I Was a Nanny for 20 Years and Never Once Had National Nanny Recognition Week Acknowledged

In this article

1. A Recognition Problem or an Awareness Problem?
2. Recognition Isn't Really About the Gift
3. Because Nannies Do So Much That Often Goes Unseen
4. This Is Where Agencies Can Make a Difference
5. Families and Nannies May Be Experiencing the Same Week Very Differently
6. Twenty Years Later, I Want Something Different for the Next Generation of Nannies
7. Recognition Doesn't Have to End When the Week Does

National Nanny Recognition Week ended two weeks ago, but I’m still seeing conversations that I think are worth having.

In nanny Facebook groups and online communities, caregivers are sharing their disappointment that the week came and went without acknowledgment from the families they work for.

Some have been with their families for years. Some go above and beyond every day. And some watched other nannies receive flowers, cards, bonuses, or simply a heartfelt “thank you” while their own employers never mentioned the week at all.

You can hear the hurt behind many of the posts:

I do so much for this family. How could they not acknowledge me?

As someone who spent 20 years working as a professional nanny, I understand why that can feel disappointing.

But seeing these conversations has also made me think about something I believe is missing from the discussion:

Many families may not even know National Nanny Recognition Week exists.

I say that because, in 20 years as a nanny, I never once had it acknowledged either.

Not once.

I worked with wonderful families. I cared for children I loved deeply. I worked through some of the top nanny placement agencies in the country and built a career around supporting children and families during some of the most important years of their lives.

Yet I never received a card, a gift, a “Happy Nanny Recognition Week,” or even an acknowledgment that National Nanny Recognition Week existed.

And looking back, I don't think that meant the families I worked for didn't appreciate me.

I genuinely don't think they knew.

That distinction matters.

And I also recognize that this isn’t every nanny’s experience. Some nannies did mention Nanny Recognition Week to their employers, or even directly shared that the week was meaningful to them, and still received no acknowledgment. That understandably hurts. Awareness doesn’t explain every situation, but I do believe it explains more of them than we may realize.

A Recognition Problem or an Awareness Problem?

National Nanny Recognition Week has existed since 1998.

Yet throughout my two-decade career, it was virtually invisible in my own employment experience.

And I wasn't disconnected from the professional nanny world.

I worked through respected placement agencies, including some of the top agencies in the country. I worked with high-profile families in fully staffed homes. Nannying was my profession, not something I was doing temporarily until I figured out what came next.

Still, I don't remember a single employer acknowledging National Nanny Recognition Week.

That makes me think the issue is bigger than individual families.

We have an awareness gap.

We can't expect parents to participate in something they have never been told exists.

And we shouldn't automatically interpret their lack of acknowledgment as a lack of appreciation.

Recognition Isn't Really About the Gift

When we talk about Nanny Recognition Week, I don't want families to hear, “You're supposed to buy your nanny something.”

That's not the message.

Recognition can be incredibly simple.

A handwritten card. A picture made by the children. Their favorite coffee waiting for them in the morning. An unexpected afternoon off. A thoughtful bonus, if that's something the family wants to do.

Or simply:

“We see everything you do for our family, and we're grateful you're here.”

The monetary value isn't what matters.

It's the feeling of being seen.

Because Nannies Do So Much That Often Goes Unseen

A nanny's job description might say childcare, but anyone who has spent years doing this work knows how incomplete that word can feel.

Nannies learn the rhythms of a household.

They know which cup the toddler will accept when every other cup is suddenly unacceptable. They recognize the difference between an overtired cry and a hungry one. They remember the library books, replenish the diaper bag, notice when the next size of pajamas needs to come out, and know exactly which song might settle a child after a hard day.

They manage naps, meals, school pickups, activities, developmental milestones, sibling disagreements, scraped knees, big emotions and countless transitions.

They celebrate first words and first steps. They help children learn to regulate emotions, navigate friendships and become more independent.

And often, they become part of the emotional infrastructure of a family.

This isn't simply “helping with the kids.”

It is skilled, relationship-based caregiving.

That deserves recognition.

This Is Where Agencies Can Make a Difference

This is also where I believe the professional nanny industry has an opportunity to do better.

If an agency spends the year recruiting, placing and supporting professional nannies, National Nanny Recognition Week should be something every family on its roster knows about.

Imagine if, a week or two beforehand, every placement agency sent families a simple email:

National Nanny Recognition Week is coming up. Here are a few meaningful ways you can recognize your nanny.

That's it.

No guilt. No expectation of an expensive gift. Just awareness.

Agencies could highlight their nannies, educate families about the profession and use the week as an opportunity to reinforce the value of professional caregiving.

Because when nannies are still sitting in Facebook groups two weeks later wondering why their employers didn't acknowledge them, while their employers may never have known there was something to acknowledge, we don't just have an appreciation problem. We have a communication problem.

And that's something our industry can help change.

Families and Nannies May Be Experiencing the Same Week Very Differently

That's the piece I hope both sides can take from this.

To the nanny who is still feeling hurt because the week passed without acknowledgment: your desire to feel appreciated is completely understandable.

But before assuming your family doesn't value you, consider that they genuinely may not have known.

And to families who are just learning that National Nanny Recognition Week exists: there's no need to wait until next September.

Recognition doesn't expire when the week ends.

Tell your nanny today.

Twenty Years Later, I Want Something Different for the Next Generation of Nannies

Today, my relationship with the nanny industry looks different.

After spending two decades working inside families' homes, I now have the opportunity to educate and advocate for caregivers and parents through The Modern Help.

And perhaps that's why National Nanny Recognition Week means more to me now than it ever did when I was actively nannying.

I know what it feels like to do this work quietly.

I know how much of yourself you give when you care for someone else's children.

And I also know that most parents are juggling careers, children, appointments, activities and everything else that comes with raising a family. A recognition week they've never heard of may simply never cross their radar.

So rather than turning National Nanny Recognition Week into another source of resentment between nannies and families, I'd love to see our industry turn it into an opportunity for connection.

More agencies talking about it.

More parents knowing about it.

More conversations about what professional caregiving really entails.

And more nannies feeling seen.

Recognition Doesn't Have to End When the Week Does

National Nanny Recognition Week may be over, but appreciation doesn't need a date on the calendar.

If you're a parent reading this and you didn't know the week existed, that's okay. You know now. Send your nanny a text. Write a note. Tell them something specific you appreciate about the way they care for your children. It doesn't need to be elaborate or expensive to be meaningful.

If you're a nanny who felt overlooked, I hope you'll consider that silence may not have meant a lack of appreciation. Your family may simply not have known. And perhaps this opens the door for a conversation about what feeling valued looks like to you throughout the year.

And if you're a nanny agency, we have an opportunity to help bridge that gap. Put National Nanny Recognition Week on your calendar now. Remind your families before it arrives. Share ideas for meaningful recognition. Use your platform to make sure the families you serve understand what the week is and why it matters.

After 20 years as a nanny, I don't look back wishing someone had bought me more gifts.

I wish more people had understood just how meaningful this work is.

That's what I hope we can change.

So let's not wait until next September to start talking about it.

If you're a nanny, share this with your nanny community and the people who support our profession. If you're an agency, send it to your families. And if you're a parent, share it with another family who employs a nanny.

Let's make sure that by the time National Nanny Recognition Week comes around next year, far fewer families are hearing about it for the first time.

Because the goal isn't more gifts.

The goal is more awareness, more appreciation, and a profession where the people entrusted with caring for our children know that their work is seen, respected, and valued.

And we can all play a part in making that happen.

Support for your family