Every nanny we introduce completes a full application, two interviews, reference calls, a background screening, and a set of required documents, and is registered with TrustLine. We have vetted nannies for families across the San Francisco Bay Area, the Peninsula, Marin, and Santa Barbara for more than a decade, and the standard to join us is exacting. By the time you meet a nanny from The Nanny Tribe, the hard, careful part is already done.

In our experience, references and character tell you more than a resume ever will, so we speak with real families and meet every nanny ourselves before they reach yours.

Our Standard

The standard every nanny has to meet

Nannies do not reach your family until they have passed every step of our process. We meet each one ourselves, speak with the families they have worked for, run specific nanny background checks, and verify every document, with no shortcuts and nothing taken on trust.

We only send a family a nanny we would trust in our own home.

Nicole, Founder, The Nanny Tribe

Step by step

The path every nanny takes to reach you

01

Full application

Experience, qualifications, and their complete childcare history, in their own words.

02

Phone interview

A first conversation about their background, their approach to children, and the family they are hoping to find.

03

Face-to-face video interview

Face to face on video, so we can read their character, judgment, and warmth for ourselves.

04

References and background

We call the families they have worked for, review their work history and any gaps, and run a full background screening.

05

Documents and clearances

We gather and verify a full set of documents and clearances for every nanny, from a clean driving record to infant-safety vaccinations, and confirm each one ourselves before they go further. The full list is below.

06

TrustLine registration

We handle TrustLine registration for every nanny under our agency, the fingerprint check of state, FBI, and child-abuse records that California law requires.

What every nanny must provide

The documents and clearances we require

Before a nanny can partner with us, they must provide the following. Every item is confirmed before they are ever introduced to a family.

A clean driving record

Reviewed for every nanny, whether or not the role involves driving.

Eligibility to work in the US

Proof of the legal right to work in the United States.

Willing to work on the books

Every nanny agrees to be employed legally as a household employee.

A clean third-party background check

An independent background check, in addition to TrustLine.

National criminal and sex-offender search

A national criminal records and sex-offender registry search.

Identity and Social Security verification

Confirmation of identity and Social Security number.

Profile photo and driver's license

A current photo and valid identification on file.

Vehicle documents for driving roles

Registration, insurance, and photos of their vehicle, kept on file for your children's safety.

Pediatric CPR and first aid

Current infant and child CPR and first aid certification.

Tdap vaccination

An up-to-date Tdap vaccination, for the safety of infants and newborns.

A clear TB test

A negative tuberculosis test, for the safety of the children in their care.

Tailored to your family. Depending on the role, families can also add drug testing, verified educational transcripts, extended employment verification, or a direct conversation with a nanny's references, and we will arrange it as part of your search.

The TrustLine difference

What TrustLine adds to a nanny background check

TrustLine is California's official registry of in-home caregivers who have cleared a fingerprint background check. It is not a service you can buy privately. It is authorized by state law, and registration is required for nannies placed through an agency, which is why we register every nanny under The Nanny Tribe.

For your family, it is the most thorough nanny background check available in California, because of the three sources it reaches.

A TrustLine check is fingerprint-based and searches three sources:

California DOJ

Fingerprint records from the California Department of Justice criminal history system.

FBI

Fingerprint records from the FBI national criminal history system.

Child Abuse Index

A check of the California Child Abuse Central Index.

TrustLine is the only background check authorized by state law to search these databases. Private background-check companies, and even private investigators, cannot access them.

Because it is fingerprint-based, it cannot be sidestepped by a name change, and it is the only check that includes California's child abuse index. That is why every nanny is registered with TrustLine, on top of the third-party nanny background check they already provide.

Meet a nanny who has already cleared our nanny background check and vetting process

Tell us about your family and the care you have in mind, and we will be in touch within 24 hours.

Start your nanny search

We found The Nanny Tribe through our friend, who highly recommended Nicole and her team. We could not be happier with our choice to work with them. Our nanny has been an essential addition to our home and children. She has met every expectation we had of the person who would help us care for our children.

-Lindsay F.

Atherton, CA

Vetting questions

What families ask about our vetting

What is TrustLine, and what does it check?

TrustLine is California's official background check registry for in-home caregivers. It is fingerprint-based and searches three sources: California Department of Justice criminal records, FBI criminal records, and the California Child Abuse Central Index. It is the only background check authorized by state law to access these databases.

Why use TrustLine on top of a nanny background check?

A standard third-party background check is name-based and cannot access the state and FBI fingerprint databases or the child abuse index. TrustLine can. We require both, so every nanny clears an independent background check and TrustLine.

Do you interview every nanny in person?

Yes. Every nanny completes an initial phone interview and then a face-to-face video interview with us before they are ever introduced to a family.

What documents do your nannies provide?

Every nanny provides a clean driving record, proof of eligibility to work in the US, a clean third-party background check that includes a national criminal and sex-offender search, identity and Social Security verification, a profile photo and driver's license, current pediatric CPR and first aid certification, an up-to-date Tdap vaccination, and a clear TB test. Nannies who drive also provide vehicle registration, insurance, and photos of their vehicle.

How selective is your vetting?

Very. The standard to join The Nanny Tribe is high, and only experienced, fully vetted nannies who meet it are introduced to families. That is what lets us stand behind every nanny we introduce.

Start your nanny search