Page 2 / News, Trends, Gossip and Stuff To Do : Web Watch : Going Online for a Practically Perfect Nanny

“Governess position sought by eager young lady with British accent. Lovely singing voice. Cannot transport charges in own vehicle but often travels by umbrella. Regrettably, unlicensed, without first aid training but charms most ills away. Motto: Just a spoonful of sugar helps the medicine go down. . . .”

Mary Poppins might not cut it today at the Online Nanny Registry, a database of candidates to which parents can subscribe and browse for prospective in-home child-care providers.

Profiles and resumes of some 200 nannies seeking work in Los Angeles and Orange counties can be viewed at https://www.careresource.com. Customers pay about $250 for one month of access to the registry. Nannies pay nothing to be listed on the site. The fee covers a workbook that helps guide parents through the interviewing, hiring and employing of a nanny, from asking essential questions to drafting a written work agreement.

Although there are several online nanny sites, many are national in scope and offer a limited pool in each geographic region, said customer Jo Tucker, an employment lawyer and mother of two from Santa Ana. The national sites, she added, “allow you to do a quick search to see if you want to pay for the service. But I did a quick search to see how many in the pool I’d have to choose from in California. They had only three.”

The nanny operation is run by Care Resource Center Inc. of Orange, which does not place personnel. Company owner Cheryl Meronk emphasized that, although the Web site offers links to screening services, customers must still conduct their own background checks and interview job candidates.

The advantages over a more traditional path might be the volume of candidates in one spot and the ability to screen for particular needs, like evening hours or language fluency. Nanny placement agencies often will offer to do background checks but sometimes charge a fee equal to one month’s nanny salary--$1,200 and up.

As the mother of one child with another on its way, Meronk knows firsthand what a headache the nanny search can be. She hired her own nanny through the service and was so impressed that she bought the company six months ago. Talk about putting your money where your mouth is.