Finding a Fit for Every Home

By SARAH SHMERLING | Managing Editor

You protect your home and your kids fiercely, so why would you let just anyone in?

Sunset Nannies, created by Highlands resident Nicole Baka in early 2017, takes the guesswork out of hiring a nanny, the person who spends hours with your kids and in your home.

“While we certainly do all of the ‘checks’ on each candidate, there are also the intangibles,” Baka explained to the Palisadian-Post. “Does this person seem competent for the job at hand? Would I trust them in my own home and with my own children?

“My team and I pride ourselves greatly on finding quality candidates who have excellent morals and work ethic.”

The vetting process is extensive, with trustline certification, essay questions, a seven-year unlimited county criminal search, motor vehicle report and more. After finding qualified candidates, Sunset Nannies provides everything from scheduling interviews to generating a professional work agreement (including pay rate, vacation, sick days and health insurance stipend).

A transplant from Cleveland, Ohio, Baka moved to California to care for a 6-week-old boy and 2-year-old girl in Manhattan Beach as a full-time, live-out nanny. From there, she moved to Pacific Palisades as a full-time, live-in nanny to a family from Australia that included four children she described as “incredible and lively.”

Baka shared that it was with this family where she realized how heavily a family relies on their nanny, “to not only be an extension of Mom and Dad, but also to serve as a consistent source of strength and stability in their home.”

So she founded Sunset Nannies with over 10 years of experience in the field, including as a teacher, coach, daycare worker, live-in and live-out nanny, etc. Baka also has a bachelor’s degree in health education and a teaching degree with an emphasis in early childhood education.

Sunset Nannies works throughout the city of Los Angeles, particularly in homes and with nannies in the Palisades, Malibu and Santa Monica.

“It is a win-win on both sides,” she said of her work. “I get to help nannies find fulfillment in their career and calling in life by connecting them with a family that allows them to do what they do best, which is looking after the children and the home and assisting Mom and Dad with the extras.”

Baka said that the most challenging aspect of nanny placement is that “timing is everything.”

While the agency works quickly to get candidates pre-screened and ready for work, families can be in a pinch to get someone into their home fast.

“I had a client call me in desperate need of help,” Baka said. “I scheduled three back-to-back interviews for her that following Saturday.”

The woman loved all of the candidates and had a hard time deciding which to hire, so she asked Baka for her recommendation.

“I am happy to report, to date, both the client and the candidate are still extremely satisfied with the match,” Baka shared. “I enjoyed making this placement because the client put her trust in me and my expertise when she needed it the most.

“These are my favorite placements because nannying is not like any other ‘job.’ Yes, you work, but it is not supposed be treated like work, these are children and very busy families and the nanny and all parties involved get the opportunity to do life together.

“I find that the more that both sides are generous and appreciative of one another, the more rewarding the experience is all the way around, day in and day out.”

For more information, visit sunsetnannies.com or call 310-294-4064.