By Katie Provinziano, Founder & CEO of Westside Nannies

After more than two decades in household staffing, I’ve learned one thing: the families we serve are constantly evolving. And if we want to serve them well, we have to be willing to evolve alongside them.

There’s a shift happening in the household staffing industry, and it’s one I’ve been watching with great interest over the past couple of years.

It’s a shift in how families think about help, how they define the support they need, and increasingly, how they describe the professionals they hire to provide it.

At the center of this conversation is a title that has traditionally carried a very specific meaning: household manager.

For decades, our industry has operated with fairly distinct job titles. A nanny cared for children. A housekeeper maintained the home. A private chef prepared meals. A family assistant handled administrative and logistical tasks. A household manager oversaw the people, vendors, and operations involved in running a private residence.

These distinctions served a purpose. They helped families understand whom to hire, helped candidates identify opportunities suited to their experience, and established expectations around responsibilities and compensation.

But families are changing. The way we live is changing. And the language we use to describe household support is beginning to change with it.

Personally, I think that’s a wonderful thing.

First, Let’s Talk About How Far We’ve Come

When I founded Westside Nannies in 2004, hiring household help was often viewed very differently than it is today.

Of course, nannies have always been employed by families across a wide range of income levels. But the idea of building a broader household support system, someone to manage errands, coordinate schedules, oversee projects, organize the family’s life, and keep everything running smoothly, was largely associated with exceptionally wealthy households.

For many families, the concept of hiring help beyond childcare felt like an extravagance.

And for many mothers in particular, there was an emotional component to it.

Somewhere along the way, we developed this idea that being a good mother meant doing everything yourself. Working, raising children, keeping the house running, scheduling appointments, managing activities, planning meals, remembering birthdays, buying gifts, arranging travel, and somehow making it all look effortless.

As a working mother of two boys, I can tell you firsthand how unrealistic that expectation is.

I run multiple businesses. My husband has a demanding career. Our children have school, sports, activities, friendships, appointments, and all the wonderful, unpredictable needs that come with raising a family.

And behind every seemingly ordinary day is an extraordinary amount of coordination.

There’s the permission slip that needs signing, the birthday gift that needs purchasing, the uniform that needs washing, the dentist appointment that needs scheduling, the groceries that need ordering, and the school project that somehow needs to be completed by tomorrow morning.

None of these things is particularly monumental on its own. But together? They represent an enormous amount of work.

And perhaps more importantly, an enormous amount of mental energy.

What I’ve loved watching over the past several years is how much more openly we’re talking about this.

Mothers with microphones, platforms, podcasts, and large audiences are speaking candidly about the help they have, the help they need, and the villages they’ve intentionally built around their families.

They’re talking about outsourcing, delegating, and recognizing their own limitations.

And increasingly, they’re doing it without apology.

What once carried a sense of shame is becoming a sign of strength.

We’re finally beginning to recognize that needing support isn’t a personal failing. It’s often what makes it possible for parents to show up more fully in the areas of their lives that matter most.

And as more families embrace that philosophy, they’re beginning to ask a different question.

Not simply, “Do we need a nanny or a housekeeper?”

But rather, “What would it actually take to make our household run better?”

That is a fundamentally different conversation.

The Traditional Household Manager: A Very Specific Role

Historically, household management has been a fairly well-defined profession.

A traditional household manager typically oversees the day-to-day operations of a private residence, often supervising an existing team of household employees.

In a fully staffed home, that might mean managing the housekeepers, nannies, chefs, personal assistants, and other domestic professionals. The household manager serves as the central point of communication between the principal and the household staff, ensuring that expectations are met, schedules are coordinated, vendors are managed, and projects are completed.

Estate managers often perform similar functions on a larger scale, sometimes overseeing multiple properties, managing significant budgets, coordinating maintenance and renovations, and traveling between residences.

These are sophisticated, highly skilled positions, and they remain incredibly important.

We place professionals in these roles, and we have tremendous respect for the expertise required to perform them well.

But here’s what’s interesting.

Over the past year or two, I’ve noticed families increasingly using the term household manager to describe something a little different.

They’re not necessarily looking for someone to manage a team of employees.

In many cases, they don’t have a team of employees.

They’re looking for someone to help manage the household itself.

And when you think about it, that makes perfect sense.

A New Definition of Household Management Is Emerging

For a growing number of families, household management isn’t about supervising people.

It’s about managing the seemingly endless responsibilities involved in running a home and raising a family.

It’s about taking some of the mental load off parents’ shoulders.

And what that looks like can vary dramatically from one household to another.

One family might need someone to handle grocery shopping, meal preparation, returns, errands, and travel arrangements.

Another might need help getting the house back in order after the morning rush, managing the children’s extracurricular schedules, coordinating birthday parties, organizing playdates, and keeping track of appointments.

A third might need someone who can pick up the children from school, help with homework, manage the family’s calendar, coordinate household vendors, and make sure the refrigerator is stocked before the weekend.

And another family might need a completely different combination of responsibilities.

That’s precisely the point.

Modern families don’t always fit neatly into traditional job descriptions. So why should the professionals supporting them have to?

In my own home, I’ve experienced this firsthand.

There are seasons when the support our family needs is heavily focused on the children, their schedules, activities, transportation, and day-to-day care.

There are other times when what would make the biggest difference is help with logistics, travel planning, organizing the house, managing errands, or simply keeping track of the dozens of moving pieces that make up our week.

And often, it’s some combination of all of the above.

Our needs aren’t static. They change as our children grow, as our work demands shift, and as life happens.

I’ve come to appreciate that the greatest value of household support isn’t always the completion of a specific task.

Sometimes it’s knowing that someone else is thinking about that task in the first place.

Someone who notices that the boys are running low on something they need for school. Someone who knows that an upcoming trip requires a little preparation. Someone who recognizes that the schedule has changed and adjusts accordingly.

Not simply someone who waits to be told what to do, but someone who can anticipate needs, take ownership of agreed-upon responsibilities, and help keep the family moving forward.

That kind of support is enormously valuable.

And I understand why families increasingly describe it as household management.

Because that’s exactly what it feels like.

The Mental Load Is Real Work. It’s Time We Recognized It as Such.

For generations, much of the invisible labor involved in running a household has fallen disproportionately on women.

And while the dynamics of individual families vary, the broader conversation about the mental load has helped put language around something many parents have experienced for years.

It’s not just doing the laundry. It’s knowing when the laundry needs to be done.

It’s not just taking a child to the dentist. It’s remembering to schedule the appointment, coordinating it with school, completing the forms, and making sure the follow-up happens.

It’s not just planning a birthday party. It’s keeping track of the date, the guest list, the invitations, the cake, the decorations, the gifts, and the thank-you notes.

The physical tasks matter, of course.

But so does the planning, remembering, anticipating, coordinating, and decision-making that happens behind the scenes.

And increasingly, families are realizing that this work can be shared.

They aren’t necessarily looking for a personal assistant in the traditional sense. They aren’t necessarily looking for a housekeeper, a nanny, or a chef.

They’re looking for someone who can take responsibility for meaningful pieces of the household’s daily operation.

They’re looking for someone who can help carry the load.

And I believe our industry should be celebrating that realization, not resisting it.

When the Language Changes, We Have a Choice

Here’s where I think this conversation becomes especially interesting for those of us who work in household staffing.

As agencies, we have decades of experience defining positions, creating job descriptions, and distinguishing between different categories of household professionals.

There’s tremendous value in that knowledge.

But expertise shouldn’t make us inflexible.

When families begin using familiar terminology in new ways, we have a choice.

We can insist that the traditional definition is the only correct one.

We can tell a family that what they’re describing isn’t a household manager because the position doesn’t involve supervising staff.

We can insist that their needs must fit into one of the categories we’ve always used.

Or we can listen.

We can recognize that the language is evolving because the needs are evolving.

And we can adapt.

At Westside Nannies, we’ve always believed that innovation and a willingness to embrace change are essential to doing our jobs well.

When I started this company more than 20 years ago, the way families found household professionals looked very different from how it looks today. Technology has changed. Expectations have changed. The way families communicate, hire, and manage their homes has changed.

We’ve embraced those changes because our responsibility isn’t to preserve the industry exactly as it existed when we entered it.

Our responsibility is to serve the families and professionals who depend on us today.

We don’t get to decide what modern families should need. We get to listen to what they actually need and help them find it.

That doesn’t mean abandoning professional standards or pretending that every position is interchangeable.

A career estate manager overseeing multiple multimillion-dollar properties has a very different skill set from a family assistant who handles school pickups, meal preparation, and household errands.

Those distinctions still matter.

Experience matters. Scope matters. Compensation matters.

And clear expectations are perhaps more important than ever.

But the existence of a traditional definition doesn’t mean there isn’t room for a broader, evolving one.

In fact, I believe the most thoughtful agencies will be the ones capable of understanding both.

The Rise of the Hybrid Household Professional

One of the most exciting developments we’ve seen is the growing demand for professionals whose skills cross traditional job categories.

A nanny who loves children but also enjoys organizing, planning, and coordinating.

A family assistant who can manage schedules and travel arrangements but is equally comfortable preparing a family dinner or helping with the after-school routine.

A household professional who can oversee vendors, manage errands, coordinate family logistics, and help maintain a beautifully functioning home.

These aren’t necessarily people who want to specialize in just one thing.

Many genuinely enjoy the variety.

They like that no two days are exactly alike. They enjoy problem-solving, staying busy, taking initiative, and using different skills throughout the day.

For the right person, a hybrid role can be far more engaging than a narrowly defined position.

And for the right family, it can be transformative.

Instead of hiring multiple people to fulfill several smaller needs, a family may be able to hire one talented, versatile professional whose role reflects the way that particular household actually functions.

Of course, there are limits.

Being versatile shouldn’t mean being expected to do the work of three full-time employees in a single workday.

And having a broad job description shouldn’t mean having an undefined one.

The most successful hybrid positions still require realistic expectations, thoughtful prioritization, appropriate compensation, and mutual agreement about responsibilities.

But when those elements are in place, these roles can create something special: a position that grows alongside the family.

Why This Evolution Is Also Wonderful for Caregivers

I want to spend some time on this point because I think it’s one of the most important parts of the conversation.

When we talk about evolving household roles, the focus is often on how much easier they can make life for families.

But I believe this evolution also creates tremendous opportunities for the professionals we represent.

And after more than two decades of helping caregivers build careers, that matters deeply to me.

1. More Opportunities for Long-Term Employment

One of the challenges with traditional nanny positions is that a family’s childcare needs inevitably change.

A family may hire a wonderful full-time nanny when their children are infants or toddlers. That nanny becomes an integral part of the household, developing deep relationships with the children and parents.

But eventually, the children go to school.

Their schedules change. They become more independent. And the family may no longer need the same number of hours devoted exclusively to childcare.

Historically, this could mean the end of an otherwise wonderful employment relationship.

And that’s always difficult.

But what if that nanny also enjoys household organization, errands, scheduling, family logistics, or other responsibilities?

What if the position can evolve as the children grow?

Instead of ending when the youngest child starts kindergarten, the relationship may continue for years.

The nanny who once spent her days caring for toddlers may eventually become the professional who keeps the entire household running smoothly.

And in many cases, that continuity can be invaluable for everyone involved.

The family retains someone they know and trust.

The children maintain a relationship with someone who has been an important part of their lives.

And the professional gains the opportunity for longer-term employment and career growth.

To me, that’s a tremendous win.

2. A Broader Skill Set Creates More Career Opportunities

The more skills a household professional develops, the more types of positions may become available to them.

A nanny with excellent childcare experience is valuable.

A nanny who also has strong organizational abilities, scheduling experience, household coordination skills, and the ability to manage family logistics may be qualified for an even broader range of opportunities.

That doesn’t diminish the value of childcare expertise.

It simply expands the possibilities.

A professional who can confidently move between childcare, family assistance, and household coordination may be able to pursue positions with families whose children are older, whose schedules are more complex, or whose needs extend beyond traditional nanny responsibilities.

And those opportunities can be especially meaningful as a professional’s own career goals change.

Not everyone wants to spend 30 years in the same type of position.

Some people love working with infants. Others prefer school-aged children. Some discover that their favorite part of being a nanny is actually the planning, organizing, and logistical work that happens around the children.

These evolving roles create pathways for those interests to develop into new career opportunities.

3. Greater Versatility Can Lead to Higher Earning Potential

This is another benefit I think deserves much more attention.

In a high-cost-of-living market like Los Angeles, compensation matters enormously.

And one of the things we’ve observed is that professionals who bring a broad, highly developed set of skills to a household can often command stronger compensation.

Think about the value of someone who can independently manage family logistics, anticipate household needs, coordinate multiple schedules, communicate effectively with vendors, maintain systems, and step in to support the children when needed.

That professional is contributing far more than the completion of individual tasks.

They’re bringing judgment, adaptability, discretion, initiative, and the ability to take ownership of important responsibilities.

Those qualities are valuable.

And families who recognize that value may be willing to compensate accordingly.

Of course, a broader job description doesn’t automatically justify a higher wage, and specialization can command exceptional compensation as well.

An outstanding newborn care specialist, career nanny, private chef, or estate manager may earn an excellent living precisely because of their deep expertise.

But for professionals who genuinely enjoy variety and want to expand their careers, developing additional skills can create meaningful opportunities for increased earning potential.

And I love seeing that.

4. More Interesting, Fulfilling Careers

Not every caregiver wants to spend every day doing the same thing.

Some absolutely do, and that’s wonderful.

But others thrive when they’re able to use different parts of themselves.

They may love children but also love planning events.

They may be wonderful at organizing a home and equally talented at coordinating travel.

They may enjoy preparing meals, managing calendars, running errands, and finding creative solutions to the everyday challenges of family life.

For these professionals, a hybrid position can offer variety, autonomy, and an opportunity to take real ownership of their work.

There’s something deeply satisfying about being trusted to manage a responsibility from beginning to end.

And when families and professionals are aligned on expectations, these roles can foster an extraordinary sense of partnership.

This Doesn’t Mean Every Nanny Should Become a Household Manager

I want to be very clear about something.

Not every household professional wants a hybrid role.

And not every household needs one.

There are exceptional nannies whose passion is entirely focused on children. They love child development, education, imaginative play, and the deeply personal work of helping raise the next generation.

There are housekeepers who take tremendous pride in their craft and have no interest in becoming family assistants.

There are chefs whose culinary expertise is precisely what makes them invaluable.

And there are traditional household managers and estate managers whose experience overseeing staff, properties, budgets, and complex operations represents a highly specialized profession.

We need all of these people.

This evolution isn’t about replacing traditional roles or expecting every household employee to become a jack-of-all-trades.

It’s about recognizing that there is also a growing space between those traditional categories.

And that space deserves to be understood, respected, and supported.

A family shouldn’t have to pretend it needs a traditional household manager simply because that’s the closest available title.

And a candidate shouldn’t feel that a varied position is somehow less legitimate because it doesn’t fit neatly into a category that has existed for decades.

The goal isn’t to make every role broader. It’s to make every role more accurately reflect the needs of the family and the talents of the professional.

Job Titles Matter. But Job Descriptions Matter More.

As this terminology evolves, I believe our responsibility as an agency becomes even more important.

Because a title alone can never tell the whole story.

Two families may both advertise for a household manager and have completely different expectations.

One may need a senior professional to oversee a fully staffed estate.

Another may need someone to coordinate school schedules, handle errands, manage household vendors, and help keep daily life organized.

Neither family’s needs are inherently more legitimate.

But the positions are clearly different.

And it’s our job to understand those differences.

That means asking better questions.

What does the family’s day actually look like?

Where are the pressure points?

Which responsibilities are consuming the most time and energy?

What does the family want to delegate?

What skills are essential, and which would simply be nice to have?

How much independent judgment and initiative will the position require?

And perhaps most importantly, what would success look like six months after this person joins the household?

These questions tell us far more than a title ever could.

They also help us protect the interests of the professionals we represent.

A candidate deserves to understand exactly what a position involves, what skills it requires, and what expectations come with it.

A family deserves to understand what is realistic within the hours and compensation being offered.

When everyone is aligned, these evolving roles can be incredibly successful.

When expectations are vague, even the most talented professional can struggle.

So yes, I believe we should embrace new terminology.

But we should pair that flexibility with greater clarity, not less.

What This Means for Westside Nannies

Over the coming months, you’ll likely notice some changes in the way we talk about household positions at Westside Nannies.

We’ll continue to recruit and place exceptional nannies, newborn care specialists, family assistants, and other household professionals.

And we’ll continue to recognize the distinct expertise required for traditional household management and estate management positions.

But you’ll also see us embracing a broader understanding of household management, one that reflects what modern families are increasingly asking for.

That may mean a household manager whose primary responsibility is managing family logistics rather than household employees.

It may mean a nanny/household manager whose role combines childcare with meaningful household coordination.

It may mean a family assistant whose responsibilities have expanded to include greater ownership of the home’s daily operations.

And it may mean helping families identify positions they didn’t even realize existed.

Because sometimes, when a parent comes to us and says, “I know I need help, but I’m not exactly sure what kind,” that’s where our experience is most valuable.

We can listen.

We can ask questions.

We can help them articulate what would make the greatest difference in their lives.

And then we can connect them with a professional who genuinely enjoys and excels at that kind of work.

That’s what I want Westside Nannies to be known for.

Not simply knowing the definitions of every household staffing title.

But understanding the people behind them.

The Future of Household Staffing Is About Meeting Families Where They Are

After more than 20 years in this industry, I’ve watched trends come and go.

I’ve seen families’ expectations change, the ways professionals build their careers evolve, and entirely new categories of household support become more common.

And I’ve learned that some of the most important changes don’t begin within our industry.

They begin in people’s homes.

They begin when a working mother realizes she doesn’t have to carry every responsibility herself.

When parents recognize that the best use of their limited time might not be managing every logistical detail of family life.

When a nanny discovers she loves organizing and managing household operations just as much as she loves working with children.

When a family realizes that the person they need doesn’t fit neatly into a traditional job description.

And when enough people begin describing that need in a new way, language naturally follows.

We can debate whether household manager is technically the correct term.

We can point to decades of industry definitions.

We can insist that the words mean what they’ve always meant.

Or we can recognize that something meaningful is happening.

Families are asking for help in new ways.

Professionals are building careers that reflect a wider range of skills and interests.

And the industry has an opportunity to become more responsive, more inclusive of different household needs, and ultimately more valuable to everyone it serves.

I’m choosing to embrace that opportunity.

Because at the end of the day, Westside Nannies doesn’t exist to defend job titles.

We exist to help families thrive and to connect exceptional household professionals with careers where they can thrive, too.

The terminology may be changing. But our mission isn’t.

And if evolving our language helps us better serve the people who trust us, then I think that’s exactly what we should be doing.

Katie Provinziano is the Founder and CEO of Westside Nannies, a leading Los Angeles nanny agency founded in 2004. For more than two decades, she has helped families find exceptional childcare and household professionals while advocating for rewarding, sustainable careers in the domestic staffing industry.