What actually happens in your house between three o’clock and six? For most working families it is the tightest stretch of the day: school finishes hours before work does, somebody has to be at the gate, and the afternoon that follows holds homework, sport, hunger and tired children all at once. An after school nanny is the simplest way we know to take that stretch off your plate. One trusted carer collects your children, brings them home and runs the afternoon, so that you walk in to a calm house instead of the hardest part of the day.
This guide explains what an after school nanny does, who it suits, how it compares with other options and what it costs, so you can decide whether it would lighten your load.
What Is an After School Nanny?
An after school nanny is a carer who works a regular set of afternoons for one family, usually from school pick up until a parent arrives home. It is a part time form of ongoing nannying: the same person, on the same days, every week of term.
That consistency is the point. A casual babysitter covers a night out or a one off gap. An after school nanny becomes part of the rhythm of the week. She knows which child needs twenty minutes of quiet before anyone mentions homework, where the swimming bag lives and which afternoon the library books go back. If you would like to understand the wider role, our post on what a nanny does all day walks through it in detail.
What Happens Between Three and Six
Every family shapes the afternoon differently, but most of our after school arrangements include the same core pieces.
School pick up
Your nanny is at the gate when the bell goes. Every carer we employ has their own car, so children at different schools or on different finishing times can be collected in one run. You let the school know who is authorised to collect, and from then on the pick up is no longer a daily puzzle you solve from your desk.
Afternoon tea and a breather
Children come out of school hungry and worn out. A good afternoon starts with food and a short stretch of unstructured time before anything is asked of them. Your nanny follows whatever you prefer here, whether that is fruit and a sandwich at the bench or a picnic rug in the backyard.
Homework and reading
Readers, spelling words and times tables get done while there is still some energy in the tank, and not at seven at night when everyone is past it. Your nanny sits beside the child who needs company and leaves the independent one alone. She can also tell you honestly how it went, which is often more useful than the homework itself.
Activities and the drive between them
Swimming on Monday, dance on Wednesday, football training on Thursday. The driving is often what breaks a working parent’s afternoon, because it falls at exactly the hours you cannot leave. Your nanny takes the children, stays where needed and brings them home.
Baths and dinner underway
By the time you arrive, younger children can be bathed and in pyjamas, lunch boxes emptied and dinner either started or on the table. Many families ask their nanny to cook a simple meal for the children from a plan they have set.
A handover at the door
You hear how the afternoon went: what was eaten, what homework is finished, who had a wobbly moment at pick up and anything the teacher mentioned at the gate. Then your evening is yours, with the heavy lifting already done.
Who an After School Nanny Suits
This arrangement tends to work especially well for:
- Parents whose work finishes after five. The gap between the bell and the end of your day is covered without anyone leaving early or apologising in a meeting.
- Families with children at more than one school. One carer with a car can do both gates.
- Children who find long days hard. Some children cope well with a big group after a full school day. Others need home, quiet and their own things.
- Households with a full activity schedule. If the week includes several lessons and training sessions, care that travels with the children makes them possible.
- Shift workers and parents who travel. A regular carer gives the children the same afternoon no matter what your roster is doing.
After School Nanny or Outside School Hours Care?
Outside school hours care run at or near the school suits plenty of families. It is social, it is on site and for one child it is usually the lower cost choice. It is worth being honest about that.
A nanny offers something different. Your children are at home, in their own space, with one adult whose whole attention is on them. Homework is supervised one child at a time. Activities off the school grounds stay possible. Dinner and baths happen before you arrive, which hands you back the evening. And because our hourly rate covers up to two children, the gap in cost narrows quickly once you have more than one child.
Some families use both: a program on two afternoons and a nanny on the three with sport and music. There is no rule that says it must be one or the other.
What Does an After School Nanny Cost?
Our ongoing nannying rates are the same as our casual babysitting rates, all GST inclusive:
- One or two children: $56 per hour Monday to Saturday
- Three children: $60 per hour
- Four children: $65 per hour
- Five children: $70 per hour
Ongoing nannying runs from 10 to 37 hours a week and carries a $500 non refundable recruitment fee, which covers the work of finding and matching the right carer for your family. Kilometres your nanny drives for your family during a shift are charged at $1.10 per km.
As a worked example, three hours each afternoon across five school days is 15 hours a week. For one or two children that is $840.00, or $856.80 with the service fee. Note: A 2% service fee applies to all bookings.
The full rate card is on our pricing page.
Who Your Nanny Is
You are handing over your children, your car seats and your front door key, so it matters who turns up. Every carer at The Care Collective has been through our full screening process before they ever meet a family, and only about the top 20 per cent of applicants make it through. Each one holds current First Aid and CPR, a valid Working with Children Check and references we have checked ourselves.
Our carers are also our employees, not contractors. That means we look after their pay, tax, super and insurance, and you are not left running a small payroll from your kitchen. If your nanny is unwell, you have a team behind her and not a gap in your week.
Setting Up the First Fortnight
A little preparation in your own home makes the start much smoother.
- Write the afternoon down. One page is plenty: pick up times, activity days, what counts as afternoon tea, where homework happens and the screen rules.
- Tell the school. Add your nanny to the list of people authorised to collect, and let the class teacher know a new face will be at the gate.
- Sort the car. Decide whose car seats or boosters are used and have them fitted before the first afternoon.
- Introduce her before day one. A short visit while you are home lets the children show off their rooms and settles nerves on both sides.
- Agree on the handover. A two minute chat at the door or a short message each afternoon, whichever suits you.
Expect the first week to feel slightly clunky and the second to feel like it has always been this way. Our post on after school routines that work has more ideas for shaping those hours.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can an after school nanny work only two or three afternoons?
Yes, as long as the week adds up to at least 10 hours, which is where ongoing nannying begins. For smaller or irregular needs, casual babysitting with its three hour minimum may be a better fit.
Will it be the same person every week?
That is the whole idea. We match one carer to your family so the children build a real relationship with her. If she is ever away, we arrange cover from our own team.
What happens in the school holidays?
Many families shift the same nanny to daytime hours during the holidays, while others pause or reduce. Talk to us early in the term and we will plan it around your leave.
Can our nanny help around the house as well?
Tidying up after the children, emptying lunch boxes and preparing their dinner are a normal part of the afternoon. If you would like broader help, such as laundry or errands, tell us when you enquire so we match a carer who is happy to do it.
Take the Afternoon Off Your Plate
If three to six is the part of the day that keeps coming undone, we would love to help you fix it. Book now and tell us about your week, or get in touch on 0451 394 018 and we will talk through what an after school nanny could look like for your family.
