A nanny cover letter is a brief and professional document that highlights your skills, experiences, and motivation when applying for a job. Its purpose is to demonstrate your soft skills, childcare abilities, and additional qualifications to hiring managers to help you get ahead of other candidates in a competitive job market.
In this article, we’ll teach you how to write a standout nanny cover letter that grabs attention and maximizes your chances of getting an interview. We’ll give you a step-by-step guide and include examples to help you write the best cover letter possible.
Key Takeaways
The best format for a nanny cover letter is the business letter format.
To make your cover letter visually appealing, you should keep it one page long with a professional 10–12 pt size font, one-inch margins, and 1.0 or 1.15 line spacing.
You can personalize your cover letter and build rapport with the hiring manager by addressing them by name.
The skills, experiences, and qualifications highlighted in your cover letter should be relevant to the job you’re applying for.
You should add a call to action to the final paragraph of the letter to boost your chances of getting invited for a job interview.
The Ideal Format to Use for a Nanny Cover Letter
The ideal format to use for a nanny cover letter is the business letter format. This is an established format for professional correspondence designed to ensure optimal document legibility.
Here’s how you should arrange the parts of your nanny or babysitter cover letter by following this format:
Cover Letter Mandatory Details
Contact information
Greetings
Introductory paragraph
Main body with your qualifications
Closing paragraph with a call to action
Conclusion and sign-off
In addition to a strong cover letter format, you want to ensure the visual fidelity of your document with a solid layout.
You can follow these guidelines to achieve that:
Cover Letter Layout Guidelines
Keep your cover letter concise and one page long.
Your letter should have between 250 and 400 words or 3 to 5 paragraphs.
You should pick a professional font for your cover letter, like Arial or Calibri.
Font size should be 10–12 pt.
Margins should be 1 inch on all sides.
Line spacing should be 1.0 or 1.15.
By following these rules and guidelines, you’ll write an impeccable cover letter from scratch. However, there’s an even faster and simpler way to do it, and that’s by using our cover letter builder.
We designed a tailor-made solution for job seekers that simplifies the process of creating cover letters and minimizes your chances of making a mistake. There are countless expert-made templates with formats and layouts already made for you.
Pick the one you like, add your details and writing to pre-designated areas, and download your letter in minutes!
Nanny Cover Letter Outline
Let’s go over how to write a nanny cover letter by examining one section at a time.
Here’s a clear visual guide to help you better understand what goes where:
#1. Contact Information
Contact information should go at the top of your cover letter in its header. It’s a straightforward section where you want to include your and the recipient’s details along with the date of writing.
Start with your information and list the following details:
Contact Information Mandatory Information
Full name
Job title
Phone number
Email address
Optionally, you can also include:
Contact Information Optional Details
Address
LinkedIn
Relevant social media
Following that, you should date the letter and include the location before listing the recipient’s contact information.
Let’s see what that looks like in practice:
Contact Information Example
Stephanie Scott Nanny 700 Water Street Livermore, CA 94550 925-243-7651 stephaniescott@example.com
Indianapolis, 03/11/2024
Amanda Lambert Hiring Manager Rainbow Nanny Services 2329 Locust Court Norwalk, CA 90650
#2. Greeting
Greeting the reader is a standard way of starting a cover letter. It’s polite to address the reader, and it builds rapport from the get-go. The key here is to include the name of the hiring manager to create a personal experience.
Here’s what that looks like in an example:
Greeting Example
Dear Ms. Lambert,
Conversely, generic greetings don’t work as they are too impersonal. That’s why you shouldn’t use “To Whom It May Concern” or “Dear Sir or Madam.” Instead, if you can’t find their name, you can use the recipient’s professional title or department.
#3. Introduction
The introductory paragraph should be brief and attention-grabbing. You want to highlight your key strengths to convince the hiring manager that you’re a strong candidate right off the bat, persuading them to read the rest of your nanny cover letter attentively.
In a couple of sentences, you should specify the position that you’re applying for, highlight how much experience you have in the field, and emphasize your critical skills and qualifications.
Here’s a good example:
Introduction Example
I am writing to express my interest in the open Nanny position at Rainbow Nanny Services. With a BA in Early Child Psychology, a CPR and first aid certification, and more than seven years of experience providing exceptional child care across 20 families, I am confident in my ability to contribute to your team.
#4. Skills & Work Experience
The central part of your nanny cover letter should showcase your most impressive skills and work-related accomplishments related to the job. You should write 1–3 information-packed paragraphs to present yourself as the right person for the role.
To make your abilities pop, you want to demonstrate them by connecting them to relevant achievements. Then, you want to include numbers and statistics to add measurable value to your efforts, making them concrete in the eyes of the reader.
If you don’t have prior work experience and are writing an entry-level nanny cover letter, you can leverage other activities to quantify your achievements. This includes academic endeavors, volunteer work, classes and workshops, etc.
Let’s see that in an example:
Skills & Work Experience Example
In my previous role working with a private family, I took care of three of their children, ages 3, 5, and 9. My duties included coming up with and organizing creative activities and overseeing their academic progress. Notably, I helped the eldest child improve their reading level by two grades in five months of personalized tutoring sessions. I’ve also been in charge of shopping for and cooking 10+ meals per week for breakfast and lunch.
#5. Motivation for Applying
Talking about your motivation for applying for the job can set you apart from the competition. You can use this part to highlight your drive and passion and show more than just the essential qualifications that most other job seekers have.
One of the best ways to do this is to specify something about the profession or the organization you’re looking to join. For instance, when writing a nanny cover letter for an agency, you can point out something about its work or culture and explain how it matches your career goals or personal aspirations.
Here’s a good example:
Motivation For Applying Example
I am particularly drawn to Rainbow Nanny Services due to its holistic approach to child care. Your commitment to providing high-quality care while ensuring every child receives personalized service resonates with my aspirations and passion for fostering warm and nurturing environments.
#6. Call to Action
A call to action in the final paragraph of your nanny cover letter vastly boosts the chances of getting a response from the hiring manager. It prompts action, so you can use it to suggest the reader check your resume or call you to arrange a meeting.
Here’s what that looks like in an example:
Call to Action Example
Thank you for considering my application. Please find my resume attached for additional details about my skills and qualifications. I look forward to discussing in an interview how my efforts in physical activity design would make me a valuable addition to your team.
#7. Closing
The closing of your nanny cover letter should be short and polite. You can use one of the many cordial closing statements, such as “Kind regards” or “Sincerely,” followed by your name.
Here’s what that looks like:
Closing Example
Kind regards, Stephanie Scott
Let’s put everything that we’ve learned into practice and check out a complete example of a nanny cover letter:
Let’s wrap up this comprehensive guide on how to write a nanny cover letter with some expert tips to help polish your document to perfection:
5 Expert Tips for Crafting a Nanny Cover Letter
Play to your strengths. If you have plenty of experience as a nanny, you should emphasize your accomplishments to showcase your competence. However, if you’re writing a nanny cover letter with no experience, you want to focus on your skills and academic achievements.
Showcase your certifications. While you write an outstanding cover letter for a nanny or a housekeeper without certifications, having them significantly boosts your chances of landing the job. For instance, CPR certification can get you ahead of all the other candidates who don’t have it.
Point out your soft skills. Skills like communication and organization are essential in child care. That’s why you want to mention and demonstrate your interpersonal abilities in addition to showcasing your credentials and hard skills.
Proofread your nanny cover letter before submitting it. This gives you the opportunity to correct any typos or errors and polish your writing. That way, you’ll send an impeccable cover letter that demonstrates professionalism and attention to detail.
Match your cover letter to your nanny resume. The two documents should match in content and layout to create a cohesive and professional application package. This includes using the same font and formatting options and using the two documents to complement one another without repeating the same information.
Final Thoughts
Job openings for childcare workers are at a -1% decline. That still means there will be around 162,500 projected openings every year until 2033. One of the best ways to get one of those jobs is by writing an exceptional nanny resume and cover letter.
Remember that a cover letter isn’t just a summary of your qualifications but a showcase of your motivation as well. You should use it to highlight your drive and personality, setting yourself apart from the competition.
By doing so, you’ll leave a lasting good impression on hiring managers and maximize the chances of getting an interview invite.
