Rooted
in North Carolina
for families
like yours
Private Childcare & Education
Professional childcare, education, and family support for North Carolina households. Compare nannies, governesses, private educators, and family assistants.
Principal Nanny
What the role encompasses
A professional nanny provides hands-on childcare shaped around the children’s ages, needs, and family routines. The role can include meals, school transportation, play, activities, children’s belongings, and communication with parents. In our role vocabulary, Principal Nanny means the household’s primary caregiver; the written brief determines the actual authority and schedule.
Compensation range
North Carolina planning range
- Professional appointments
- $25–$45 / hour
Professional childcare wages vary with experience, children, schedule and travel. Specialist or rotational appointments may exceed this range.
Range context & sources
Indicative cash pay in USD, reviewed September 2026. The offer should specify hours, overtime treatment, benefits, travel and housing. Placement fees are separate.
The role may be right when
You want continuity of daily care and a professional who can understand your children over time.
Governess
What the role encompasses
A governess supports school-age children through learning, study habits, organization, and cultural or language development. The appointment may complement school, coordinate tutors, or maintain learning continuity while the family travels. It works best when parents can describe the educational outcomes they want.
Compensation range
U.S. benchmark · limited NC evidence
- Full-time appointments
- $70,000–$145,000 / year
U.S. private-household benchmark; local evidence is limited. Education, languages, travel and the agreed weekly schedule shape the offer.
Range context & sources
Indicative cash pay in USD, reviewed September 2026. The offer should specify hours, overtime treatment, benefits, travel and housing. Placement fees are separate.
The role may be right when
Your children need educational guidance and consistent learning habits alongside their schooling or travel.
Private Educator
What the role encompasses
A private educator, sometimes described as a private teacher, plans and delivers instruction, assesses progress, and adapts teaching to the learner. The scope might be a full academic program, support during extended travel, or focused teaching alongside school. Curriculum, subject coverage, reporting, and the relationship with an existing school should be agreed before recruitment.
Compensation range
U.S. benchmark · limited NC evidence
- Full-time appointments
- $80,000–$160,000 / year
U.S. full-time benchmark; local evidence is limited. Curriculum responsibility, preparation, learning needs and extended travel affect compensation.
Range context & sources
Indicative cash pay in USD, reviewed September 2026. The offer should specify hours, overtime treatment, benefits, travel and housing. Placement fees are separate.
The role may be right when
You need a professional to own a coherent teaching plan and explain how learning is progressing.
Family Assistant
What the role encompasses
A family assistant combines agreed childcare with practical administration: calendars, errands, activity bookings, supplies, and travel preparation. The balance depends on the children’s ages and the time available when they are at school. Some appointments are primarily care roles; others lean toward organization.
Compensation range
North Carolina & U.S. planning range
- Professional appointments
- $27–$45 / hour
Childcare and agreed family administration determine the rate. Broader household responsibilities, specialist skills and regular travel can increase compensation.
Range context & sources
Indicative cash pay in USD, reviewed September 2026. The offer should specify hours, overtime treatment, benefits, travel and housing. Placement fees are separate.
- Charlotte's Best Nanny Agency — Nanny Pay in Charlotte: 2026 Survey of Rates and Benefits (opens in a new tab)
- Family First Household Staffing Agency — Family Assistant Needed in Charlotte, NC – Filled (opens in a new tab)
- The Nanny Haven — Nanny/Household Manager & Family Assistant Placements (opens in a new tab)
The role may be right when
Your family needs childcare continuity plus reliable help coordinating the practical details around it.
Newborn Care Specialist
What the role encompasses
A newborn care specialist provides newborn-focused support, often for an agreed period or overnight schedule. The brief can include feeding support within the parents’ plan, nursery organization, care records, and helping parents establish practical routines. Multiple births, prematurity, or particular care needs should be discussed explicitly.
Compensation range
North Carolina planning range
- Professional appointments
- $30–$50 / hour
Hourly planning range for newborn-focused support. Agree shift length, contract duration, multiples and overnight responsibilities before setting the total.
Range context & sources
Indicative cash pay in USD, reviewed September 2026. The offer should specify hours, overtime treatment, benefits, travel and housing. Placement fees are separate.
The role may be right when
You want dedicated newborn experience during a defined transition period, with clear handovers to parents or a long-term caregiver.
Defining principal nanny responsibilities
Decide how much independence you want the nanny to have, how you approach routines and boundaries, and how parents and caregivers will share updates. Full-time, live-in, live-out, and travel arrangements are different ways to structure the appointment, rather than different standards of care.
Settle these details first
- Children’s ages, routines, and any specific support needs
- A realistic weekly schedule, including school holidays and travel
- Child-related duties, decision-making boundaries, and communication
Defining governess responsibilities
Discuss the balance between academic support and hands-on care. School liaison, homework oversight, educational outings, and travel learning require different preparation from delivering a full curriculum. Relevant teaching experience and the ability to work within family life deserve separate consideration.
Settle these details first
- Children’s ages, school arrangements, and learning priorities
- Languages or subject knowledge that are truly required
- The balance of education, care, travel, and school communication
Defining private educator responsibilities
Look for experience with the relevant age range and educational approach, as well as the ability to document progress and collaborate with parents. Where other specialists are involved, define who coordinates the program and how their recommendations reach the educator.
Settle these details first
- Curriculum, subjects, learning objectives, and reporting
- School affiliation and any requirements the family must satisfy
- Teaching hours, preparation time, and travel arrangements
Defining family assistant responsibilities
Build the brief around what can realistically be completed in a week. If a child is home unexpectedly, establish which administrative tasks pause. Access to accounts, spending limits, driving, and communication with other household staff should be defined rather than assumed.
Settle these details first
- Approximate split between childcare and administration
- Priorities when care needs interrupt planned errands
- Driving, purchases, account access, and reporting boundaries
Defining newborn care specialist responsibilities
Clarify the specialist’s training, experience, scope, and handover arrangements with the family. This role is not a substitute for medical advice or nursing care. When clinical support is needed, the appropriate healthcare professional should define and provide it.
Settle these details first
- Start date, duration, daytime or overnight coverage
- Feeding plan, care records, and parent communication
- Relevant newborn experience and any clinical support already involved
Families seeking professional childcare in North Carolina may need daily care, academic guidance, or a thoughtful combination of care and family logistics. We begin with the children’s ages, the rhythm of the working day, and the responsibility you want one person to own. Silverthorne approaches nanny recruitment as part of a wider household staffing search. That matters when a caregiver will work alongside a housekeeper, chef, educator, or estate team: each person needs a clear remit, and parents need to know where decisions sit.
A more useful brief
Before you begin a nanny search
Full-time, part-time, and travel
Describe a real week: school runs, parents’ working hours, evenings, weekends, and travel. Full-time describes the schedule, not the number of duties. If term time differs from school holidays, write down both. Discuss travel days and overnight responsibility separately.
Live-in is a living arrangement
Agree private accommodation, access to shared spaces, on-duty hours, uninterrupted time off, and what happens when the family travels. Living at the residence does not mean being continuously available. Put overnight expectations and arrangements for recording working time in writing.
U.S. Department of Labor: live-in domestic workers ↗Care and household work
Children’s meals, belongings, and activity preparation can belong within childcare. Whole-house cleaning, adult laundry, extensive errands, or household administration should be discussed explicitly. When those duties become substantial, consider a family assistant or separate household support.
Experience that matches your children
Look beyond the title alone. Discuss the ages and needs a candidate has supported, how they communicate with parents, and how they respond when plans change. Relevant training, references, driving experience, and practical judgment should be assessed against the realities of your home.
The Founder’s Office
From the right brief to a considered introduction.
With a combined thirty-five years spent within private households, we understand that a childcare appointment must work not only for the children, but within the wider rhythm of the home. We study the household, define the appointment, and assess relevant experience, references, working style, and fit. Interviews and a paid working trial, where appropriate, help both sides understand the work before a long-term commitment.
How we assess households and candidates →Compensation & conditions
Plan the whole appointment
Discuss compensation alongside the weekly schedule, overnight responsibilities, travel, live-in arrangements, time off, and the duties that properly belong to the appointment. Candidate compensation and employment costs are separate from Silverthorne’s search and placement fees.
Client fees & placement terms →Looking for work? View available positions.
Before you decide
Questions worth asking.
Explore the appointments
The rest of the household.
Explore responsibilities, compare related roles, and clarify the support your home needs.
Private households throughout North Carolina.
From Charlotte and Lake Norman to Raleigh, Durham, and Chapel Hill; across the Triad, the Blue Ridge, and the coast. Tell us where the work happens, including travel or additional residences. Location, commuting expectations, and relocation needs belong in the brief from the beginning.