College Nannies and Tutors was named so because the CEO, Joseph Keely, was a “manny” himself, taking care of children while he was in college.
The 11-year-old company has grown since then, with about 80 franchise territories in the United States, and now, one on Mercer Island.
Mackenzie Krause said all of the tutoring is one-on-one. Krause, a graduate of UW who lives in Seattle, is the learning center manager at the Mercer Island location, while Samantha Deitch is the nanny placement manager. Deitch grew up in Woodinville, where she still lives.
According to the College Nannies and Tutors website, Keeley realized that he was being much more than a babysitter, but rather an active role model for the children. He recognized a need for a unique and specialized service that connected parents with safe and reliable nannies and tutors or role models.
Keeley found these role models in current college students, college graduates and certified teachers looking to make a positive difference working with children and adolescents. Krause said her tutors have a wide range of experience, with some having served with AmeriCorps or the Peace Corps. She said there is no off-the-shelf curriculum; the tutoring is based on classroom content and current homework.
The tutors also help students with test preparation for tests like SATs. Test-prep tutors scored in the 95 percent or higher group.
Krause said when a student comes for tutoring, he or she will have the same tutor each time. They are starting with five tutors on the Island and continually recruiting. Tutoring is available for K-12 kids, but Krause said their expertise is middle school to college prep.
On the nanny side, Deitch is like a matchmaker, charged with finding the perfect match between child and nanny. She has a network of nannies all over Seattle and the Eastside. Nannies can be hired 40 hours a week, or just for “date night.”
College Nannies and Tutors are the legal employers of the nannies, so they do extensive background and reference checks.
“An ideal candidate comes with family child care experience,” Krause said.
They also have nannies who can help with children who have special needs, and tutors who are equipped with the skills to best serve children with learning disabilities.
Tutoring students will be welcome to come to the center to study or use the WiFi even if they are not scheduled for tutoring.
Krause and Deitch were both nannies for College Nannies and Tutors before this Mercer Island location was even a blip on the radar screen, Krause said. Oddly, they’d never met before.
Krause also has a background in teaching and tutoring.
Find out more
College Nannies and Tutors is located at 7605 S.E. 27th Street, Suite 101. For more information, visit collegetutors.com or collegenannies.com or call (206) 659-4156.
