Your children are in elementary school full time and you and your partner are working full time. After school childcare is a priority. Your son wants to participate in an after-school computer program once a week, and your daughter wants to play fall soccer. Mom and dad have demanding jobs, and just getting a healthy dinner together can be a major challenge. You wonder, are there after school nannies?

Yes, many families turn to after school nanny care.

While there are certainly candidates looking for long term part time nanny positions, families find it can be challenging to hire reliable part time help. You don't want to hire a part time nanny who is working for you until a full time opportunity comes along. Experts agree,  the more hours offered the better, and the more competitive the pay the better.

Many families look to college students but be aware their availability may change semester to semester.

You will still need coverage for school closures, teacher work days and when child is sick - the after school nanny may or may not be flexible enough to help here.

You are looking for different characteristics in your after school nanny than you sought for your baby or preschooler. You may want or need:

• help with homework
• driving to and from after school activities or school pickup
• you may want help with dinner preparation
• household management - may be able to assist the parents with other things such as grocery shopping, errands, coordinating doctor, dentist and orthodontic appointments

Part time nannies often look for a minimum of 4 to 5 hour shifts. Their time and cost of commuting to and from your home is a factor, and a few hours at a time is often simply not worth it to them. You may only need 2.5 to 3 hours of actual childcare. This is where many families find that adding an extra hour or so a day and incorporating the grocery shopping, or dinner prep, or even household laundry into the after school nanny's responsibilities allows for the offering of a more attractive position that the right candidate may want long term.