Certification Steps

Make a digital copy (jpeg, png or pdf) of your government issued legal identification from any country (passport, driver’s license, state identification card or military identification). The identification must have a photo, your full legal name and birthday. You must be at least 18 years old for the NCP and 21 years old for NICP and PNCP credential. Applicants do not have to be a United States citizen or resident. Applicants do not have to be a US Nanny Association member to earn and maintain a Credential.

10 min.

Find and make a digital copy of your high school diploma, general education diploma (GED) or equivalent. If needed, submit a the original and a version translated into English. A college, university or other official post-secondary transcript can also be submitted to document high school completion.:

If you do not have a high school diploma, you can complete the Nanny Specialist (NS) or Newborn and Infant Specialist (NIS) credential. These credentials have all the same requirements as NCP and NICP except you will be required to submit 3 professional references instead of a high school diploma. The reference must include the employers contact information as they may be contacted to verify the document.

20 min.

Complete a CPR and First Aid certification course for adults and children. Make a digital copy of your certification. Many organizations including the American Red Cross, American Heart Association, local community colleges and others offer these courses. Expired certifications can not be accepted.

10 min. or 8 hrs.

Confirm you have completed the education requirements and make a digital copy of your certificates of attendance, certifications and/or transcripts.

For NCP and NICP, you must have completed at least 20 clock hours or 3 credit hours of documented childcare and/or newborn and infant training from any reputable training organization. The childcare training documentation must have the name of the school, instructor, title of the class or program and duration of the class or program. The documentation must also have the name of the student, date of the course or program and current contact information (school address, phone number, email and website).

For PNCP, you must have completed at least 50 clock hours or 6 credit hours of post-secondary training school with classes focused on nanny, childcare and/or early childhood education. An official copy of a transcript must be submitted. Post-secondary institutions include professional trade schools, community colleges and universities. Investing in post-secondary (college) classes confirms the candidate completed training taught by approved and credentialed instructors and teachers. College classes also require a performance metric to ensure the student comprehends the material. Certificates of attendance are not accepted for PNCP.

10 min. or 20-50 hrs.

NCP Review Class

The National Nanny Standards are divided into Nanny (N), Newborn and Infant (I) and Professional Nanny (P). The Nanny (N) standards are foundational and create the base of knowledge desired for all nannies. The Newborn and Infant (I) and Professional (P) standards are advanced specialties. The Newborn and Infant (I) and Professional (P) certifications include the Nanny (N) standards.

Review the national nanny standards and confirm you are comfortable with all the topics. If your childcare training did not cover all the topics, you can self study or invest in a review course. The review course is optional and fees are non-refundable. Review course fees are an additional cost. Review course are not included in the certification fee.

The NCP certification has an optional NCP review class (currently in English only). The NCP review class is online with 24/7 access, takes 6.5 clock hours to complete and costs $149. If you complete the course in its entirety, you will get a certification of attendance that can be used towards the NCP, NICP or continuing education training requirement.

The PNCP certification has an optional PNCP review class (currently in English only). The PNCP review class is online with 24/7 access, takes 13.5 clock hours to complete and costs $299. If you complete the course in its entirety, you will get a certification of attendance that can be used towards the NCP, NICP or continuing education training requirement. The PNCP review course does not count towards the PNCP training as US Nanny Association is not a post-secondary school.

Registration and attendance of review courses does not guarantee that a candidate will pass the exam. These courses are NOT required – the review courses are provided as an optional resource.

10 min. or 7-14 hrs.

PNCP Review Class

Confirm you have completed the work experience requirements and have digital copies of the required documentation. Childcare experience includes working as a sitter, nanny, daycare worker, teacher, pediatric nurse, summer camp counselor and other child centric positions. To qualify as childcare work experience, the paid position must include direct supervisory responsibility to care for at least one child between the ages of 0 and 13 and/or up to age 18 if the child has been diagnosed as special needs. To quality as newborn and infant work experience, the child must be 0 to 12 months old. Caring for siblings, family members, dependents, unpaid childcare, volunteer work and/or childcare experience when the applicant was less than 16 years old does not qualify.

• For NCP and NS, you must have at least 1 year (2000 hours) of paid childcare work experience
• For NICP and NIS, you must have at least 2 years (4000 hours) of paid newborn and infant work experience
• For PNCP, you must have at least 3 years (6000 hours) of paid childcare work experience

Documentation of work experience must include the employer’s contact information as the US Nanny Association may contact the employer to confirm employment. While the US Nanny Association encourages legal employment, we recognize that in the US, childcare providers may be paid in cash and not declared as domestic employees. Given this reality, there are 4 ways to provide documentation of employment:

• Paystubs and/or W2 documents. Please add the dates and hourly rate so we can calculate the duration or hours worked per year
• Submit a written letter of recommendation that includes the employer’s name, contact information (email and/or phone), dates of employment, weekly hours, age of children and job duties
• Ask the employer to complete and sign an employment verification form (download as MS Word or Adobe PDF)
• Signed nanny work agreements and/or signed nanny contracts that include the employer’s name and contact information

If an employer is not willing to provide any type of written documentation or verification, then that work experience can not be used towards the work experience requirement.

1-2 hrs.

Pass a background check and get an official copy to submit with the application. Background checks must include name, address and driver’s license number for identity confirmation. The background check must also include federal/national criminal, state criminal and sex offender search as well as motor vehicle and any other relevant information. The background check company name and contact information must also be included. The background check is solely to ensure compliance with the US Nanny Association standards and is not a replacement for background checks to secure employment.

You can complete a background check through our USNA-approved provider. We have negotiated a discount rate for our certification applicants.

1 hr.

After completing all the above steps, you are ready to pay the credential fee online. After paying the fee, you will immediately receive an email to create your private login and password. Check your junk or spam folder right away to make sure you see the email as this is the only way to access your application.

When you start an application, it will remain active for 90 days. All steps to earn the credential must be completed within these 90 days. Upon signing up, you can immediately upload into your account all the documentation. This should be done as soon as possible as the US Nanny Association needs time to review and approve the documents. You also need time to take the exams. The US Nanny Association does not issue refunds for incomplete, expired or applicants who do not meet the criteria or who do not pass the proficiency exam.

The certification fee covers the cost for the secure online platform to upload and house the certification documents, cost for online management of the exam and fees to print and ship the certifications. The fee also provides for the annual training for US Nanny Association to be administrators approved to review and approve all submitted documents and exam results as well as make calls and inquiries as needed to confirm the certification requirements are met. This fee does not include any childcare training, CPR and First Aid training or a background check. Training and background checks are paid separately and directly to businesses and organizations that provide those services.

10 min.

Pay Credential Fee

Log into your online account and complete the application form, uploading all the forms and documentation required. Files must be submitted digitally and multiple files can be uploaded, if needed to meet a requirement. Digital files are accepted in the following formats: pdf. jpg, jpeg, png, doc, or docx. After uploading all the files to meet all the requirements, you will see a checklist. When you check each box and hit submit, the US Nanny Association will receive your application. Administrators will then verify that the application and all submitted documents meet the eligibility criteria. Typically, the application review period takes 2 to 10 business days. If the US Nanny Association has any questions about an application, an administrator will email the applicant with further instructions.

Applicants may be randomly selected for an audit. US Nanny Association conducts audits to confirm the experience and education documented on credential applications. Audits may include contacting employers and educational institutions to confirm provided documentation. The purpose of the audit it to ensure the credibility of the credential program and of the credential holders.

If you do not get a response after 10 days, you can contact us at info@usnanny.org to check on your application’s review.

30 min.

While the US Nanny Association reviews the submitted documents, applicants can prepare for the exam. We have two resources to help – a trivia game and a practice exam. Both of these resources are available in the online account. The practice exam comprised of 25 questions to help you prepare for the NCP and NICP exam or 50 questions to help prepare for the PNCP exam. The practice exams are not timed or proctored so you can take them as many times as you want and can review the correct answers to any missed questions.

The exams are available in English and Spanish.

When an application is approved, applicants will see the online proficiency exam has been added to their student account. Applicants have three (3) weeks to complete the online, multiple choice exam. The exam must be taken without any aids so all notes must be put away, web browsers closed and phones placed out of reach. The exam site may ask permission to view your camera and web browsers to supervise your activity while taking the exam. Images taken during the exam may be checked against the government identification submitted by the applicant.

The NCP and NICP credential exam has 100 multiple choice questions and you have two (2) hours to complete the exam. The PNCP credential exam has 200 multiple choice questions and you have four (4) hours to complete the exam. All exams require at least 80% to pass.

You will receive your exam results immediately. The US Nanny Association will review the exam results and proctoring. Applicants who complete all credential requirements and pass the exam are notified by email and will then be able to immediately download their credential. If you do not pass the exam on the first attempt, you will see that the exam options locks for seven days. This lock out period is required to encourage you to study the materials before re-taking the test. After the lock out period, you will have three (3) weeks to complete the second attempt.

If you do not pass the exam in the two attempts, we encourage you to invest in additional childcare training or a review class before starting the process anew.

Applicants who complete all credential requirements and pass the exam are notified by email and can immediately download their certification. If you reside in the United States, a printed copy of your certification will be mailed to the address listed in your student account. If you want your name added to the US Nanny Association Credential verification website, you will have to opt-in through the online platform.

2-4 hrs.

No. Our Association is named the US Nanny Association to communicate a commitment to US laws and customs. The US Nanny Association welcomes all persons living in any part of the world.

Whenever possible, the US Nanny Association provides content in English and Spanish. The nanny standards and certification exams are available in English and Spanish. The review classes are currently available in English only.

No. US Nanny Association membership and/or earning a NCP, NICP or PNCP Credential will in no way help individuals obtain a visa to the US or any other country nor will it help companies gain a visa or immigration for their nannies to another country.

No, there is no financial aid but the US Nanny Association offers some scholarships to members and scholarships may pay for the review courses and credential fees. Many private organizations and individuals including nanny agencies, family-employers, industry leaders, and childcare business offer scholarships and financial aid.

Yes, there are discounts. If you are an organization, agency, nanny group or business seeking to invest in more than 5 review classes and/or credentials, you may be eligible for a discounted group rate. Contact info@usnanny.org for additional information.

No, there is no financial aid but the US Nanny Association offers some scholarships to members and scholarships may pay for the review courses and credential fees. Many private organizations and individuals including nanny agencies, family-employers, industry leaders, and childcare business offer scholarships and financial aid.
Yes. If you are an organization, agency, nanny group or business seeking to invest in more than 5 review classes and/or credentials, you may be eligible for a discounted group rate. Contact info@usnanny.org for additional information.

You can enroll in a certification program by signing up online. When you sign up, you will immediately receive an email with a link to your private account. Check your spam or junk folder if you don’t see the email in your inbox. After signing in, you will link to the instructions and location to upload files. Files must be submitted digitally and are accepted in the following formats: pdf. jpg, jpeg, png, doc, or docx.

Childcare and early childhood education is a very broad category and you are empowered to choose any reputable training course or program. A reputable training organization is defined as one that provides a certificate of attendance, transcript, diploma or certificate that includes the applicant’s name, date of training, title of the training program or course, and number of hours or credit hours of training completed.

You can choose the classes which may including parenting, nanny, foster care, doula and others. The National Standards provide insights on the skills and knowledge needed to pass the proficiency exams.

If you need guidance, we recommend one of our organization members who offer training but you can choose your training based on your goals, skills and interest. Any reputable organization that issues a certificate of completion will count toward the NCP, NICP and continuing education requirements. The PNCP training requires an official trade school, college, or university transcript.

No. While the review course will provide training on the national standards, completing the review course does not guarantee a passing grade on the proficiency exam.

While any reputable training that issues a certificate of completion is accepted for NCP, NS, NICP, NIS and continuing education, the PNCP credential is designed to ensure higher quality training and requires a college transcript.

Community colleges and professional trade schools are an affordable and flexible option for this training. Investing in post-secondary (college) classes confirms the candidate completed training taught by approved and credentialed faculty and is part of an approved childcare curriculum. College classes also require a performance metric to ensure the student comprehends the material.

Yes. The credential program includes a trivia game and a practice exam. The NCP and NICP practice exam have 25 questions and the PNCP practice exam has 50 questions.

Here are some example NCP questions.

1. Conforming to conventional expectations of social behavior by not texting and driving, making eye contact when speaking with another person, and wearing appropriate clothes to work is demonstrating which of the following professionalism traits?

• Etiquette
• Authenticity
• Humility
• Integrity

2. Smiling and saying thank you to the checkout clerk, not swearing at the driver who cut you off, and putting aside your phone when talking with others is demonstrating which professionalism trait?

• Patience
• Perseverance
• Role model
• Forgiveness

Here are some example NICP questions.

1. What are the American Association of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendations regarding breast feeding?

• Continued breastfeeding for 18+ months
• Exclusive breastfeeding for about 6 months
• Breast and formula feed for 3 months
• Formula feed after 12 months

2. What is the hive-like rash made up of red blotches with pale or yellowish bumps on the baby’s skin?

• Erythema toxicum
• Vernix
• Pustular melanosis
• Lanugo

Here are some example PNCP questions.

1. Amanda is a nanny for 6-year-old Connor. When communicating with Connor, Amanda likes to share details, timelines and communicates well thought-out plans in a step by step manner. What type of communication style is Amanda using?

• Analytical
• Intuitive
• Functional
• Personal

2. Lori failed to properly secure her 3-year-old charge in the back of the car for a quick trip to the corner store. Lori’s car was hit by another car, the accident was not Lori’s fault, and the child was injured. The parents are suing Lori for negligence. Do they have a basis for this lawsuit?

• No, because Lori was not at fault for the accident
• Yes, because Lori did not use the ordinary standard of care, as standard care requires the proper use of a car seat
• No, because the child is over the age of 2 and a car seat or restraint is not required
• No, because they hired Lori to care for their child and therefore trusted her judgement