BPN is a great place to find a nanny share, but we do not accept posts about situations that need to be licensed.
When is a Childcare License Required?
A childcare license is required if children under 5 are being supervised in a place that is not their home. For details, see "About Childcare Licensing in California" on the BPN website, or "Do I need a license?" on the State's website.
What is a Nanny Share?
- If care takes place in one of the children's homes AND
- The person providing care (the nanny) does not live there.
No license is needed because:
- The child's parents are the ones who are in charge of the safety of the site.
- The nanny is considered an employee of the parents.
What is NOT a Nanny Share:
These situations all require a childcare license.
- If the nanny provides care in her own home. This is considered a home daycare and is required to be licensed. (Exception: If the nanny provides care for only one family in her home, a license is not required.)
- If the nanny provides care in a place that is not someone's home. For example, a rented room or building or at a park. This is considered a childcare center or preschool and is required to be licensed.
- If the nanny is managing the share rather than the parents. For example, the nanny sets the hours for the share, where the share takes place, or recruits new families when someone leaves. In this case, the parents are not the employer, and the nanny is operating a preschool that needs to be licensed.
- A "co-op" where parents pay for childcare and take turns caring for each other's children, often with a paid nanny or teacher. See About Co-ops & Childcare Exchanges