A great nanny resume will showcase relevant childcare experience and skills. Provide your name, contact information, and job title in the header. Then, write an engaging summary tailored to the job description. In your work history section, list only past nanny or childcare-related roles in reverse chronological order, highlighting specific responsibilities with action verbs and numbers. Next, list child-care-specific certifications or training, and relevant skills. 

Describing nannying on a resume is kind of a head-scratcher. 

What do you add? How do you even phrase the things nannies do? These are valid concerns, but want to know what will actually make your nanny resume a job magnet? Well, I asked several nanny agency owners and reviewed countless nanny resumes. 

The answer: give enough specific detail about your childcare experience and skills.  

As Jaynie Fawley, founder of Michigan Nanny Solutions, puts it, “Parents want to see how many years of experience a potential nanny has, whether or not they have worked with children the same age as theirs, and [if] the nanny [can] help them meet the goals they have for their children.”

Bottom line: stick to activities and experiences related to childcare. Don't skimp on details. So yes, include those silly dance sessions and mention those PAW Patrol marathons!

In this guide, we’ll go through: 

• 15+ nanny resume examples that work for different specializations (which you can use for inspiration when seeking either a part-time or full-time nanny role).
• How to write nanny resumes—step-by-step—that match the job description and make parents trust you.
• How to format and add photos to your resume (plus why you shouldn’t include references!)

Nanny Resume Examples

Your resume must match the type of nanny role you’re applying for. Here, you’ll find nanny resume templates for different specializations and experience levels (whether you’re a seasoned nanny or have little professional nannying experience). 

Select the sample that best matches your profile and build upon it.

1. General nanny 

If you aren’t restricted to a particular type of nanny job, this one’s for you. This is the resume for posting on job groups or nanny agency sites. Highlight your versatility and broad experience handling childcare-relevant tasks. 

Pro Tip: This is the most generic template. Go through the other resumes on this list first before picking this one.   

2. Infant nanny

Prove that you can nurture newborns and provide parental support. Relevant responsibilities include feeding, changing diapers, potty training, and sleep training. 

3. High-profile nanny

High-profile nannies should be discreet. Demonstrate your understanding of security systems and ability to maintain a low profile. Highlight your familiarity with state-of-the-art household appliances, parental control software, and educational apps.

Pro Tip: Showing that you’re travel-ready and can adjust to sudden travel schedules can score you big points. 

4. Live-In nanny

Let parents know that you can create a nurturing environment.  Highlight your ability to coordinate a household and maintain a consistent schedule. Skills include completing household tasks and ensuring healthy habits like limited screen time. 

Pro Tip: No live-in nanny experience? Show how you managed household duties like cooking, cleaning, and nap time.

5. Educational nanny 

Emphasize your educational background and teaching qualifications. Showcase tutoring roles. (Or roles that indicate how you facilitated learning and cognitive development in kids.) Prove your knowledge of different learning styles and age-appropriate learning activities.

6. Special Needs nanny

Focus on your experience caring for children with disabilities. Be specific—describe the techniques used to manage behavioral challenges or learning hurdles. Emphasize patience, empathy, and passion to nurture special needs kids. List specialized qualifications, too. 

7. Summer nanny

Prove you can organize summer activities like picnics, backyard camping, and sports. Make it clear that you can engage with kids productively. Double down on your expertise in developing educational summer programs for different age groups. 

8. After-school nanny

After-school nannies do more than just homework. Highlight your competence in extracurricular activities. Think piano, dancing, crafts, and French or Spanish fluency. Use past roles to show you can manage children’s schedules, supervise educational activities, and prepare meals.  

Pro Tip: Use numbers to prove your impact. For instance, include percentage increases showing how you helped improve homework grades and assessment scores. 

9. Housekeeper nanny

Emphasize your ability to maintain a clean, organized, and healthy home environment. Show your experience with household duties. List skills like cleaning, meal prep, laundry, and nap time. 

10. Part-time nanny

Show that you can keep children engaged, tended to, and safe with you. Mention tasks like meal prep, light housekeeping, and helping with homework. List any medical qualifications you have, such as CPR or first aid. 

11. Full-time nanny

Emphasize your commitment to providing dedicated care for children. Showcase extensive experience with child care and household management. Highlight tasks like activity planning, meal prep, light cleaning, and educational supervision.

12. Vacation nanny

Highlight your adaptability, travel tolerance, and ability to keep kids engaged and safe. Share your experience planning travel-related activities like hiking, museum visits, and cultural workshops. Prove you can manage travel logistics like travel schedules, documents, and packing.

Pro Tip: Mention how you handled travel-related issues like jet lag and motion sickness. No food allergies or dietary restrictions? That's another useful brag. 

13. Babysitter

Include only your most relevant work experience. Prioritize long-term roles. Emphasize your compassion and ability to establish healthy relationships that build self-esteem. Include relevant child-care responsibilities like helping with homework and reading supervision. 

14. Newborn nanny

List specialized qualifications in newborn care and parental support. Highlight specific postpartum duties like lactation assistance, infant soothing techniques, and postpartum recovery.

15. Overnight nanny

Focus on childcare experiences related to nighttime routines and infant care. If you can, showcase certifications in CPR and First Aid. Highlight reliability, flexibility, and a calm demeanor.

16. Entry-level nanny (0–2 years of experience)

Emphasize any volunteer work, summer jobs, or internships related to working with children. Highlight strong interpersonal and communication skills with kids. Showcase any childcare-relevant certifications or training you have, including CPR or first-aid.

17. Junior nanny (1–3 years of experience)

You can cover a wide range of childcare responsibilities—everything from handling household duties to aiding problem-solving and cognitive development in children. What specific progress in behavior or education did you achieve with your employers?

18. Mid-level nanny (3–7 years of experience)

Emphasize extensive experience providing high-quality childcare for different age groups. Show your ability to nurture healthy children. Skills include aiding development, managing behavior, and engaging kids in productive activities.  

Pro Tip: Spent more time on a particular nanny specialization? Double down on that!

19. Senior-level nanny (8-10+ years of experience)

Highlight your history in providing childcare and guidance for families. Clarify your ability to nurture children across all age groups and in various family dynamics. Showcase your grasp of household management, educational supervision, and behavior management.  

How to Structure Your Nanny Resume

Here’s the typical order of sections for most nanny resumes: 

• Header (full name, job title, and contact information, including your phone number, address, email, and relevant social media handles)
• Professional summary or objective statement
• Work history
• Additional sections (such as certifications, volunteering, extracurricular activities, and professional memberships)
• Education
• Skills 

Find out what more sections you could add to a resume here.

However, there are three main resume formats, which we’ll go through below. 

Reverse-chronological format

The reverse chronological format emphasizes your work history. It’s the most standard and popular format, since most parents and nanny agencies look out for work experience. It’s applicable for nannies with any level of experience. 

Note: Regardless of your resume format, always list your work experience in reverse chronological order. 

Recommended reading: How To Properly Format A Resume.

Functional format

This format lists your skills above your work experience. It’s supposedly ideal for nannies with little to no work experience who want to emphasize their skills. But the format typically raises suspicions, since it’s often used to conceal your employment background.

Combination format

The combination (or hybrid) format focuses on both your skills and work experience. It can work effectively for mid-career nannies and those looking to change careers or specializations. 

How long should your nanny resume be? 

Keep your resume as long as it needs to be while sticking to the essential details. The common recommendation is to keep your resume short, 1–2 pages at most, but this isn’t a hard rule. Parents and nanny agencies aren’t as obsessed with resume length, as explained by Jaynie: 

“The usual advice of "not over a page!" and "use keywords!" doesn't apply here, as real life people--the parents you hope to work for!--are reading every word of the resume, not a computer, not AI, not a resume screening software.  

If it takes 2 (or more!) pages to include everything you'd like potential employers to know about you, that's not just okay--that's amazing!!,” says Jaynie.

What matters is adding every relevant detail that proves you’re the best nanny for the job. 

How to Write a Nanny Resume

Summary: 

• Select a resume structure (the standard reverse chronological resume is the most ideal option).
• Start with your name and contact details for the resume header.
• Write a concise summary, no more than 3–4 sentences long. Highlight relevant nannying skills and accomplishments.
• List your work history in reverse chronological order. Focus on duties and accomplishments most relevant to the application.  
• Include additional sections, such as certifications, volunteer experience, and extracurricular activities.
• Mention academic qualifications in the education section.
• List skills in the skills section. If applicable, categorize them.
• Tailor your resume to the specific nannying job you’re applying for. A targeted resume is more effective than a generic resume.

You're not writing your nanny resume for recruiters, but for parents anxious to know their kids will be in good hands. So, ditch the stiff, white-collar phrasing. You want to come across as a compassionate caregiver, not Mr. Spock. 

Weave in child-care-specific terms but keep the tone personable. "Personable" doesn’t mean casual or informal. You need to find the sweet spot between sounding like a professional and someone who truly enjoys baby babble (more on that later). 

Here’s the step-by-step process: 

Write a tailored nanny resume summary (or objective statement)

Your resume summary is your 5-second elevator pitch. Want to make a great impression instantly? Tailor every summary to the specific job. 

Here’s how: 

• Specify your years of experience with numbers. 
• Describe a childcare philosophy or interest that matches the job description. Applying for a full-time nanny job? Mention your track record for providing committed, full-time care for children. 
• Weave in relevant skills and keywords from the job description, e.g., light housekeeping and activity planning.
• Mention the family’s name, letting them know the resume is specifically for them.  
• Share your most similar role and relevant achievements. 
• Write no more than 2–3 sentences at best. 

Or better yet, instantly generate one with our AI Resume Summary Generator. Add the job title and skills you want to showcase, and our AI writer will do the rest. 

A professional summary is usually most effective for experienced nannies. Got little to no professional experience or just looking to start nannying as a part-time gig? Use an objective statement instead. 

How to write a nanny objective statement

An objective statement highlights your passion and relevant skills. You can also address the parents and include any related experience caring for kids or assisting families. 

Here’s an example: 

Dedicated caregiver seeking a nanny position to provide exceptional child care and support. Eager to foster a warm, energetic, and loving environment where children can thrive. 

Discover more resume objective examples here.

Provide relevant nannying experience

This is the most important section of your nanny resume. Make it count with the following tips: 

• List your past nannying jobs in reverse chronological order, starting with the most recent role. 
• No prior nannying experience? Include roles with transferable skills or any experience you have working with children, even if they aren’t paid gigs, e.g., working as a babysitter, youth sports coach, teaching assistant, or tutor. 
• Specify the job title. Were you a full-time nanny, summer nanny, after-school nanny, etc.? 
• Detail your duties and achievements under each role. If there are many, stick to activities that emphasize your compatibility for the particular nanny role being advertised. 
• Unless you have little to no nannying experience, don’t include roles irrelevant to nannying or childcare. Only highlight duties that apply to childcare.
• Provide specifics. For instance, list the number of children you cared for and their ages. Use numbers whenever possible to specify responsibilities and achievements, emphasizing your impact. 
• Use clear action verbs. Examples: "performed light housekeeping duties," "prepared meals," "provided support." Avoid stiff terms like "executed" or "implemented."

For more tips, see How to Write A Resume Work Experience Section.

Provide relevant education and certifications

An educational background in childcare is obviously a huge plus, but you don’t have to be an Early Childhood graduate to have an Education section. Include any related academic qualifications, coursework, activities, or accomplishments in school. 

Any childcare certificates can also increase your chances. So, list these in a certifications section.  

Check this list for sample qualifications, certifications, and training for nannies: 

Education and professional qualifications

• Early Childhood Education Degree (Associate's, Bachelor's, or Master's)
• Pediatric Nursing Certification
• Child Psychology Degree
• Montessori Certification
• Waldorf Education Training
• Infant and Toddler Care Certification
• Elementary Education Degree

General certifications

• CPR Certification
• First Aid Certification
• AED (Automated External Defibrillator) Certification
• Child Development Associate (CDA) Credential
• Certified Professional Nanny (CPN)
• Basic Babysitting Certification
• Background Check Certification
• Driver’s license 

Specialized certifications

• Newborn Care Specialist (NCS) Certification
• Postpartum Doula Certification
• Special Needs Care Training
• Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) Certification
• ADHD Care Training
• Sensory Integration Training
• G-Tube Care Training

Additional training and workshops

• Behavioral Management Training
• Positive Discipline Training
• Attachment Parenting Training
• Nutrition and Meal Planning for Children
• Sleep Training for Infants and Toddlers
• Emergency Preparedness and Disaster Response Training
• Cultural Sensitivity and Diversity Training
• Language Acquisition and Bilingual Care Training
• Arts and Crafts Workshop
• Outdoor and Nature-Based Learning Training

Special skills and programs

• Water Safety and Lifeguard Certification
• Swimming Instructor Certification
• Music Education Training
• Specialized Tutoring Certification (Math, Reading, etc.)
• STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) Training for Kids
• Fitness and Physical Education Training
• Yoga and Mindfulness for Children Certification

Professional associations and memberships

• International Nanny Association (INA) Membership
• National Association for the Education of Young Children (NAEYC) Membership
• Association of Professional Nannies (APN) Membership
• National Council for Private School Accreditation (NCPSA) Certification
• National Council for Therapeutic Recreation Certification (NCTRC)

Legal and safety certifications

• Safe Sleep Certification
• Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST) Certification
• Food Handling and Safety Certification
• Child Abuse Prevention Training
• Mandatory Reporter Training

Learn how to make certifications look better on your resume.

Highlight specific skills in the skills section

You can’t list every skill a nanny has to offer here. Only the ones that showcase your expertise for the job. 

Here’s a list of sample nanny skills to choose from that apply to different specializations: 

General nanny

• Childcare (infant through 4th grade)
• Activity planning
• Homework help
• Behavior guidance
• Scheduling
• Housekeeping and cleaning
• Meal preparation
• Potty training
• Non-smoker
• Parent communication
• Positive reinforcement
• Basic First Aid

Full-Time nanny

• Full-day supervision
• Activity planning 
• Conflict resolution
• Household management
• Meal preparation
• Patience
• Potty training
• Child cognitive and motor development
• Play-based learning coordination
• Educational supervision
• Flexibility
• Non-smoker
• Team-work building
• Emergency response
• Basic First Aid

Part-Time nanny

• Time management
• Homework assistance
• Meal preparation
• Routine establishment
• Creative play
• Reading supervision
• Arts and crafts
• Outdoor activity planning
• Safety protocols and high alertness
• Basic first aid
• Diaper changing
• Bathing 
• Transportation
• School pick-up/drop-off
• Conflict resolution
• Patience
• Strong navigational awareness

Educational nanny

• Curriculum planning
• Tutoring (mention specific subjects)
• Homework assistance
• Language development 
• Multilingual learning (mention specific languages)
• Mathematics
• Early childhood education
• Reading supervision
• Elementary and secondary science proficiency
• Positive reinforcement
• Educational apps and games (mention specific apps like ABCmouse.com and Prodigy)
• Play-based learning coordination
• Arts and crafts
• Music education (mention specific instruments)

Vacation nanny

• Travel logistics
• Luggage packing and organizing
• Safety protocols and high alertness
• Activity planning
• Scheduling
• Travel documentation (include specific documents)
• Jet-lag tolerance
• Multi-cultural awareness 
• Non-smoker
• Bi-lingual or multilingual proficiency (specific languages)
• Organization
• High stamina and energy levels
• Basic First Aid

After-school nanny

• Homework help 
• Meal preparation
• Positive reinforcement
• Scheduling
• Parent/teacher communication
• Reading supervision
• Driving 
• Strong navigational awareness 
• Behavior guidance
• Conflict resolution
• Arts and crafts
• Educational games
• Play-based learning 

Summer nanny

• Creative activity planning
• Swimming
• Playdate supervision
• Educational outing and field trip supervision
• Sports (include any physical activities or sports)
• Play-based learning
• Outdoor activities (include specific activities)
• Teamwork building
• Arts and crafts
• Pool safety protocols
• Safety protocols and high alertness
• High stamina and energy levels
• Scheduling 
• Basic First Aid

Live-in nanny

• Household management
• Meal planning and preparation
• Positive reinforcement
• Behavior guidance
• Child cognitive and motor development
• Parent communication
• Organization
• Sleep training
• Potty training
• Discretion
• Non-smoker
• Scheduling 
• Early childhood development
• Driving
• Strong navigational awareness
• Patience
• Emergency response
• Reading supervision
• Homework assistance
• Basic First Aid 

High-profile nanny

• High-level discretion
• Knowledge of security protocols
• Home security and surveillance tech (mention specific tools like Vivint Smart Home and Arlo Home)
• Scheduling 
• Play-based learning
• Behavioral guidance
• Child development
• Patience
• High-stress management
• Bi-lingual or multilingual proficiency (specific languages)
• VIP etiquette
• Travel documentation (specific documents)
• Jet-lag tolerance
• Schedule flexibility

Housekeeper-nanny

• Household management
• Childcare (infant through 4th grade)
• Multitasking
• Cooking 
• Time management
• Non-smoker
• Housekeeping chores
• Parent communication
• Strong attention to detail
• Inventory management 
• Organization

Special needs nanny

• Special Needs (list specific disabilities specialized in)
• Patience
• Behavioral therapy
• Crisis management
• Meal preparation
• Speech therapy
• Communication
• Positive reinforcement
• Educational supervision
• Light housekeeping 
• Special needs medication (include medicines for the specific disability)

Infant nanny

• Newborn care
• Feeding
• Diaper changing
• Sleep training
• Infant CPR
• Early childhood development
• Bottle sterilization
• Soothing 
• Safety protocols and high alertness

This is a handy list, but don’t simply copy and paste them into your resume. Check what matches the parent’s needs and job ad. To instantly find more relevant skills, use our AI Skills Explorer feature. 

What Makes Nanny Resumes Different?

A nanny resume screams (or declares compassionately), "I love kids, and I’m great around them."

That’s why your resume summary and work experience are so important. Your personality and compassion should shine through in these sections. 

Yes, writing about the most relevant skills and activities shows you’re suitable. But to really convince parents that their children are safe with you, you need to look and sound the part. 

So, how do you do this on paper? 

Showcase your personality with engaging language

• Avoid dry, generic descriptions, especially in the summary. Use vivid words that showcase your personality and bring the description to life. Examples: adventurous, energetic, warm, and exciting. 
• When describing work experience, stick to clear action words. You’re better off without pompous, overly formal diction. 

So instead of: 

“Facilitated educational activities among children to improve reading comprehension and visual creativity.”

Use:

“Engaged children daily with reading, coloring, language, and identifying new objects.”

Share your particular approach to childcare in the summary or objective section

• How do you care for children? Is it being dedicated and nurturing? Engaging? Adventurous? State this clearly.  
• What aspects of childcare are you most passionate or competent about? It could be caring for infants, tutoring, or organizing outdoor activities. Mention these to distinguish yourself immediately.

Pack relevant qualifications at the top

Education and certifications typically come later in the resume. However, if you have several impressive childcare qualifications, consider placing them below your resume header and summary.

Qualifications to highlight include:

• Certifications
• Awards received
• Degrees, training, and programs 
• Memberships
• Current vaccination list
• Activities for professional development, e.g., childcare conferences attended. 
• Volunteer experience and internships

Use a clean and inviting layout

• Keep your resume crisp by aligning sections neatly. No need to get too creative. Stick to a simple, organized layout and avoid overly fancy elements.
• Use neutral and friendly colors to make your resume interesting and easy to read. I’ll recommend sticking to white or a light color as the background and mixing in a warm or muted color. 
• Select a simple, professional font in black. You can italicize or bold numbers or specific achievements for emphasis. 

Sounds like work? Don’t worry. You don’t have to build a layout from scratch. Choose from our elegant resume templates here! 

Should Your Nanny Resume Include A Photo? 

Some nannies think it’s a good idea to have one, while nanny agencies usually request one. However, many nannies also think it leaves room to be judged (or discriminated against) based on your appearance and not your qualifications.  

That’s, unfortunately, a real risk. 

Still, you have a better chance of standing out with a great professional photo. It just has to work for you, not against you. That means doing the following: 

• Use a high-resolution, crisp portrait. Snapchat filters and casual selfies won’t cut it. 
• Ditch that passport pose. Wear a friendly, cheerful expression with a relaxed pose.  
• Keep your attire simple and lightly casual.
• Make sure the photo is well-lit. 
• Place the picture at the top of your resume, beside or above your contact information. Size it moderately—visible yet not so large that it overwhelms the resume.

Although it might seem endearing to use a photo of you with a child, it can be a bad idea. 

Fawley says, “Nannies should also NEVER use photos of themselves with a child, unless they are the child's parent or they have explicit permission from the parent of the child.

…but keep in mind, the parents reading the resume won't necessarily know if permission was given, and that could raise a red flag about whether or not photos of THEIR children would end up in similar circulation without them knowing.” 

Should You Include References Too?

No. Your references are best presented after you’ve met the family. 

If they ask for references after the interview, and you feel positive about the position, then you can provide them.

Why? 

According to Michelle Kelsey, founder of Nannies On Call, “Although we really want to see your references at some point, putting them on your resume may create over-calling for families [the references].”

Respect your references’ convenience. Don't bombard them with calls each time you're job searching. 

Before using anyone as a reference, inform them and gain their consent.

Or better still, instead of having to ask for a reference every time, ask for a letter of recommendation whenever you’re leaving an employer. You can use these letters with or provide them instead of a reference. 

Not sure how? Read our guide on how to ask for a letter of recommendation.

Summary

Let’s recap how to write a nanny resume: 

• Include a header with your name, contact information, and professional title. 
• Structure your nanny resume by adding the relevant sections in this order: Header, Resume Summary or Objective, Work Experience, Education, Skills, and Certifications. Extra sections like Volunteering Experience and Hobbies work if you have little to no nannying or babysitting experience 
• Write a 2–3 sentence resume summary or objective statement that’s tailored to the job description. Mention your years of experience and describe your specific approach to childcare.
• Describe your work history in reverse chronological order, adding only nannying or babysitting roles. Detail responsibilities with simple action words, and highlight achievements with numbers when possible. 
• Include academic qualifications in the education section. 
• List certifications or accredited courses in an additional section, and mention relevant competencies in the skills section. 
• Use a clean layout with concise sections for a professional resume. Mix in warm and neutral colors to add some personality. 

Nanny Resume FAQs

How do I handle employment gaps on my nanny resume?

Fill the gap with any volunteer activities or side projects you did in that period. Highlight duties and skills that apply to childcare work, such as multitasking and time management. If asked about the gap in an interview, be honest. Positively frame the gap by describing skills you developed during that time.  

What professional titles can I use for nanny on a resume?

Simply "Nanny" or "Professional Nanny" works as a professional title. Or, you can use the following: 

• Childcare provider
• Childcare specialist
• Family assistant 
• Personal nanny
• Child development specialist

How do I write a nanny cover letter?

Customize your cover letter for the job application. Address the family by name and highlight your most relevant childcare experiences. Express your genuine compassion for children. Illustrate this with a compelling narrative about your proudest moment as a nanny. 

How do I write a resume with no formal nanny experience?

Start with a compelling, objective statement that conveys your passion for childcare and applicable skills. List qualifications and skills transferable to nannying, such as creativity and time management. Include any roles showing your experience with children, such as babysitting, volunteer work, sports coaching, tutoring, or internships.