Each month we highlight one of our agency partners, and get to know a little more about them and their insights into the household employment industry. This month we spoke with Mandie Lewis, founder and director of Starling Agency.
Agency Vitals
- Founded in 2012
- Serves the Seattle metro area
- Focuses on nannies with backgrounds in education and child development
How did you get started?
I was a teacher and a nanny, so I was always involved in conversations about child care. I became a referral resource for both families and nannies. As word of mouth grew, it was a natural progression to open my own nanny agency.
What is your biggest challenge?
I’m in a very competitive market, so it’s a challenge to assist families in making competitive offers to candidates, and figuring out the right timing for making those offers. The other big challenge is finding a large enough pool of highly qualified caregivers to meet the demand.
What strategies do you use for recruiting candidates?
We work with a network of nannies that have been extremely supportive of the agency. They reach out for new opportunities when their contract with a family is up, and they are great about spreading word of mouth. We also use several additional platforms to recruit.
How do you distinguish yourself from online agencies? / How do you show your value?
The biggest value of using a highly specialized agency like ours is the opportunity for advocacy and support. We provide information regarding the current market, candidates, lawful hiring practices, and mediation if needed. Starling Agency is especially diligent in the area of background research. We work with a private investigator to review our candidates, which generates a 7-10 page dossier of cross-referenced information. We go through multiple rounds of investigation, including reviewing each candidate’s online presence, references, education, and training certifications, with a critical eye. I have to be willing to hire a candidate for my own family in order to recommend them to a client. Online sites can’t vet candidates with the level of careful consideration that we provide. It’s unfortunate, but we regularly find inaccurate information and data errors occurring through online sites.
How do you help families understand paying their employee legally?
We offer a great deal of support to first-time household employers to ensure they’re making informed and lawful hiring decisions. We give all our families thorough information explaining their obligations as household employers, the benefits to paying legally, and the benefits to the employee. In fact, we work closely with GTM to provide accurate information and support. This has been successful resource for our clients.
How do you help nannies/employees understand the benefits of being paid legally?
The nannies in our network are very savvy. They are often career-level nannies with an in-depth understanding of the benefits to being paid legally and the drawbacks of not.
How do you stay current with employment laws?
Our professional affiliations are a major source of information. This includes The Association of Premier Nanny Agencies (APNA), the International Nanny Association (INA), The Northwest Nanny Association, GTM, and other local partners. We are proud to be very active in a communicative network of professional nannies and agency colleagues.
How has GTM helped your agency and your families?
The feedback about GTM has always been positive – families have shared that the GTM staff is friendly and responsive, which I greatly appreciate. When I was a nanny, I was issued payroll through GTM, so I like to share my personal recommendation in regards to the seamless process. GTM has helped our agency by offering an additional level of professional support.
What are some fun facts about you or your agency?
Starling Agency is very involved in our community. We host a book drive each year which provides books to children in need throughout Washington State. We’re coming from backgrounds as educators and nannies, so we are extremely passionate about helping children thrive! We have been recognized as a top agency by ParentMap, Red Tricycle, and Nanny Magazine. We love what we do!
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