I have known Greg Solometo, the CEO and Founder of Nannies of New York, for over 7 years now and have had the pleasure of watching him build two businesses with so much passion! I am especially moved by the story of what sparked him to found Nannies of New York. Even more, remembering my experience interviewing 15 potential nannies a day while breastfeeding my new-born and feeding my almost-two-year-old at the same time, I immediately recognized the value of his service. Greg has created a nanny placement company that will first get to know your family’s needs and personality, and then does the work for you screening their highly qualified nannies to find the very best fit for your family.
Nannies of New York‘s nannies are organized into tiers, so Greg can first evaluate which tier it is that suits your needs. Do you need a multi-lingual nanny? Someone who can cook as well? Their rates are also very fair, taking a percentage of what you choose to pay your nanny rather than a fee on top of that expense. I wish I had known about them long ago; Greg would have saved me from my challenging interviewing days! They are truly the best in New York.
Greg took some time to chat with me about how Nannies of New York came to be and what makes them the go-to service for New York families.
CSF: I was so moved by the story of how you came to start Nannies of New York! Will you tell us a little about the mission behind the company?
GS: Sure, would love to. Nannies of New York originated from a company we started 6 years ago called Alliance Nursing that focuses on taking care of the elderly and medically needy in the home. I was raised by my grandmother and she was eventually diagnosed at 85 years old with Alzheimers. As her primary care giver, I managed her care for 5 years until her passing and then decided to develop a business to take care of vulnerable people in the home. After a few years of elder care development, I realized there was strong similarity between elder care and infant/child care. Both require high levels of nurturing, patience and empathy that make those care givers unique. Based on my experiences, I have developed a culture of excellence in care giving and personal service not commonly found in either industry.
CSF: You really get to know each family in order to provide them with the right nanny to fit their unique needs. How do you tailor your service for each family?
GS: Our standard on boarding process for any new client is to visit them in the home with both spouses present(when applicable) to write up a job description for the nanny role that is very specific to their needs. Through this process, we also evaluate the family, developing a deeper understanding of their home environment, personality traits and general dynamics towards each other and in relation to a new staff member joining the household. We prefer to look at our service more as a holistic match making service and take pride in not just putting forward any able bodied nanny to be interviewed. There is a soft skill involved in this process that we actively discuss in the background.
CSF: You get a peek into the lifestyles of many families in New York! What common qualities do you see among growing families in Manhattan?
GS: Each family we work with has a unique set of circumstances however we do notice that most are focused on finding a nanny with strong communication ability and have the ability to multi-task in the house. Although the role of nanny is to take care of children, we find that in this tough economy people are looking for their nanny to wear many hats in the household such as light housekeeping, light cooking is always a big plus and other chores to keep the house running efficiently. Most of our nannies understand this and are therefore willing to go above and beyond the call of duty to satisfy their employer and create value.
CSF: What do you think makes raising children in New York different from other cities?
GS: NYC is a dynamic fast paced environment with much to offer in the way of education, culture and opportunity. New parents in NY have so much at their disposal in the way of a high concentration of services (baby nurses, doulas, lactation consultants, sleep schedulers, personal shoppers, kids life coaches, etc..), play groups, mommy blogs and methods of socialization that aren’t readily available in other parts of the country. Given the high cost of living here, many families require double incomes to thrive and therefore hiring a nanny can be a pivotal element to the landscape. Nannies and baby nurses are less pervasive outside of New York where often times one of the parents will take a several year hiatus to raise children; in NYC that is a lifestyle luxury not everyone can afford.
CSF: Why should parents use Nannies of New York to help find the best nanny?
GS: For all the reasons mentioned above, I feel we bring a personal touch to the nanny search process that isn’t common place among our peers. We run a small boutique operation that understands the market place and takes pride and care with each and every client to make sure we understand their needs and can help them find the right resource to help them raise their children in this unique environment. The benchmark to become a “Nanny of New York” is high which translates into a positive experience for our clientele.
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