b'SOWHATEXACTLYISTHEROLEOFANEWBORNCARESPECIALIST?Atruenewborncarespecialistisahighlyknowledgeableandeducated in-home care provider who works with families during thefirst twelve-to-sixteen weeks of life. On occasion, there are familieswho request care for up to six months or longer, and many NCS areNewborns have always needed special care. While this need for willing to provide that care. The hours generally fall into two mainspecializedcarehasspannedgenerations,hownewborns categories: overnights and 24s (i.e., around-the-clock care with areceived it, and who has provided it, has changed over the years. four-to-six hour break daily). These positions can be one-to-sevenToday, those who provide specialized care to newborns are part of nights per week, and most full-time newborn care specialists worka growing group of caregivers called newborn care specialists. with three-to-five families per year. Members in this group of caregivers are gaining respect within thechildcareindustryastheydevelopskills,knowledge,andprofessionalism that set them apart.But this has not always been the case. Early in history, young infants were traditionally cared for withinthe family or clan unit. Depending on the culture, there may havebeen family members who helped provide care, or there may havebeenolderwomeninthelocalcommunitywhoservedas SO YOU WANT TO BE A NEWBORN CARE SPECIALIST?caregivers, sometimes for several local children at once. In thisinformal support system, knowledge was passed from woman to Ifyouareconsideringacareerinthissegmentofthechildcarewoman on to the next generation.industry, find a highly qualified newborn care specialist and ask themto share their experience and recommendations. A good mentor canThere was also a significant time in US history, in particular, thatchildrenofthewealthywerecaredforbywomenofcolor, make all the difference in your success and the care you provide forpredominantly black women.This occurred both during the age of families.slaveryandinthedecadesfollowingasculturalandlegalrestrictions limited economic options for women of color.Whilethese practices also occurred in other parts of the world, theywere very prevalent in the US and are widely considered to be thehistorical origin of the modern day nanny (for more information onthehistoryofthemoderndaynannyreadHouseholdWorkersUnite). As our world changed, and as more women entered the workforcein large numbers and the need for childcare grew, the domestic WHATISTHEEARNINGPOTENTIALFORANEWBORNCAREservice industry changed with it. Working in these roles began tobecome a choice, rather than a sentence. SPECIALIST?Bythe1980s,manyofthosetakingondomesticroleswere Typically across the US, newborn care specialists earn $15-$45 perequippedwithknowledgegainedfromtrainingprogramsor hour.Therighttrainingandexperiencecanmakeadifference.independent study, and they viewed their work as their vocation. Differentmarketshavedifferentwageranges,sonewborncareAs a result, domestic workers with training and experience began specialists who work in in larger cities, for example, may earn moreto be in demand. than newborn care specialists who work in small towns. In the late 90s and early 2000s, the position of newborn carespecialistbegantoemergeasanichewithinthechildcareindustry. During that time, caregivers doing this kind of work were 36Spring 2020|NannyMag.com'