TRAVERSE CITY -- Sheila Sych has the qualities it takes to be a good nanny.
She's had nurse training and worked as a Montessori teacher. She has 20 years of experience and adores children.
But her ace in the hole: She's Irish.
"Sometimes it's just a novelty," Sych said, of the Irish nanny "flag" that waves over her head.
While families have introduced her as their "Irish" nanny (emphasis on origin), it's Sych's expertise that launched Traverse City Nannies. Her referral service connects families to caregivers.
"It was just phenomenal, the response that I got," Sych said of the venture.
Her files presently include 15 nannies. She checks backgrounds and conducts interviews. Parents looking for a nanny pay Sych a $100 referral fee to begin the search and another $500 to hire someone through her service. The employers work out pay details directly with the nanny they hire.
"She hooked me up with this amazing family," said Alana Herba, a nanny from Traverse City.
Nannies said their job is different than baby sitting.
"When you do ... nannying you become part of a family, and you are treated as an equal. You have more responsibilities," Herba said.
In pop culture, nannies are depicted on reality TV as tamers of the most ill-tempered tots or as the spoonful-of-sugar-prescribing Mary Poppins. It takes a lot more than an umbrella and stroller-pushing skills to be a good nanny.
Sych said the best nannies love children, have a background in early education, and are hard workers, good communicators and are creative, flexible and discreet. Local nannies can make between $300 and $600 a week, depending on the number of children and work hours.
"(A) nanny is really a stepmom," Sych said.
She grew up as one of eight children on a dairy farm in Ireland. She trained as a nurse in London before coming to the United States to work as a nanny for a Detroit-area family. She met her future husband and later returned to London to become a teacher.
Eventually, she moved back to the United States and lived downstate before moving to Traverse City when her husband John landed a job as the Grand Traverse County director of planning.
About half of the local families seeking nannies want live-in help; others want someone during the day or "latchkey nannies," who work before and after school, Sych said.
The position can be demanding.
"There's no lunch breaks. There's no co-workers. It can be a very isolating job," she said.
Sych continues to take on nannying jobs herself, especially to care for sick babies and newborns. She keeps in touch with children she nannied for, and even calls them "my babies."
The joy of spending time with children is an attraction for many nannies.
"I love hanging out with the kids. That's probably my favorite thing," said nanny Jannipher Rowan of Lake Ann.
For more information on Traverse City Nannies call (231) 342-9822.
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