The Nanny, Baby Nurse, Babysitting and Housekeeper Professionals

by Jocelyn Jane Cox

Direct access to Central Park and oodles of kid-friendly restaurants and activities has lately made the Upper East Side a haven for new families. Expectant parents in this neighborhood have all kinds of resources at their fingertips, including Absolute Best Care, a service connecting new parents around New York City and beyond with professional nannies and baby nurses.

Established in 2002 by Douglas Kozinn and Saul Moskowitz when Moskowitz and his wife had their first child, Absolute Best Care has recently expanded their reach by opening franchises close by in Long Island, New Jersey, and Connecticut and even as far away as Las Vegas and Phoenix. Upper East Side families represent the exact demographic they are catering to: households with two working parents or stay-at-home moms with multiple children who need an extra pair of hands.

“What sets us apart is that we are professionalizing the industry,” Kozinn says. “All of our Care Specialists are professionals. They aren’t college kids who haven’t ever changed diapers. They are career nannies with track records.” In fact, the nannies of Absolute Best Care are well-versed in what’s going on around the city, such as music classes and other programs targeted to different stages of a child’s development.

Their five-step screening process involves face-to-face meetings and extensive background checks including criminal and DMV records. And their Care Specialist Consultants meticulously contact each reference. Absolute Best Care likes to have a crystal clear picture of how successful their nannies’ and baby nurses’ previous positions were, since this is an excellent way of predicting the success of future placements.

Kozinn says that clients usually contact them for baby nurses three or four months before the baby’s due date. Generally, people start looking for a nanny when the child is still an infant, sometimes as young as three to four weeks old. Absolute Best Care can connect parents with full-time, part-time, live-in or live-out care.

The application process is streamlined and entirely online. Kozinn says that just filling this out helps parents to identify their own preferences and scheduling needs. From there, Absolute Best Care will send the client three to five resumes and the client will meet with the nannies of their choice for face-to-face interviews in their homes.

While they are one of the largest agencies in New York, with over 8000 nannies and thousands of clients, Absolute Best Care prides itself in its personal touch. ABC’s large staff works hard to match the specific criteria of families with ideal nannies. Often, this results in clients using Absolute Best Care over the course of many years, as their needs change. Clients may start off with a baby nurse, transition to a nanny, then join the “babysitting club” which staffs professional nannies who are currently between positions or looking for extra hours. Absolute Best Care can also connect families with other household help, such as housekeepers, chefs, and chauffeurs.

Kozinn says that the best part of being in this industry is, “helping both sides: helping families find the high-quality professional care they need and helping nannies get great jobs.” Unlike some other agencies, Absolute Best Care does not charge the nannies fees to be part of the organization and they provide assistance with their resumes.

Among many other awards, this company has been voted best nanny service by New York Magazine, has been an Editorial Winner for The Best of Citysearch, and a Family & Relationships – Best of NY and The Web pick by Uppereast.com. Kozinn is enthusiastic about continuing to grow the franchise by “replicating the successes we’ve had here in cities throughout the U.S.”

Despite all the awards and all the business growth, Absolute Best Care is committed to an individualized approach. In his office, Kozinn is proud to have a large wall of Thank You cards from both nannies and families who have had a positive experience with their service.

Satisfied customers repeatedly praise Absolute Best Care for their efficiency in finding top-notch care. Other parents site that the friendliness and compassion of the office staff, the baby nurses, and the nannies have eased their anxiety considerably. So if your baby is almost due, and you’re wondering what to do, you can go to http://www.uppereast.com/bestcare.html for help.