In 2022, I was a decade into my career as a full-time nanny and house manager when I met my future co-founder, Megan Stone.
Because Megan was also a full-time nanny, she was a familiar face. We’d run into one another a lot before we really knew one other. The children we cared for were the same ages, so Megan and I were constantly at the same school, parks and library storytimes together. Having a chance to spend time with another adult as the kids played was important. It was great to be with them, but a little adult interaction with someone who understood my job as a nanny was a refreshing change of pace.
A friendship blossomed. One day, Megan asked, “Can we actually be friends outside of running into each other at the park?” I said, “Absolutely!” Numbers were exchanged, and a few months later, she asked me to go to the annual International Nanny Association Conference in Orlando with her. I was intrigued. I’d been a nanny for a long time and never knew conferences existed. This is why nannies need nanny friends! It was a chance to further my knowledge in an industry I cared so much about.
After we arrived as first-time attendees, we realized the conference wasn’t just for nannies but also for nanny agencies. Many attend to better themselves as nannies and make contact with agencies located all over the world. If you were a nanny who wanted to relocate to a different state or become an au pair (out-of-country nanny), it was a perfect place to connect.
In talking with the agencies there, I realized no one attached had ever been a nanny before. They had no idea what it was like to be the person taking care of children that weren’t their own. While they were in the business of vetting qualified nannies and the placement of families, they didn’t know much beyond that. For example, if you were a nanny who felt the work you did wasn’t equivalent to what you were being paid or feelings of burnout were taunting, those agencies weren’t always there to help navigate or remedy those instances. If they were, they prioritized a family’s needs over the nanny’s. Their priority was to collect payment, place a nanny and close the contract. We had worked for agencies who had done that with us and could no longer tolerate it.
The idea for Bee Present Nanny Co. occurred in the middle of that conference. Megan and I realized we could start doing what the other agencies hadn’t — we could bridge the gap! We could change the expectations of nanny agencies because we knew not only what it was like to be a nanny ourselves but also knew firsthand what families needed.
Honey, we started an agency
Between Megan and I, we have over 20 years of experience as nannies. We know what it is like to work for families and understand their needs and wants, along with also knowing what nannies need and want. We realized that, through starting an agency, we could be the start of a positive change that made families believe having a nanny was feasible and changed the ideology that nannying wasn’t an actual career.
We started brainstorming what we’d call ourselves and landed on “Bee Present.” It reflected our beautiful Beehive State but also tied into the idea of presence. When parents had work and other responsibilities, the name was an immediate way to inform them we would be present on their behalf to make certain their little ones would never feel an inkling of neglect.
The two of us rolled with the idea and the possibilities it might create, then put it away for a rainy day. It seemed like a lot to take on. We were full-time nannies, and our days were beyond filled. We’d start our own agency someday — for nannies, by nannies — but we’d do it later.
Or so I thought. Megan didn’t want to wait. She knew I worked 14-hour days. I knew she didn’t get off until 6 p.m. most evenings. Adding a new business on top of that seemed impossible to me. Lucky for me, Megan felt differently and knew we could do anything we wanted to as long as we cared about it enough. She was right! I appreciate her tenacity; without it, who knows if Bee Present would exist now.
The next day, Megan started working on our LLC, and we’ve been working hard ever since. After our respective shifts during the day with our nanny families, we head home to work on Bee Present.
Buzzing toward better child care
With Bee Present, my hope is that we change people’s perceptions of the industry. Being a nanny is a career. It’s something anyone who’s passionate about child care can do for years, just like those working a corporate job can. The difference is that my job comes with added perks, like coloring, playing board games, reading fun books and witnessing the evolution of the children I care for dearly.
At our agency, we also train the next generation of nannies. We educate the growing number of nannies on our roster so they can continue to develop their skills. We share time-tested tips, courses and certification classes. Our nannies are always committed to improvement.
It’s a passing of the torch, training nannies to be like Megan and me but better. I want our Bee Present nannies to have the opportunities I have. Families often reach out to me, saying, “Once you’re free, we’d love to have you work with us.” I want that to happen for other women growing their careers with us. We strive to assist nannies in having the same kind of longevity we have enjoyed.
With that said, I hope to retire from nannying full-time when it’s my time to do so. In the future, I’d love to do more teaching than childrearing. My focus will shift to educating the next generation of nannies and encouraging them to be their best selves. We’ll continue to change the negative narrative that having a nanny is unattainable and reserved for the upper class. What we offer as a nanny agency is manageable and customizable to the service families need. If they can afford daycare, they can afford a nanny.
From hive to home
In my teenage years, I became a part of my forever family, who adopted me as their own. After growing up in San Diego and spending my youth in foster care and group homes, moving to a different state was a huge adjustment. Being depended on to take care of others as one of the oldest children at home wasn’t familiar to me. I was suddenly the oldest sibling, responsible for the well-being of brand-new siblings. I had to uphold the expectations and household rules set by my new parents. Taking care of my younger sisters and brother meant changing everything I knew about responsibility. I stepped into that role reluctantly at first but ended up thriving in it.
In fact, the best part was discovering I had a knack for it. I’m very organized and prove myself when it comes to being tidy, and I can stay on top of things easily. I am diagnosed with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder (OCD) and make proper use of it. Life can be very structured in foster care and group homes. Some places I stayed were great, and some weren’t. Each place was consistent in routine, however, which I appreciated. It wasn’t always ideal, but I harnessed that structure and used it. I made those experiences work for me. I’ve been able to pull the positives out of that and use it to benefit my life. Besides, life is not about any given situation we go through, but how we handle it, what we learn from it and the good we’re able to gain after it.
For example, routines are important for children. I learned that early on. As a nanny, I’m able to incorporate a routine of being stern in setting boundaries, rules, expectations, chores and consequences (good and bad) while still showing different love languages and avenues of physical, vocal and emotional affection through cuddles, laughs and silly time, and providing a safe space for littles. It creates a sense of respect in children, and they know what I am telling them is important. Regardless of the consequences, they know I love them. I’m honored to share respect with such bright souls, something I would never have understood if it wasn’t for how I was raised.
I love it, that’s why
My relationship with my current employer evolved from helping out whenever they were in town visiting for ski season to now working with them full-time after they moved to Utah. They wanted me to work for them permanently, which meant something to me. They needed help and could have hired anyone, but they wanted me! I was doing something right. As I care for their growing family, they have offered to cover my avenues of personal interest, including education and transportation. Those gestures lift me. Do a good job, and people want to do right by you. They want to give back.
Acknowledgment for my efforts adds value to my internal happiness. I continue nannying because it gives me a sense of purpose bigger than myself to watch a child I cared for as a newborn talk, climb, write, read, use manners, learn independence and manage emotions properly. I get to say I helped with that development and assisted with that individualized growth.
Nannying has benefited my overall wellness. It’s hard not to be happy when I have a nine-month-old baby on my lap, giggling and showing off new teeth; a three-year-old so proud to show me what art was created; or a 6-year-old asking, “Did you know frogs hibernate at the bottom of ponds and streams during the winter?” What’s not to love about that? It’s a great space to be in.
George Addair wrote, “Everything you’ve ever wanted is on the other side of fear.” Before I was convinced I could start Bee Present, I didn’t think I would have enough time because I was too busy elsewhere. I had excuses every day for why I couldn’t move forward with this “nannying company.”
Starting anything new is a challenge, not just in business. Don’t wait to start on your dreams. Getting allowed more days isn’t guaranteed. If you have an idea, act on it. Why wouldn’t you? There is no perfect or right time to do something. If you want to do it, you’ll make time for it. Fear is one of the top reasons people don’t go for what they want. Get past that, and life is amazing. Megan and I are still navigating how to do it all, but we’re learning as we go and finding our way forward.