Most of our Sitters and Nannies come to us as a direct referral through a current or past Childcare Provider, member Family or partner organization. We also do outside sourcing through our trusted partner affiliates including college campuses, select job boards/sites, through our own casting calls, and more. Each provider goes through the same meticulous vetting process and passes through our unmatched screening process.
We work at a pace that matches the family. Our team will always be back within 24 hours or less on weekdays. We have placed full and part time nannies within a few days to a few weeks. It mostly depends on how quickly the family can reply to our correspondence to move the placement to the next stage. We understand urgency more than anyone in the business. Typically, families will see 2-5 best matched candidates and will then select who to interview and trial.
It could take an hour or a few hours; it depends on the details of the request and how much time we have in advance to the booking start time. Chances are high in NYC, our home base service area! We have a 98% success booking rate. We have the largest roster of College-Educated Childcare Professionals in the area. We also place Sitters in other select cities where we have an impressive number of available Providers.
For nanny placements, we have a yearly membership fee and placement fee.
For on-demand sitter placements, there is a yearly membership fee and set hourly rates.
We have been in business for 15 years and families have trusted us again and again through different life stages, career changes, economic turns and pandemics. We have stood the test of time and are unique in that we can help families not just with nanny searches, but with babysitters 7 days a week and quite literally any need you come up with. We have an unparalleled service and invite you to read our incredible story.
Yes, a family can come to us anytime for questions, guidance or support.
Absolutely. That is our speciality and why hundreds of families come to us each year looking for guidance and the best solutions possible.
You can read more about our trusted background checks here. In addition to our background check, our extensive screening process includes a face-to-face interview with a member of our recruitment team, a resume review, multiple forms of ID to prove legality to work in the U.S., 3 reference checks, social media checks, and each candidate is consistently reviewed upon parent feedback and offered the opportunity for on-going child educational training and CPR.
Our childcare providers are the best in the business. They are smart, capable, loving and fun! Every childcare provider comes with her own personal set of hobbies and talents. Here are a few examples of what our childcare providers can do with your kids:
- Help guide with homework & keep your child on schedule
- Make art & work on fun projects together
- Learn to sing, create a melody, play guitar or put on a theater show
- Play games, enjoy local parks or go to a museum
- Bake or cook with the child
All Families must be referred to Bell Family Company. To request a referral code, click here to request a referral code and fill in the required information.
Log into your BFC profile, go to your calendar page and on the right - click on ‘Refer a Friend.’ Enter their name and email. They will get an email from us shortly after you submit. Make sure your friend received the email and it didn’t go to their spam.
Families can click here to set up a free 15 minute consult call.
If you are a new family seeking on-demand sitter services you can book a sitter under non member rates if you’d like to try out the service.
If you are doing a nanny search with us you will have full access to our member rates for any trials you book. All trials are booked on our on-line platform.
Log into your BFC profile and above your calendar page click on BECOME A MEMBER. Choose which membership package you’d like for your family. You can pay easily online!
Families can find our ‘Rate Book’ with market minimums listed upon logging into their profile in the footer of the page. All babysitting appointments are paid via Stripe on our online platform. Its super easy! If you hire a full or part time nanny, Families pay the nanny directly via payroll or other methods discussed on our platform.
Bell Family does not guarantee a Sitter. However, we are known to successfully book a Sitter for last minute requests (even with a few hours notice). Member Families can email their immediate request to our on-call team here.
Yes, there is a cancellation fee of $12 for cancellations made at any point prior to 24 hours before that appointment’s start time. There is a cancellation fee of $55 for changes or cancellations within 24 hours of an appointment start time.
No, you must schedule and confirm directly with Bell Family and pay through the BFC platform. You may communicate with your sitter about a scheduled location, date and/or time, but then you must reach out to Bell Family Co. to book the appointment and confirm the sitter.
Yes, we offer Pet-Care services as part of a Sitter appointment or separate only for the pet. As part of a Sitter appointment, simply indicate your Pet-Care needs when you click 'BOOK A SITTER' and the Sitter will add the additional $20 charge per pet. Be sure to provide all instructions in the notes section of your appointment request. For a separate pet only booking; email here with your request.
We certainly do! We have a long standing reputation of placing some of the most loving and experienced nannies with children who have special needs or learning difficulties.
Sitters and Nannies are focused on the children they are caring for and anything that relates to them (i.e., school drop-off, pick-up, light tidying, meal prep, occasional errand, the children’s laundry and shopping). If your family is looking for a nanny that also helps with the housekeeping and cooking for the whole family, please discuss that with us upfront. All of our candidates want some childcare aspect of their role, but some are open to household duties like this.
We host bi-annual CPR and AED training seminars taught by certified FDNY EMS personnel. This training is highly encouraged and open to all Sitters and Nannies to attend. Our Sitters and Nannies learn the skills to act in the event of cardiac arrest through compressions only CPR & AED Training. Sitters and Nannies that complete the training will have a certificate of proof on their profile. Some Sitters and Nannies receive additional certifications independently. Check out the provider profiles for their level of training.
If a Family requires the Sitter or Nanny they hire to be CPR Certified through the American Red Cross or another organization, the Family will need to reimburse all associated costs.
Immunization records will be saved to each Childcare Provider’s profile for the Family to view. If the Family has specific immunization requirements, the Family will need to communicate that to our Agency and we will make that requirement part of the job. In relation to Covid-19, our Sitters and Nannies were required to be fully vaccinated through 2023. Starting in 2024, Families may request their own requirements for the Covid-19 vaccine, at which point we match them with appropriate candidates.
For a babysitter, some families tip at the end of the appointment and tell the sitter she did a great job! You can tell her to add a certain tip as part of her checkout. Some families provide dinner or food at the home. All families provide cab fare home after 9pm or before 7am up to $30.00.
For nannies, families in NYC frequently offer a metrocard. Some families will also provide medical or health benefits, insurance coverage or stipends, car or gas stipends, food plans, holiday bonuses, etc.
Our childcare providers are among the most experienced and highly qualified caregivers in the country. Each provider completes Bell Family Company’s rigorous vetting process and brings meaningful, hands-on experience caring for children in a variety of settings, including private homes, daycare and school environments, camps, youth programs, and long-term nanny roles.
Many of our caregivers also hold advanced credentials and participate in ongoing professional development through BFC training programs such as CPR Training and Infant Sitter
Training and respected outside organizations such as the American Heart Association. Certifications and backgrounds may include infant and child CPR/AED and First Aid, teaching certifications, bachelor’s and master’s degrees (and in some cases PhDs), nursing experience, and continued coursework or mentorship in child development and education.
This depth of experience allows our providers to offer care that is not only safe and reliable, but thoughtful, engaging, and tailored to each child and family.