Credential Exams
The INA offers 4 tests to evaluate yourself or your candidate’s knowledge of child or infant care within the home setting.
Now INA members have FREE access to these tools.
FREE Assessments and Exams for Members
All current INA members can take advantage of our expanded member benefits.
Agencies and other industry businesses members receive a FREE 100-test-subscription to the Nanny and NCS Basic Skills Assessments (additional assessments can be purchased at a discounted rate)
Childcare Professional and Newborn Care Specialist members can take the Nanny or NCS Basic Skills Assessment for FREE anytime and the Nanny or NCS Credential Exam FREE during our monthly Virtually Proctored Group Exam.
Dates: Online Proctored Credential Exam
Members Register HERE for free // Non-Members Register HERE
- Friday, February 23, 2024 – 5:00 PM EST
- Saturday, March 9, 2024 – 11:00 AM EST
- Friday, March 22, 2024 – 5:00 PM EST
- Saturday, April 13, 2024 – 11:00 AM EST
- Friday, April 26, 2024 – 5:00 PM EST
- Saturday, May 11, 2024 – 11:00 AM EST
- Friday, May 24, 2024 – 5:00 PM EST
- Saturday, June 8, 2024 – 11:00 AM EST
- Friday, June 28, 2024 – 5:00 PM EST
- Saturday, July 13, 2024 – 11:00 AM EST
- Friday, July 26, 2024 – 5:00 PM EST
- Saturday, August 10, 2024 – 11:00 AM EST
- Friday, August 23, 2024 – 5:00 PM EST
- Saturday, September 14, 2024 – 11:00 AM EST
- Friday, September 27, 2024 – 5:00 PM EST
- Saturday, October 12, 2024 – 11:00 AM EST
- Friday, October 25, 2024 – 5:00 PM EST
- Saturday, November 9, 2024 – 11:00 AM EST
- Friday, November 22, 2024 – 5:00 PM EST
- Saturday, December 14, 2024 – 11:00 AM EST
Assessment Tools for Agencies
Agencies: Looking for a way to stand out from other placement agencies? We have what you are looking for.
The INA offers two assessments for agencies to utilize in order to help with the onboarding of new caregivers to their agency. Both Assessments have 40 multiple choice questions and are taken online. Test takers have 30 minutes to complete the assessment and must score a 70% or higher to pass. Once the caregiver completes the test, the Agency will automatically receive an email with the results.
The Nanny Basic Skills Assessment is now available in English and Spanish. Additional languages of our updated test are being worked on.The assessments test the caregivers knowledge of Children’s (ages infant through teens) health, safety, development, nutrition, and nanny professionalism.
The NCS Basic Skills Assessment is also available in English and Spanish with more languages coming soon. It tests the newborn care specialists knowledge of infant (birth through 6 months) health, safety, development, nutrition, and newborn care specialists professionalism.
Agencies can get 50, 100, 150, or 300 assessments to use at any time during a 12 month period in both languages. Once purchased, the INA office will help you get everything set up. Our platform gives you a website link and access code devoted to your company so that the process of assessing your nannies can be streamlined with your intake operation.
INA Business Members – Placement Agencies, Educators, Industry Service Providers, Online Recruiting Services, and Premium Members -can receive 100 Assessments FREE each year.
Purchase your subscription HERE
The INA Nanny Basic Skills Assessment was developed to assess a nanny’s basic child care knowledge. It is a 40 question timed, multiple-choice assessment that is available to be taken online.
The Assessment is now available in 2 languages:
- English
- Spanish (Coming Soon)
The assessment addresses child health, safety, nutrition, professionalism, and development. The minimum passing score is 75%. Those nannies who score 75% or better will receive a certificate via email, stating that they passed the assessment. Please note: Individuals who take the Assessment through an agency do not receive a certificate.
Thank you to the authors of this assessment:
- Myrna Alphonse, MA/NCC
- Kellie Geres, 1997 INA Nanny of the Year™
- Cortney Gibson, Newborn Care Specialist
- Becky Kavanagh, 2006 INA Nanny of the Year™
- Michelle LaRowe, 2004 INA Nanny of the Year™ and parenting author
- Glenda Propst, 1991 INA Nanny of the Year™ and founding member of the International Nanny Association
- Laura Schroeder, INA President
- Marcia Hall, 2001 INA Nanny of the Year™
- Thaty Oliviera, 2022 INA Nanny of the Year™
- Rachel Wachman
Nanny Basic Skills Assessments are FREE for INA Members. Each member can take it once a year and Assessments will be updated annually. Those who pass will receive a certificate with the year on it, allowing you to keep this certificate up-to-date each year.
Purchase the Nanny Basic Skills Assessment HERE.
The INA Newborn Care Specialist Basic Skills Assessment was developed to assess an NCS’s basic newborn care knowledge. It is a 40 question timed, multiple-choice assessment that is available to be taken online.
The Assessment is now available in 2 languages:
- English
- Spanish (coming soon)
The assessment addresses infant health, safety, nutrition, professionalism, and development. The minimum passing score is 75%. Those newborn care specialists who score 75% or better will receive a certificate via email, stating that they passed the assessment. Please note: Individuals who take the assessment through an agency do not receive a certificate.
Thank you to the authors of this assessment:
- Danielle Bujnak, Child Magic, LLC
- Cortney Gibson, Gibson Newborn Solutions
- Tonya Sakowicz, Newborn Care Solutions
- Brittany Hunt, Newborn Care Training
- Haleigh Almquist, Newborn Care Training
NCS Basic Skills Assessments are FREE for INA Members. Each member can take it once a year and Assessments will be updated annually. Those who pass will receive a certificate with the year on it, allowing you to keep this certificate up-to-date each year.
Purchase the NCS Basic Skills Assessment HERE.
Nanny Credential Exam
Attention Members:
INA Members can take the Credential Exams once a year for FREE if taken during one of our monthly Virtually Proctored Group Exam times. Those who pass will receive a certificate and INA Credentialed Nanny logo with the year on it, allowing you to keep this credential up-to-date each year.
Basics:
The Nanny Credential Exam is designed to test a candidate’s working knowledge of children, their developmental needs, and how to meet those needs in an in-home child care environment. It was developed to evaluate the Nanny’s practical knowledge of child care so that parents who employ them can have the peace of mind that their caregiver knows safe and healthy ways to care for their children. While the exam is helpful in evaluating a Nanny’s abilities, it should be used in conjunction with other screening tools to enhance, not replace, an agency’s or a prospective employer’s own means of assessment.
Prerequisites:
- Current First-aid and Infant/Child CPR – virtual classes now accepted.
- Photo ID.
- Exams are currently only available in English but will soon be in Spanish.
- For all virtually proctored tests – access to a laptop or desktop computer with internet access in a private and quiet location.
- It is strongly recommended that anyone sitting for the exam have a minimum of 2000 hours of (the equivalent of 1 year, full-time) professional in-home child care experience.
Exam Details:
- 75 multiple choice questions.
- 75 minutes to complete it.
- Proctored exam: meaning that someone will be observing you as you complete it. See the two options below.
- Closed book test and must be completed independently. However, accessibility adaptations can be requested. Please reach out to the office to discuss these.
How to Register:
Both exam options are found in the INA Estore. Test takers are encouraged to review our Nanny Exam Prep page.
The Nanny Credential Exam Covers:
The exam is designed to test a nanny’s practical knowledge of child care. It addresses:
- Child Development
- Family/Provider Communication
- Child Guidance
- Multicultural/Diversity Awareness
- Learning Environment
- Personal Qualities of a Nanny
- Safety
- Management Skills Health
- Nutrition
- Professionalism
Results:
A score of 75% or better is a passing grade. Virtual Exam scores are given to you immediately.
Once a nanny passes the exam, she/he will be considered an INA Credentialed Nanny and will be identified on the INA Website as such. You will have the right to use the Nanny Credential Logo. This small graphic can make a huge impact on a resume, business card or website.
The logos have the year that the individuals passed the exam. Your INA Credentials do not expire but since the INA Credential Exams will now be updated annually and INA Members can take them once a year for free, you can show your commitment to continuing education by taking the exam every year and displaying all your logos on your resume!
If a nanny does not receive a passing grade on the exam, an opportunity to retest will be provided, but no sooner than three months from the date of the first attempt. Candidates must reapply.
Important NOTE:
Passing the INA Nanny Credential Exam does NOT make you a Certified Nanny. There is a difference between Credential, Certification, Certificate, and Accreditation.
Created By:
Thank you to our authors and editors:
- Sara McCormack-Hoffman M.S
- Angela Wilson Riggs, Sullivan University
- Michelle LaRowe, 2004 INA Nanny of the Year™ and parenting author
- Louise Dunham, Owner and CEO of Placement Solutions
- Sheri Lopez, 2014 Nanny of the Year™️
- Carolyn Stulberg, Founder and Executive Director of The Alexandria School
- Susan Tokayer, Founder of Family Helpers
- Karen Yatsko, Founder of Newborn Care by Karen
- Helen McCarthy, UK Nanny
- Emily Rolen, The Nanny Collaborative
- Laura Schoeder, Charleston Area Nanny Network
- Tonya Sakowicz, Newborn Care Solutions
- Marcia Hall, INA Executive Director and 2021 INA NOTY™️
- Rachel Wachman
NCS Credential Exam
Attention Members:
INA Members can take the Credential Exams once a year for FREE if taken during one of our monthly Virtually Proctored Group Exam times Those who pass will receive a certificate and INA Credentialed NCS logo with the year on it, allowing you to keep this credential up-to-date each year.
Basics:
The INA NCS Credential Exam is designed to assess a Newborn Care Specialist’s (NCS) practical knowledge of infant care. It is a comprehensive exam intended to test the skills of a professional NCS. It was developed to evaluate the NCS’s practical knowledge of newborn care so that parents who employ them can have the peace of mind that their caregiver knows safe and healthy ways to care for their babies. While the exam is helpful in evaluating a NCS’s abilities, it should be used in conjunction with other screening tools to enhance, not replace, an agency’s or a prospective employer’s own means of assessment.
Prerequisites:
- Current First-aid and Infant/Child CPR – virtual classes now accepted.
- Photo ID.
- Exams are currently only available in English but will soon be in Spanish.
- For all virtually proctored tests – access to a laptop or desktop computer with internet access in a private and quiet location.
- It is strongly recommended that anyone sitting for the exam have a minimum of 2000 hours of (the equivalent of 1 year, full-time) professional newborn care specialist experience.
Exam Details:
- 75 multiple choice questions.
- 75 minutes to complete it.
- Proctored exam: meaning that someone will be observing you as you complete it. See the two options below.
- Closed book test and must be completed independently. However, accessibility adaptations can be requested. Please reach out to the office to discuss these.
How to Register:
Both exam options are found in the INA Estore. Test takers are encouraged to review our Nanny Exam Prep page.
The NCS Credential Exam Covers:
The exam is designed to test a NCS’s practical knowledge of child care. It addresses:
- Safety
- Nutrition
- Physical Development
- Emotional Development
- Sleep Needs
- General Care
- Illnesses
- Professionalism
Results:
A score of 75% or better is a passing grade. Virtual Exam scores are given to you immediately.
Once a NCS passes the exam, she/he will be considered an INA Credentialed NCS and will be identified on the INA Website as such. You will have the right to use the NCS Credential Logo. This small graphic can make a huge impact on a resume, business card or website.
The logos have the year that the individuals passed the exam. Your INA Credentials do not expire but since the INA Credential Exams will now be updated annually and INA Members can take them once a year for free, you can show your commitment to continuing education by taking the exam every year and displaying all your logos on your resume!
If a nanny does not receive a passing grade on the exam, an opportunity to retest will be provided, but no sooner than three months from the date of the first attempt. Candidates must reapply.
Important NOTE:
Passing the INA NCS Credential Exam does NOT make you a Certified NCS. There is a difference between Credential, Certification, Certificate, and Accreditation.
Created By:
Thank you to our authors:
- Danielle Bujnak, Child Magic, LLC
- Cortney Gibson, Gibson Newborn Solutions
- Tonya Sakowicz, Newborn Care Solutions
- Brittany Hunt, Newborn Care Training
- Haleigh Almquist, Newborn Care Training