The new nannies.

Byline: Andrea Damewood The Register-Guard

These days, most nannies aren't a darn thing like Mary Poppins.

And most local families that hire them aren't like the ritzy, aloof New York oddballs described in the book and recent movie "The Nanny Diaries."

They don't fit their stereotypes, but nannies have been popping up faster than Ms. Poppins could pull items from her bottomless carpet bag.

"It seems nannying is becoming more popular in Eugene," said former nanny Allissa Murphy, 22. "I didn't know anybody who was a nanny and then all of a sudden, it was like all of my friends were nannies. It's like a nanny club."

Nannies today don't live in-home, and their employers are typically middle-class two-income families that need a person to care for their kids during the day.

Though one of her friends worked for a family where she was essentially the "mother," Murphy said that most local nannies are simply aides to committed and busy parents.

"I think child care is hard to come by in Eugene," said Jennifer Duncan, who employs two nannies who split full-time care for her three sons, ages 2 1/2 to 10. "Having nannies has really worked out wonderfully for us. It really has taken a layer of stress out of our lives."

The choice to hire a nanny came after Duncan, a co-owner of a local software company, and her husband, Dan, a therapist, sat down and looked at child care costs.

A nanny, they found, would be just slightly more than the tuition fees for putting their youngest, Malcolm, in full-time infant care, and their two older sons, Riley and Liam, in after-school programs.

"It's more, but the difference in price is worth it, because there's such an added resource to our family," Duncan said. "I can sacrifice having a new car in exchange for really excellent care."

The family pays a varying hourly rate of $8 to $12 an hour, depending on how many children are underfoot, she said. They also provide a car for the nannies to use to pick up and drop off the boys at school and take them to activities.

Jennifer Rea, who hired a nanny to care for her three children, ages 3 to 8, said child care was going to run her and her husband, Colin, nearly $2,000 a month.

`I'm like, `Why am I working again?' ' Rea said.

She describes their lifestyle as "unglamorous," adding that she works in tech support and training while her husband is a book buyer at the University of Oregon bookstore.

Her family has had to forgo luxuries to afford a nanny, she said. Taxes, a salary for 35 to 40 hours a week and gas reimbursement clears the $2,000 mark.

"I never buy new clothes. We only have one car," Rea said. "All of those things are because I have a nanny, but it's worth it. We choose to spend our money on that instead of on lots of cars or expensive vacations, because that's what's important to us."

Two of her children were shy growing up, and one in particular had trouble in day care. A nanny helped them thrive, Rea said.

One-on-one care from a nanny has also helped Duncan's son Malcolm. He speaks more clearly than his two older brothers did at that age, Duncan said. Because her nannies stay for about one year, the boys also get a chance to really get to know their care provider.

``When you work with one family on a daily basis, you sort of become part of the family,'' said one of the Duncan's nannies, Kylie Christenson, 22, a recent University of Oregon graduate. "Because I'm with them for so long, the boys feel really comfortable with me."

Though she earned a bachelor's degree in history, Christenson, who has been caring for children since she was 12, said she is now considering a career in child development. Nannying, she said, "is working for now, but it financially can't be anything too long term."

Beginning a nanny search is difficult, Duncan said. Once, a new hire called 12 hours before she was to start and canceled.

Most important, however, are references, she said.

"Obviously, that also means they had some experience in child care," she said, adding that she also looks for "someone who's a good fit for our family, someone we feel we can communicate with well, who has our kids' best interests at heart."

Murphy, the former nanny, added these qualities to the list: "Getting along well with children. Someone caring and fun. Someone energetic. It's actually a lot more work than you think."

Murphy - a recent UO grad who left her position with the Griffin family and their two children a few weeks ago - said she was hired after the mother approached her while she was lifeguarding at the Downtown Athletic Club.

Like Christenson, she is also thinking about continuing to work with children, possibly teaching overseas.

She made $10 or $11 an hour, a far cry from the minimum wage work of many college students, but not enough to make nannying a career pursuit.

"It fit very well with my schedule," Murphy said. "I had morning classes, and right after class I'd pick them up from day care. It fit perfectly."

NANNY NECESSITIES

Parents and nannies offer these tips on finding the right nanny:

Word of mouth: Asking parents who already have nannies can put you in touch with former nannies or connect you with their nanny's friends.

University of Oregon: Tap into the UO's education majors by visiting http://uocareer.uoregon.edu. If possible, hire at the start of the school year, when most students are looking for jobs.

Internet/newspaper: Parents say they get the most responses from classified ads. The only drawback is that the applicants are unknown to you.

Reference services: Referral service anannyonthenet.com advertises that it will connect families with highly screened and qualified nannies for a $150 application fee and placement fees that range from $1,200 to $1,600.