Sunday

Early Ed Edge

OPINION
Is getting a degree in Early Ed. worth it? I want to be a nanny. Will having a degree give me an edge? I have experience caring for kids as well. Will having a degree result in better pay?

26 comments:

Alice said...

Honestly, when I was looking for a nanny and I noticed that someone had an early childhood degree, I suspected that they were on a career trajectory to eventually do something other than be a nanny, and it kind of steered me away (I was looking for a nanny for an infant who would be around long term). Now, if I had to find a new nanny for any reason, it might be a plus, especially since my kids are older

Bethany said...

In my experience no.

The exceptions might be if you are registering with extremely high end agencies or if you are marketing yourself as a nanny/in-home tutor for older children.

I find most parets value hands-on experience either as a nanny or as a parent.

Like Alice said, many parents might assume you wre looking for something temporary while you wait for your "real job" to come along.

Same is true for pay. Unless you start of working with an agency that higher than average starting salaries are standard the better pay comes with experience.

What sort of experience do you have? Is your experience limited to your student-teaching or have you been working as a nanny during your time in school?

NannyPants said...

I have an early ed degree as well and that is why my employers hired me and pay me what they do...but that is not the case everywhere and not for every family. You definitely will find families that will find the degree appealing! I plan on teaching later down the road which is why I pursued the degree so if you don't ever plan on doing anything else with it, I would not spend the time or money...you can still find nanny jobs without it.

Lyn said...

I agree 100% with Nannypants.

Manhattan Nanny said...

Having a college degree will result in higher pay. It really doesn't matter what your major is. All the same, it is a good idea to get an ECE if you know you want a career working with young children. You might want to work in a day care or preschool sometime down the road,

Just My Two Cents Just Now said...

I have a college degree, yet it hasn't helped me get more or better jobs.

I have come across certain Help Wanted childcare ads that request a nanny w/some child development courses on their resumes. I however, would prefer a nanny who has already raised her own children successfully since that speaks volumes over studying a child's development out of a textbook.

princess said...

Having a degree only shows positive things IMO. A degree means you made a commitment to school and followed through. There's nothing BAD about having your degree. I have mine in family studies with a track of services to children and half completed a masters degree before a took a break for various reasons. It also gives you something to fall back on and in today's economy you definately need that.

princess said...

2 cents, I really think that could go either way. A parent could have a harder time working for so many reasons. I have a good friend I worked with for abt 9 months and she has 3 children.. she missed tons of work due to her baby having a bad virus. Just an example but that's something to consider. Also unless you meet their kids and really get to know them how will you know they did a great job raising them? You really don't. I want it to be clear to others that being a parent is not what it takes to be a "better" nanny. Different families will value diff things.

StrawberryShortKakes said...

I have a degree, not in ECE but something similar. Last summer I got a job as a nanny after getting discouraged looking for jobs in my major. I was hired because of both my experience and my education. About 2 months after hire, I was offered a job that I previously interviewed for (outside of being a nanny) so I had to resign at my nanny job. The family was not surprised at all and seemed to almost expect me to land a different job. They did not fault me at all for not wanting to turn down a job using my degree more. Anyway, my point is that as Alice said, it looks great on a resume but at the same time a parent may also see it as a threat and not want to hire you.

ericsmom said...

You should go to school. Like someone mentioned its a good idea. In this day and age and the way the economy is its already hard enough finding a good job. Even if its not in the childcare field. Maybe, look into OT, PT, teaching careers, etc.

ericsmom said...

You don't have to tell the parents, if you feel like it may lessen your chance at the job. You can do whatever you want to make a good life for yourself

Katie said...

A degree is not a bad thing, but it's not a gurantee of a better paying job in the nanny world.

Honestly if you are certain you never want to be anything other than a nanny I would save my money.

Expeience is what counts the most in the nanny world in my opinion and gets you more pay.

Of course the classes can help in other aspects of the job. But it's better to have exeperienced an inconsolable baby than to have just read that seperation anxiety is a normal part of development.

If you really want the degree get it, but if your heart is set on being a nanny make sure you get lots of on the job experience as well.

nannyof3 said...

I agree that you shouldn't get a degree in ECE just to be a nanny. I've been a nanny for five years now and changed my career choice of being a nurse to going for special & childhood education. I'm currently with a great family but will have to move on soon since the kids are about to outgrow me! :( I just started to work on my degree and have had no problem finding great families to work for before I even thought of going to school. Experience is always better to have in the nanny field rather then a degree on paper. I plan on being a nanny while working threw school & even after if I'm with a great family. I just started to apply for a few long term jobs and I've explained to all of them that even though I am going to school I will still take my nanny job seriously and plan on working with them for the next few years that i'm needed. I wonder if some families will not be interested since they might be worried I will leave... I guess time will tell!

MissMannah said...

It depends on if you want to be a nanny forever or not. I am currently doing classes for my ECE degree. (and I am so ready to be done!) As someone who has done childcare for a million years, it feels like such a waste of time and money right now. I honestly have not learned anything that I didn't learn through my own experiences previously. So if you do want to be a career nanny, I'd say skip the degree and just take some training classes here and there that are more suited to your work. But if you think you might want to do some teaching later on, go ahead and get the degree because it will definitely help you get better pay. That's why I'm doing it anyway.

nycmom said...

I would not change the offering salary based on a nanny having an ECE degree. I have not found any correlation between degrees and quality of childcare. However, as my kids get older, I would pay more for someone with experience, patience and knowledge to do basic homework supervision/help as needed for elementary age kids.

doitgirl! said...

At least take some ece classes! You will learn things you can't possibly learn as a nanny. I have an 18 year old, a toddler & 20 years of child care experience. A degree may yield higher pay but it will certainly teach you about how a child learns, thinks, grows, etc.

Why not get a degree? You only live once.

Bethany said...

Why do you want to be a nanny?

Is it because you want to provide one on one care?

That's part of the reason I became a nanny and left center care.

If that's it you might enjoy a career in early intervention, You still get to provide more personalized care, but you'll probably have more job stability.
I don't want to deter you from a degree or nannying, but I don't want you to think that there are a ton of nanny jobs. That isn't the case your EEC degree might be more useful in another field.

There is also Occupational Therapy, that's a field in high demand with great pay, and you can work one on one with children.

Susannah said...

I wouldn't major in early ed to get you more money as a nanny.

The degree won't hurt you. You'll have options especially if you decide being a career nanny is not for you.

ThisNannyLovesSchool! said...

I have my Masters degree in Education. I got my current nanny job before I finished my program, and now that Ive finished my program, I don't get paid a cent more. (Bosses and I never discussed that I would, though.)
The problem is I'm younger. While I still have 6 yrs of experience in childcare (not just nannying), I pursued my MA to be taken more seriously in my career. My long term goal is teaching, but I've agreed to see my current charges off to school before I continue that road.
I agree with other posters on here, it's better to have hands on experience. More often than not I have parents asking me "well what do you think about ___?" or "what's your opinion on ____". Anything from behavior, to education, to schools and schedules. While my MA degree has gotten people to take me and my opinions/expertise more seriously, I feel that doesn't make me an expert... My Experience does.
I do however encourage you to go back to school just to better yourself and for the education and experience!!

Truth Seeker said...

I wouldn't waste my time trying to get a degree in Child Development. It just isn't worth it since most childcare jobs pay only minimum wage anyway. Most nannies do not see themselves working as nannies forever anyway.

However, a few Child Development courses may look good on your resume. I just wouldn't waste 2-4 yrs of college in that area.

It would better for you to get CPR/First Aid/AED certified since many families look at that more.

Manhattan Nanny said...

OP, check out this post on Craigslist. ( It sounds like it was posted by an agency, or PA.) The first 2 sentences:

We are searching for a creative and energetic nanny who wants to spend time with one adorable 3 year old girl. This person should have a college education, and at least 2 years experience nannying for a private family in NYC.

http://newyork.craigslist.org/mnh/kid/3119714021.html

Nc nanny said...

The last family I worked for hired someone with an elementary Ed degree as my replacement. However education was very important to them. I think it depends on each individual family

NannyK said...

I have a degree, but I have it because I want to eventually be a Kindergarten teacher. I have an AA but need a BA to teach. When I go on interviews I make sure I mention up front that I am on a break from school and won't be back until I gain residency in my new state which will take at least a year.

However, having my degree has gotten me on average $5-6 more an hour than I made before I had it. I also get more interviews, but I have more experience now as well. I think in the end, experience is most important. But with other kids, when you have the degree parents assume you know better how to handle certain situations and are more crafty/have more ideas for daily plans.

OBX-SFO said...

Sidebar: I love & miss NC. What a beautiful part of our country. Enjoy it for me. I especially miss the heavy rainfall, the kindness of strangers, slower pace, sweet tea, chick fil a, the NAVY men & the gay bars. Teehee

amberly said...

I am a nanny and asked my employers if my degree helped me get the job. They said they gave me the job based on my experience, recomemndations, and interview NOT my Bachelor's. They did, however, tell me that having a degree got me the pay that I requested.

Just My Two Cents Just Now said...

I have a degree, but in the Nanny world it may not have helped me as much as I would have liked.

When I go for interviews, prospective families usually want to see my references, letters of recommendation and CPR certificate.

Then upon hire, they usually want to make copies of my Driver's License and Social Security Card.

When I mention my degree, they ask if it is in Child Development. When I respond,"NO...it is in Marketing..." they usually say, "No worries, that is fine...we don't need to see it."