Grapevine Placement Agency has been referring qualified childcare and household professionals throughout the Bay Area since 2001. We will provide professional guidance through the entire search process including:
Free family consultation
Access to a pool of pre-screened Candidates
Background checks at no additional charge
Grapevine Placement Agency places Nannies and Domestic Staff in the Northern Bay Area and parts of the East Bay. Our clients and qualified household staff professionals span the following areas: Napa, Sonoma, Solano and Northern Marin Counties.
TrustLine is a state-run criminal background check on child-care providers. All Candidates are either TrustLined (and have been verified), screened through Social Services (also verified), or have had a criminal background check through an independent investigative background check company. You can learn more about TrustLine here or by calling (800) 822-8490.
We find most of our nannies by word of mouth by nannies as well as parents. We also advertise rather extensively in the yellow pages, parent magazines and local newspapers to ensure we have an adequate reserve of qualified screened nannies at all times.
Over the years our database of candidates has grown to several hundred. Our active applicant pool contains over 200 qualified candidates. We will save you time by pre-selecting applicants suitable to meet your family’s individual needs. You can expect to interview from three to six candidates. However, there is no limit to the number of candidates you may interview, it only takes one perfect match!
Since 2001 we have been successfully placing experienced candidates in caring homes throughout the Northern Bay Area. Our reputation as the leading domestic staffing agency helps us attract top-quality professionals. We are proud to work with candidates who have completed long-term assignments through us and have returned to us for further placement. Our marketing, advertising and referral programs combined with our established network allow us to work quickly to fill client staffing needs with quality candidates. Then our thorough screening process begins.
The candidates represented by our Agency are required to have verifiable previous work experience in a home or similar industry. As the employer, your job description will determine the type of experience and background a candidate needs to meet your requirements. Our candidate pool consists of a wonderful variety of ages, ethnic and educational backgrounds and experience levels. This diversity allows us to offer you a wide range of profiles to match your unique needs.
The candidates you meet through us will have completed a detailed application as well as an interview with our Placement Specialist. Grapevine Placement Agency requires all candidates to complete a rigorous pre-screening, personal interview, reference verification and independent background check process. Initially, candidates are pre-screened for work eligibility in the United States, work history, skill assessment, communication skills and attitude and job preference.
Upon completion of the interview, the candidate’s references are checked by phone. At your request, you will be provided with detailed reference summaries for review. In addition to verifying recent work experience, we request legal documentation. Background checks are an important part of our process of pre-qualifying candidates.
At the agency’s expense we perform background checks that consist of:
Criminal Files convictions nationwide that include convictions and charges
Civil Files Nationwide
Sex Offender History
Child Abuse Reports
Credit Check
DMV Clearance
Proof of Vehicle Insurance
Proof of Vehicle Registration
Social Security Trace
Fingerprinted
CPR & First Aide Certification
If the candidate is placed in a position we arrange to have their fingerprints registered with TrustLine, California’s background check for in-home childcare providers. Our final requirement is that the candidate is willing to commit to a family for at least one year or what the employer has required.
The short-term placement process can take between 2-3 weeks and the long-term placement process can take between 5-7 weeks from registration to hire. For short-term placements there is no interview process, our team will provide you with who we feel best fits your specific needs. For long-term placements, applicants will be presented to you shortly after our in-home consultation and interviews will be arranged at your convenience.
You will be working with an experienced Placement Specialist who will help you create a job description that will address your needs. Your Placement Specialist will let you know about all of the appropriate candidates that match your job profile. We schedule candidate interviews at your convenience and tailor your search based on your ongoing feedback. When you meet a candidate you are interested in hiring we will coach you through the Working Interview and help you write a detailed contract. After many years of placement, we have found that the execution of the working trial has been the best indicator of success for both employer and employee.
As part of the pre-employment conditions, candidates who are considered “ideal” for the job are offered the job based on successful completion of a working trial. The following is the guidelines for the Trial Working Interview.
Working Trial Interview:
The employer/client/ clients representative must agree to pay a previously agreed upon salary to any candidate who accepts an offer of employment and agrees to work for the employer the suggested 2-5 day working trial. The employer/client/client’s representative is required to pay a previously agreed upon salary for the time a candidate works during their trial working interview.
There is a non-refundable $500 Registration Fee that will allow you access to our qualified candidate pool. The Placement Fee for our service is due if a candidate is hired, directly or indirectly by an employer who has listed their job opening with our Agency. Our fee is due when an offer of employment is accepted and an agreed upon start date has been confirmed by the employer and future employee. See our Placement page for placement fees.
When applicable, there is a fee of $130 for the TrustLine Registration / FBI check.
Indirect fee: Employers who introduce candidates who have been introduced to the employer by our firm to another employer will be responsible for payment of the placement fee.
Our On-Call Membership allows you to access our services for either 6-months or 1-year. Appropriate placement fees are also charged when a Team Member is to be placed.
We personally interview all candidates to ensure they have the right attitude and aptitude for this kind of work. They first must complete an application and go through an interview. If they have the background and qualifications we are looking for, they are background checked. They must complete infant/child CPR and first aid training. Although driving is not always required, they must submit a driving record issued by the DMV that is current within three months. They also must have 3-years of working experience relating to their specific job-skill, which includes two verified employment references. Only those who pass all these requirements qualify for placement.
After signing on to the On-Call Service you can hire a nanny with-in 24-hours, sometimes sooner.
A team member's responsible vary based on their specific job. The family is requested to submit an application to customize what is expected of them.
No. When you are on the on-call service, we send you who we think would best fit your families needs and expectations according to your completed Family Application. You can however, request a specific team member when you book with us. And, we will do our best to provide you with your request.
Since we are a referral agency we provide you with qualified candidates. You pay the team member directly. The hourly rate paid directly to the team member is as follows:
1 Child: $25-30 per hour
2 Children: $30-35 per hour
3 Children: $35-40 per hour
4 Children: $40-50 per hour
*There is a four-hour minimum that must be paid to the team member per sitting. Gratuity is optional. The fees and hourly rates may vary per county, the age and number of children and special circumstances.
Team members are considered independent contractors. Typically, any person who is within the Families household is covered under the homeowner/renter’s insurance policy. This could be verified with the pertinent insurance agency. Since the Agency only refers the candidates they are not obligated to ensure licensing or bonding but exercise due diligence in screening the candidates.
Safety – The stringent background screening, reference and qualification checking of our team members ensures that you’ll have the best support.
Save Hassle – Screening potential team members is time-consuming and can be expensive.
Be Prepared – For last minute, emergency or even date night needs.
Annual Subscription Fee Structure – For most families, the annual fee structure is more cost effective than paying per-time agency fees, as well as ensuring a higher quality of team members.
Treat your team members as the highly qualified professionals they are. Team members will come prepared and ready to provide you and your family with the support you need. Our team members will not cancel on you (extenuating circumstances aside), but in the event this happens with being a membership family we can provide you with back-up assistance. Please read our On-Call Service page for additional information.
