Hiring a nanny to watch over your children is just like hiring any employee at any corporation. Although you might want to think of your nanny candidates as perfect “Mary Poppin-like” caregivers, it’s important to remember that there are plenty of nice-looking people out there hiding criminal records a mile along. Protect yourself with a nanny background records check!

Public records (including birth, death, divorce and criminal records) are almost all available for free – the only problem is getting to them! Smaller towns and counties rarely have the resources to organize and classify all of these records online, which is why it’s almost always easier to go through a nanny background records provider. These companies have taken the time to gather all of these records and organize them for you, so that all you have to do is log in and search by the person’s name.

Here’s what you should look for in a nanny background records company:

o Database size – Since most national records providers make their databases available for a fee, it’s important to choose the largest database you can find. At a minimum, the database should have 200,000,000 records or more for you to search through.

o Number of searches – Chances are you’ll need to interview more than one nanny before you find the right caregiver for your family. For this reason, avoid nanny background search providers that charge for each search and, instead, choose one that will let you search an unlimited number of times in a given period.

o Cost – Although you can’t put a price on your children’s safety, you shouldn’t have to break the bank just to get the background records you need. Realistically, the most you should ever need to pay is around $10/month for unlimited searches.

By: Jennifer Dixon

About the Author: