Disney World Nanny - That Extra Hand!

[SarahAlthea]

Hello, my name is Sarah and I am looking for some input from Moms/Dads about possibly being a "Disney World Nanny".

The Idea: To provide a Disney World Nanny service, where I would meet a family in the park and be that extra hand you always seem to need to help keep up with your kids at a theme park.

My Background: I am the oldest of ten kids and was a nanny for two years to two little boys ages 2 &4. I have run multiple Summer camps and work for a company that runs Youth Sports leagues. I have also coached Middle School girls Volleyball. I will be getting full CPR and First Aid training as well as lifeguard certification in the next few months.

Why I want to be a Disney Nanny: I LOVE DISNEY WORLD! And the best part to me is seeing the little kids enjoying the magic. Because to them, it really is magic! Basically, I just want an excuse to go to Disney a lot and play with little kids. Who wouldn't!

How it will work: Using a website I will connect with families via Phone conversations, Skype, and references (both for them and for me). I live an hour and a half from the park, so I would just meet my families at the park or their hotel at a designated time each day.

The Cost: I already have a Disney pass, and will renew if this works out, so I am thinking I will charge $50-$75 per kid per day. Plus any reserved dining or other activities that are not covered with my pass would have to be payed for by the family.

Please let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions. Thanks!

 

[Weather_Lady]

I think your idea is a very nice one, although there will certainly be some complications for which you'll have to have a game plan. The most difficult part would be earning the trust of parents before the trip, with no "umbrella organization" over you to make assurances regarding background checks, etc. Also, you would need to obtain insurance (to protect yourself in case you were ever sued), and would need to be very specific about what you will and will not do (e.g., do you change diapers? Handle special needs children? Are you medically qualified to give insulin/epipen shots? What if the parents leave you alone with the children? Do you do in-room babysitting as well?). Another issue: the families you work with may have more than just ADRs in which you weren't included -- you'll need a plan for what to do if they all have FP+ at a certain time and you don't, or if they have an ADR made and can't add you.

You might be better off by starting locally, with people you already know (or friends-of-friends). See how it goes and whether the hurdles are worth the price.

 

[jlsHouston]

Hello, my name is Sarah and I am looking for some input from Moms/Dads about possibly being a "Disney World Nanny".

The Idea: To provide a Disney World Nanny service, where I would meet a family in the park and be that extra hand you always seem to need to help keep up with your kids at a theme park.

My Background: I am the oldest of ten kids and was a nanny for two years to two little boys ages 2 &4. I have run multiple Summer camps and work for a company that runs Youth Sports leagues. I have also coached Middle School girls Volleyball. I will be getting full CPR and First Aid training as well as lifeguard certification in the next few months.

Why I want to be a Disney Nanny: I LOVE DISNEY WORLD! And the best part to me is seeing the little kids enjoying the magic. Because to them, it really is magic! Basically, I just want an excuse to go to Disney a lot and play with little kids. Who wouldn't!

How it will work: Using a website I will connect with families via Phone conversations, Skype, and references (both for them and for me). I live an hour and a half from the park, so I would just meet my families at the park or their hotel at a designated time each day.

The Cost: I already have a Disney pass, and will renew if this works out, so I am thinking I will charge $50-$75 per kid per day. Plus any reserved dining or other activities that are not covered with my pass would have to be payed for by the family.

Please let me know what you think or if you have any suggestions. Thanks!

And you live in the Orlando area and have your own transportation and references? And the cost 8 am to 4 pm , 2 kids 7 & 8 at one of the parks for a day wIth food you would be about $ 175-200 per day ? I would seriously consider it. I travel with my grandkids but I am self employed and cannot always participate in the park and attractions all day because I work when we are on vacation too. Their mom comes too but I like to go for 10 + days and she cannot always stay past 6-8 days so if the days she is not with us is not a weekend I have to make the kids wait around my schedule with my jobs ...which they are good with that, but sometimes instead of are we there yet?, I hear alot of are you done yet ?
I think it's a great idea actually, you really need to market it and maybe get Disney's approval? I don't know if you would need that or not....

 

[dreamfinder]

I think that Fairy Godmothers/Kids Nite Out offers a similar service, at least I know they talk about buying park passes for their sitters. I'd look into their offers really long and hard and see how they would compare/differ from what you plan to do.

From a business plan perspective, you would definitely need to look into insurance. I'd also imagine that you would want to rethink your price. Even at $75 for a day, figure 3 hrs commute for you (you said 1 1/2 hrs each way) plus 6-8 hrs in park, that works out to under $10 an hour. Throw in the cost of gas, your wear/tear on your car, insurance, the cost of your AP, etc, you won't be clearing much at that rate. You would probably want to look at a higher rate for the first child say $125 plus $35 for additional, or something like $150 flat rate for up to 4. Compare your prices to those offered by the groups I listed, undercut a bit if you can, but don't go way too cheap.

Good luck!

 

[luv]

You wouldn't be charging enough. You sound like a nice person, so you should know the following...

Be aware that what you're planning is a small business. You need to get a name for it, pay the government for it, and will be required to pay the government quarterly sums. If they discover that you haven't done this, you will be considered a tax cheat and will have additional fees and interest applied. DO NOT ATTEMPT TO SCREW THE IRS!!! You'd be playing with gorillas there. I'm not sure who I'd rather attempt to skirt - the mob or the IRS. I think I'd rather try to work it out with the mob.

There is a reason you're always hearing about small business owners complaining about the government. I don't want to get political. I'm pointing out that the reason is IT IS EXPENSIVE to pay the government so you can make money. People routinely go out of business that could have kept going if it hadn't been for the taxes/fees, etc. If you don't pay them, you can screw up your life for decades...or for life.

Make sure you file every single piece of paper (and pay the filing fees) you are supposed to file, using the correct names and addresses. Make sure you pay what they tell you that you owe. DO NOT attempt to do it under the radar.

You were warned.

Once your business has a name, more people will trust you. It's so funny, but Americans tend to trust faceless business names more than individual people. They'll leave their kids with total strangers they've never even spoken to if the business has a name. They could sit with you for an hour and still feel unsure, lol.

Get the name. Pay the fees. GOOD LUCK!!!

Eta: my banner ad just changed to the WSJ, lol. Those guys are fast!!