So, why do parents prefer a nanny over a daycare or preschool? Having your own nanny who comes to your home and takes care of your children can make life a lot easier on parents.

First of all, by having the nanny come to your home and leave at the end of the day, you do not have to deal with dropping and picking up your child(ren). Nannies will also help you with light housekeeping such as laundry and dishes, and they will make sure that your home is tidier than when you left in the morning. Furthermore, they will often have dinner ready for you, so that you can relax and spend quality time with your family when you get home. A good nanny quickly becomes part of the family and before you know it, your children will look forward to seeing her daily. There are a lot of additional perks to having a nanny, such as having extra help while you need to run errands or having them be more understanding than a daycare if you’re running late. Nannies can also help with homework and drive the children to their various activities; in general, nannies are more focused on and geared towards helping you with your individual family needs.

The flip side is that nannies will cost you a lot more than a daycare center. Nannies will usually charge $10-$20/hr depending on the number of children and job responsibilities whereas a daycare will cost a set weekly amount, usually somewhere between $175-$250/week depending on the age of your child. One study found that the average cost of daycare in the United States is $11,666 per year. If you have more than one child, it may be worth it to hire a nanny if the cost is close to the same. There are a lot of advantages to having a nanny such an as coming home to dinner made, homework done and a clean house.