News and Press

Need a Nanny?

Wellington Nannies helps find the Perfect Childcare Provider

Originally featured in Wellington Magazine ~ Story by Courtney Watson - Photos by Gary Kane

April Berube and Jen Mallano of Wellington NanniesWellington Nannies of the Palm Beaches is a licensed full-service nanny and domestic staffing agency designed to accommodate a variety of needs of South Florida families. In addition to filling traditional nanny and babysitting positions, owners April Berube and Jennifer Mallano can also find qualified governesses, housekeepers, and personal assistants to suit their clients’ requirements.

Berube began considering a career in the nanny business after an incident with her baby nurse. She learned that finding trustworthy childcare providers was no easy task when she discovered the nurse had shaken her three-month son. The experience not only taught Berube a lesson, it put her on a mission.

“I called the agency and they played it down, like I was a neurotic mother,” Berube said. I was 23. If I had known then what I know now, I would have called the police.”

Berube moved to Boston soon after and began looking into local agencies with a friend. Their diligent research would prove invaluable when they started their own company, Nanny Poppins. The company grew to be the most prominent agency in Boston, successfully placing over 5,000 nannies. After ten years in Boston, Berube was excited to start a new agency in Florida with Mallano, a Wellington resident.

While Berube still operates Nanny Poppins with her Boston partner, she is now a full-time Wellington resident herself. “I knew that we could really make a difference in this area,” she said.

Berube and Mallano make a tremendous effort to set their agency apart from others. Their services include the most comprehensive background checks available and extensive interviews with all references. Nannies must be certified in first aid and CPR and undergo a two-hour, 35 question personal interview. The background check includes Social Security verification and origination, a complete address profile, multiple criminal court checks, a driving record search and on-site drug testing, which is available upon request.

“If I wouldn’t leave my son with this person, I’m not sending them to your house” Mallano said.

According to Berube, most agencies limit their background checks to an online database search, a service that costs about $20 per month. Candidates selected to be interviewed for Wellington Nannies, about one in ten applicants, are thoroughly researched by a private detective. Berube describes it as just another step the rigorous interview process.

“Our private detective has got the passion, and he knows what he’s doing. We go as far back on the background check as we can, at least ten years,” Berube said. “We pay extra and we do the most we can do. We take no chances.”

Berube and Mallano are passionate about pairing each client with the right childcare provider. In addition to childcare experience and sparkling backgrounds, they look for people who are sincerely good with children and enjoy spending time with them. Both Berube and Mallano describe the childcare providers they place as being nothing short of exceptional nannies who will fit seamlessly with families they work for. They both feel strongly about the importance of their work. “I found my niche,” Mallano said. “I love helping people”.

Berube agrees that it is a huge responsibility to find the perfect nanny, housekeeper or personal assistant for each family. The partners said having children of their own has helped them both to appreciate the gravity of their responsibility.

“You can’t choose the client, but you can choose the nanny,” Berube said. “Sometimes you meet somebody who you know will be such a gift to a family in need. We want to give parents peace of mind.”

In addition to providing reliable, qualified caregivers, Berube and Mallano must also stay on top of childcare trends. In order to fulfill their clients’ needs, their services include nannies for every occasion. Wellington Nannies finds childcare providers for positions that include live-in/live-out, full and part-time, long-term, short-term, summer nannies, after school nannies, occasional babysitters, customized baby sitters and vacation nannies.

Berube and Mallano have seen a huge rise in the demand for live-in nannies, vacation nannies and male nannies, or “mannies”. The manny trend is exclusive to the United States, where it has been popularized by celebrities and career-oriented single mothers who want their children to have a positive male influence. Berube said she thinks the trend is great, and she is thrilled to offer her clients excellent male role models to care for their children. However, like all the nannies placed by Wellington Nannies, male applications must have it all and then some.

“Our clients are looking for male nannies who are athletic, in their 20s, well educated, and experienced.” Berube said. “We want the top one-percent of applicants”.

Berube and Mallano pride themselves on delivering their discerning clients the very best applicants. Wellington Nannies has provided childcare specialist to may prominent families, and are often asked if they have had to fulfill any outrageous demands similar to those in the wildly popular New York Times bestseller The Nanny Diaries, a tongue-in-cheek peek inside the lives of Park Avenue nannies. While both felt that the book was a little over the top, they admit that some clients will go to enormous expense to find the right person to care for their children.

Berube and Mallano are thrilled with the warm reception Wellington Nannies has received from the community. Business has been booming since the company opened its doors last year and the owner are delighted to be involved with local children’s charities. The two hope to expand their client list even further and help many more families find their very own Mary Poppins.

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