Essence J.

Essence has cared for our daughter since she was 7 months old, and became an essential part of our family right from the start! She is extremely reliable, professional, and so caring and energetic—our daughter lights up every morning when she walks in. Essence has always been so respectful of our parenting choices but also brings the confidence of a mother and the experience of a seasoned nanny to set a new parent’s mind at ease and provide partnership in decision making. She is the type of nanny to take initiative, planning playdates and helping find the best age-appropriate activities in the neighborhood. We’ve been impressed with how easily Essence is able to connect with other nannies and parents in the neighborhood to help grow our daughter’s social circle. We are leaving NYC and truly one of the hardest parts about it is not being able to bring Essence with us! We will all miss her dearly.

Essence James worked for us for 8 months to take over our nanny who moved out of town. After interviewing dozens of nannies, she stood out as reliable, trustworthy, motivated, loving and energetic (to watch after our very active 2 year old son), and she has exceeded all of our expectations. I work from home and have a flexible schedule, so I was always around and dropping in on play dates or classes. Essence was always fully engaged with Izzy – helping to teach him colors, dancing, singing or playing on the ground. If there was an age appropriate event in the neighborhood, Essence was there – Libraries, Jewish Heritage Museum, TheCube, The Indian Museum – you name it – she would be there rain or snow! One of my favorite stories about Essence was when the Kidville near us did not have open play hours this winter that fit our sons nap schedule. Instead of complaining and being stuck inside, she worked with the management at the gym to organize an open time just for my son and his friends each week. She is a great problem solver! Essence is also a great cook and was great at planning out balanced meals and snacks for Izzy. She was always willing to stay late or come early if needed and went above and beyond in keeping our house in order. Our loss can be your gain – as we wish we could take her with us when we move to San Francisco!