BPN is a great place to find a nanny share but we do not accept posts about unlicensed preschools and home daycares. A childcare license is required in nearly all cases where children under 5 are being supervised in a place that is not their home, with a few specific exceptions. For details, see "About Childcare Licensing in California" on the BPN website, or "Do I need a license?" on the State's website.
Nanny share:
- Care takes place in one of the children's homes, AND
- The person providing care does not live there.
A childcare license is not required in this case since the child's parents are the ones who are in charge of the safety of the site, and the nanny is considered an employee of the parents.
Not a nanny share:
- Care takes place at the nanny's home and the nanny is caring for more than one other family besides her own. This is considered a home daycare and must be inspected and licensed. Exception: If the nanny cares for only one other family, a license is not required.
- Care takes place somewhere other than someone's home. For example, parents drop off their children at a park. This is considered a childcare center or preschool since it is not in someone's home and parents are not present, and must be licensed as such.
- A nanny share that is managed by the nanny rather than by the parents. For example, the nanny is setting the hours for the share, determining where the share takes place, and/or recruiting new families when someone leaves. In this case, the parents are not the employer.
- 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