check authorization form templates that you can download and use, depending on your local and state laws. It may be easier to use a professional service (see #11 for more details).

#4. Schedule first interview

Set up an initial interview with the candidate you’re considering. Some families choose to host the interview in their home and let the nanny meet their children; others opt for a public place such as a coffee shop. Whatever you’re most comfortable with is fine.

Ask the nanny questions such as:

• How long have you worked with children, and what settings or environments have you worked in? What ages have you cared for?
• What are your best qualities?
• Where have you lived in the last 10 years and for how long?
• Do you have references? (both personal and professional)
• Are you willing to drive the children places as needed? How is your driving record?
• Do you have a college degree? Is it related to childcare? Have you ever taken classes in childcare? 
• Where did you grow up? Are you close with your family?
• Do you have certifications in CPR, first responder training, and first aid? If not, are you willing to get them? What would be your plan in an emergency situation?
• Why do you want this job?

You should also ask questions that are specific to your child or children’s current age. For example, ask if the nanny is comfortable caring for a newborn; potty training a toddler; or assisting a middle schooler with homework help. 

If you have pets, ask about the nanny’s experience caring for animals and potential allergies. Any medical needs or behavioral challenges relevant to your family should also be discussed. 

#5. Schedule second, working interview

It can be helpful to set up a working interview to see how the nanny interacts with your children. This might look like a normal weekday afternoon after school; a Friday evening date night; or even a weekend trip depending on your comfort level. 

Whatever the case, pay the nanny their usual rate. Then ask your children how things went. If this working interview is simple and short, you may choose to stay present in the house while the nanny interacts with your kids.

#6. Interview past employers

Ask the nanny to provide references and contact information so you can speak with their past employers. While the questions you ask might vary depending on the nature of the job, you can ask questions like:

• How long did [name] work for you?
• Why did they leave the job?
• Were they on time and honest?
• Were you pleased with their overall performance? 
• Are there any concerns you’d have about this person?

#7. Interview family and friends

Ask for personal references, such as the nanny’s family members, friends, or anyone who knows them outside of work. You can speak with these people to get an idea of the candidate’s personality and character. 

While personal references are obviously more biased, it’s still good to see that a person has people who are willing to vouch for them.  

#8. Verify education records

If a candidate says they went to a certain school, make sure they completed the program they claim. Ask for details about their high school, college, or vocational school, such as what they studied and when they graduated. You’ll need to have them fill out a Form I-9 to verify their identity and employment authorization.

Next, use a third-party education verification service, or reach out to the school(s) yourself to verify the nanny’s graduation status. 

#9. Check sex offender registry

All 50 states and the District of Columbia have sex offender registries that are open to the public. You can run a search for somebody’s name on the National Sex Offender website run by the U.S. Department of Justice.

#10. Check driving record

Ensure your children’s safety in the car by checking the nanny’s driving record. You can do this by requesting the nanny’s driving record from your local DMV. Depending on your state, you’ll likely need their: 

• Name
• Birthday
• Driver’s license number
• A notarized authorization form releasing the record to you

#11. Use a background check website that’s FCRA compliant

If you decide to use a background check website, it’s important to select one that’s compliant with the Fair Credit Reporting Act (FCRA). The FCRA helps consumers by regulating how their information can be used and accessed. 

As an employer (even for a nanny), you are required to follow the FCRA when conducting a background check to avoid a potential lawsuit.

Best background check websites for nannies, babysitters and caregivers

Choose from these nanny background check websites that comply with the FCRA:

Care.com

If the nanny you’re considering has a caregiver profile on Care.com (an online marketplace to find child care, elder care, and other services), they will have already completed a CareCheck conducted by the website. This includes:

• Social Security number trace
• National Sex Offender Public Website search
• Multi-jurisdictional criminal database search
• Federal and county criminal records search

You can also request a background check on a caregiver. Care.com has a B rating (not accredited) from the Better Business Bureau. 

eNannySource

eNannySource is another option to run a background check on a nanny and make sure you’re complying with the FCRA. Multiple pricing tiers are available. The most comprehensive check covers:

• Over 650 million national criminal records, including sex offender registries
• Social Security number trace
• County court records search for most recent county lived in
• Additional county court records search for prior county lived in
• Driving record report
• National alias search

Other ways to find people online and check someone’s background

Hiring a nanny is a big decision. This individual will be entering your home and spending time alone with your children. That’s why you need to make 100% sure that a nanny is who they claim — that they’re safe, trustworthy, and dependable. A background check will give you peace of mind that you’re hiring the right person.

If you’re hiring a nanny, it also doesn’t hurt to see what they might find out about you. You can follow many of the steps outlined in this article or use a FCRA compliant background check site.

If you’re not able to find enough information about your prospective nanny, check out our post on finding people online or consider using a private investigator (PI), who can conduct extensive background checks on your behalf. He or she may also run surveillance to make sure the person you’re considering is safe.

Check out this video for some insight into a private investigator’s background check process:

If you have children and are considering divorce — or if you recently divorced your spouse — you may be in the midst of figuring out custody schedules and determining how you’ll raise your children in separate households.

When parents separate, getting the right advice on child arrangements can help them understand their options and make decisions that prioritise their children’s needs.

If you and your ex-spouse will each actively parent your children, you’ll be co-parenting, regardless of whether you get along well or never want to be in the same room again. In either scenario, studies find that children fare best when both parents are involved — as equally as possible.

Learn more in 11 surprising facts about equal shared parenting

“The benefits of co-parenting are that each parent can still have an active role in their child’s life, and have the ability to communicate their concerns and work together with the other parent to compromise,” says Dr. Jaclyn Gulotta, a licensed mental health counselor and qualified mental health supervisor.

How much or how little you collaborate with your ex-spouse depends on how civil your relationship is and whether you agree on how to raise your kids. 

Gulotta says having a positive co-parenting relationship allows children to observe their parents modeling healthy relationship dynamics, including positive communication and respectful problem resolution.

In this post, I’ll give you all the resources and information you need to figure out a co-parenting plan that works for you and your family:

What is co-parenting?

What does co-parenting mean?

What are the types of co-parenting?

• Parallel parenting
• Conflicted co-parenting
• Cooperative co-parenting

What do you do when you can’t or don’t want to co-parent?

What is the difference between co-parenting compared to joint custody?

• Aren’t women naturally better parents?

What are examples of co-parenting?

What are the benefits of co-parenting?

• Co-parenting benefits for parents
• Co-parenting benefits for children

Co-parenting FAQs

What is co-parenting?

The definition of co-parenting is the practice of two parents working together to parent the kids. While married or coupled parents can and should certainly co-parent collaboratively, the term is usually used when navigating divorced and separated families where parents live apart.

So, what does co-parenting mean? Ideally, co-parenting moms and dads work together in the raising of children, including big decisions like medical and religious practices, as well as daily routines, discipline, schedules and values. 

Co-parenting and shared parenting are separate, but closely related terms.

Shared parenting is the term used for time-sharing in the event of separation or divorce in which the kids split the hours and days approximately equally between both parents’ homes.

Other terms include shared physical custody, equally shared parenting time, equal co-parenting, and equally shared parenting responsibility.  

A review of 60 peer-reviewed and published studies on shared parenting found that children fare better when separated, and divorced co-parents share parenting time and decisions approximately equally (courts and academics consider at least 40 percent time with each parent to be considered shared parenting, a.k.a. equal co-parenting).

This is also true for co-parenting in high-conflict situations.

What does co-parenting mean?

Ideally, both parents are actively involved in the child’s day-to-day life, communicate amicably (though you don’t have to be friends with an ex to be good co-parents), share the physical, financial, logistical and emotional responsibilities and joys of parenting, and encourage your children to have a warm relationship with the other parent, and their extended family and friends. 

Co-parenting also requires that the parents communicate respectfully when challenges arise, and work together in the best interest of the child. Co-parenting mothers and fathers should allow each parent to express their own rules and parenting style when spending time with the child.

What are the types of co-parenting?

There is no one-size-fits-all co-parenting plan. Depending on how well you and your ex get along, you can choose a co-parenting plan with as much or as little interaction/communication as you can manage.

These are a few of the different types of co-parenting:

Parallel parenting

Parallel parenting involves co-parenting your children with minimal collaboration and communication. Each parent in a parallel parenting agreement raises their children how they choose when the children are in their custody. 

Parallel parenting is usually used in high-conflict divorce cases where the parents simply can’t agree on how to raise their children and want to avoid communicating with one another. 

Learn more about parallel parenting here.

Conflicted co-parenting

If you are attempting to co-parent with an ex but can’t agree on how to raise your kids — or you’re dealing with a narcissistic ex — conflicts can arise. One parent may try to persuade the other parent that their way of parenting is best, and the children may be confused about which set of rules they should follow. 

“Co-parenting with an ex who does not respect boundaries and is not acting in a child’s best interest is absolutely terrible for the child and parents,” says Jenifer Foley, co-founder of Alter, Wolff & Foley LLP, a New York-based law firm that specializes in family legal services. 

Cooperative co-parenting

If you and your ex have a low-conflict relationship, you can attempt cooperative co-parenting, meaning you make decisions together in the best interests of your children. 

Cooperative co-parenting is based on mutual respect and trust that the other parent will raise your kids with the same values and expectations you agreed upon. 

What do you do when you can’t or don’t want to co-parent?

Not all separated or divorced parents can co-parent amicably. When you’re in a high-conflict situation, sometimes it’s best for each parent to set their own rules and expectations.

Foley says most parents want to do what is best for their children, they just disagree on what is “best.” 

“A neutral expert telling both parents that this inconsistency is not healthy and/or that it is creating stress/anxiety for a child is often received in a more productive manner,” Foley says.

What is the difference between co-parenting compared to joint custody?

Co-parenting can technically describe any parents who work together collaboratively, and peacefully raise children together.

Joint custody, on the other hand, is a legal term that can describe one of two things:

Joint legal custody means both parents have equal rights to make major decisions that affect their children, including health care, education, religion, and where the kids live.

Joint physical custody refers to equal time sharing, which is also called 50/50 parenting, or equally shared parenting.

Parents who cannot communicate well, or have extremely toxic and high-conflict relationships can parallel parent, which means they have a time-sharing arrangement, but each parents in their own way without input from the other parent during their time with the kids.

In a co-parenting relationship, a mother and father (or two dads, or two moms, etc.) are able to mostly overcome their differences and communicate and agree on most matters involving the children. Whether you can agree or not, you may benefit from a co-parenting app.

Aren’t women naturally better parents?

No. Science proves kids need both parents equally.

According to research published in the Review of General Psychology, having a loving and nurturing father is as crucial to a child’s well-being and success as having a loving and nurturing mother. 

Yale psychiatrist Kyle Pruett asserts in his book Fatherneed that a father’s more active play style and slower response to child frustration allows children to learn problem-solving skills and independence. 

Out now from Sourcebooks:

The 50/50 Solution: The Surprisingly Simple Choice that Makes Moms, Dads, and Kids Happier and Healthier after a Split

by Emma Johnson

Featured in Newsweek, MSN, Slate.

Understand more about why a father would walk out on his children.

What are examples of co-parenting?

Some examples of co-parenting include: 

• Making medical, religious, and education decisions for your children
• Attending a child’s parent-teacher conference with your ex
• Going to your child’s soccer game together
• Sharing milestones with your ex on a co-parenting app
• Going on family vacations — even if you stay in different accommodations
• Having minimal contact with your ex but keeping interactions civil for the sake of your children

What are the benefits of co-parenting?

Dr. Sarah Kendrick, a Licensed Clinical Psychologist with Thriveworks in San Francisco, says there are several benefits of a co-parenting relationship:

Co-parenting benefits for parents

Parents who co-parent successfully may experience less stress since they can rely on the other parent to uphold the same parenting expectations.

Check out our list of 31 tips to co-parent successfully.

Co-parenting benefits for children

For children, co-parenting provides stability, since they often have a consistent schedule and experience the same set of rules/parenting style from both parents.

Co-parenting FAQs

What co-parenting apps are there?

There are numerous co-parenting apps to help parents with communication, schedules, activities, and more. 

Our Family Wizard ranked at the top of our list of best co-parenting apps because: 

• A+ Better Business Bureau rating for Avirat, its parent company 
• Widely recognized and recommended by courts  
• Superior technology, with a great user experience and glitch-free (or close to it) interface
• Competitive cost, with military discount, financial assistance, and money-back guarantee

Also check out: 

• Co-parenting apps for court-monitored communication
• Our Family Wizard review

What is a 50-50 custody schedule?

A 50-50 custody schedule is where both parents split the time they spend with their children equally. One of the simplest 50-50 custody schedules is an alternating weeks schedule, where the parents each take the children for a week at a time and switch off every other week. This custody arrangement also reduces the amount of time the parents have to interact. 

Gulotta says choosing a custody schedule really depends on what works best for each individual family. She says some other parents have a 2-2-3 schedule, where each parent has two days in a row and then every other weekend.

Is it difficult co-parenting with your ex?

Kendrick says that depends on the relationship between the parents and how much they’re willing to cooperate with one another.  

“You’re in control of your decisions and deciding what your life is, and even if something is not a direct and immediate choice for you, you can choose how you react,” she says.

Gulotta says some of the most difficult parts about co-parenting with an ex are: 

• Overstepping co-parenting boundaries
• Blended family dynamics
• Coordinating schedules
• High-conflict parenting relationships

“When co-parenting with your ex, it may be difficult if one partner still has feelings and is not emotionally ready to transition into this new role,” Gulotta says. 

But she says co-parenting does not have to be hard. 

“Parents just need to work together to focus on what is beneficial to their children long term and to work on compromise,” she says. “Parents should remember not to compare what other co-parents do and to focus on what works best in their situation.”

How do you co-parent while blending families?

Kendrick says the greatest challenge in blending families is often communication (between the former spouse, new partner, and all children, with each person needing individualized messages). 

“There may be hesitation to communicate with someone, but that’s OK, and it’s better to communicate more frequently than not,” Kendrick says.

She suggests leaving space open for questions from kids and regularly checking in on them to help with the transition.

Check out our post on how to make a blended family work.

What should I do when co-parenting doesn’t work?

Kendrick says to start by focusing on what’s best for your kids. 

“If you are finding that your co-parent is being challenging or resistant, that makes it more challenging for you,” she says. “There may be reasons you don’t know about that are bringing these difficulties up; you’re only in control of how you react.”

Kendrick’s advice?

“Choose to react in the best way that you can, at least for your kids.”

She says if all else fails, focus on your custody agreement and adhere to it.

• Co-parenting and divorce
• High-conflict co-parenting
• Basic parenting skills
• Thrive class in which parents and children attend together
• High-risk parenting skills
• Anger management

Check out our full list of online parenting classes and parenting classes near me and learn about the benefits of parenting classes.

Bottom line: What is co-parenting? Whatever you make of it.

Co-parenting with an ex can be hard, but ultimately, you are in control of your co-parenting experience. 

If you are struggling to co-parent with an ex, you can utilize apps like Our Family Wizard to improve your communication or enroll in an online parenting class like the ones offered by Online Parenting Programs.