Questions and Answers
Grouped for families, nannies, buying and access, and agencies. If yours is not here, write to info@formatorinstitute.com.
For Families
Is The Formator Institute right for my family?
If your child’s care involves more than one caregiver, more than one property, or specialists whose plans have to hold across all of them, yes.
We already have a nanny we trust. What would you add?
Most families who work with us do. We add the infrastructure: shared routines, documentation, and communication that hold when the people change or travel.
What happens in an Assessment, and what do we receive?
Two days on site observing how care is delivered and meeting your team. Within 14 business days of your final payment you receive a written report: the current state, the opportunities, specific recommendations in priority order, and the scope and pricing of any next step. Assessment from $5,000.
How does FI work with our household manager or family office?
Alongside them, not in their lane. We take the childcare team and the child’s developmental plan; staffing, property and finance stay where they are, and we report to whoever you name.
Do you work with families who are hiring, or only with teams already in place?
Both. New Family Setup covers role design, agency coordination, onboarding and the first 90 days. We do not place nannies; we work alongside the agency you choose.
Can you coordinate with our child's therapists and specialists?
Yes. Specialized Care Coordination turns clinical recommendations into one daily plan that every caregiver follows, and keeps the therapy and medical teams informed.
Is everything confidential?
Yes. Every family engagement is handled with discretion, and nothing about your household is published or shared without written permission.
Where do you work?
Hybrid. Assessments are on site; Training mixes on-site days with virtual sessions; Management is virtual first with visits as needed. Travel expenses apply to on-site work and are estimated before booking.
Where is The Formator Institute, and do you work outside the United States?
In Connecticut, working with families, nannies and agencies across the United States and internationally, mostly by video. Assessments are on site; travel expenses apply and are estimated before booking.
Can we pay for our nanny's Certified Formator™ course or Group Coaching seat?
Yes. For Certified Formator™, use the gift checkout: it asks for your nanny’s name and email, so the course opens in their account and the receipt comes to you. For Group Coaching, buy a seat at checkout with your nanny’s name and email once enrollment opens on January 4, 2027. Sessions stay confidential whoever pays, and families do not receive updates on attendance or participation.
For Nannies: Certification and Coaching
Who is Certified Formator™ for? Do I need years of experience?
Experienced nannies, newborn care specialists, governesses and private educators, and rota and estate childcare professionals who work in private households or want to. There’s no set number of years. The program builds on experience you already have rather than teaching basic caregiving.
What's in the program?
Five Parts and nine chapters, about 20 hours, self-paced: Professional Identity Transformation, Affluent Family Dynamics, Child Development & Family Values, Professional Standards, and Career Mastery with The Antigua Rotation simulation. The Examination & Certification course follows the five Parts.
How long does it take, and is it self-paced?
About 20 hours, at your own pace. You have five years of access, and the credential is completed within two years of your first purchase.
What's in the free Introduction?
Why “nanny” no longer fits the work, what a Formator is, and how the program runs. Nothing else opens until you buy a Part or the Full Program.
Is there an exam, and what's the passing score?
Yes. The Examination & Certification has a 60-question exam with 85% to pass and open retakes, five short written responses, and a ten-minute questionnaire. Each chapter also has a quiz with 80% to pass.
What is Formator Method™?
Four frameworks taught in sequence: IMPACT for telling the story of your work, LISTEN for coordinating the adults around a child, SBAR for updates and handoffs, and TRACK for documentation. Every Certified Formator learns all four. The course teaches six frameworks in all; Part IV adds Safety and Legal.
What does the credential mean to families and agencies?
It means you’ve completed about 20 hours on Formator Method™, the dynamics of affluent households, child development, employment law and safety, and passed an exam on all of it. You get a certificate and a digital badge you can share with families, agencies and on professional profiles.
What is Formator Group Coaching, and who leads it?
Coaching with other professional nannies in 12-week cohorts, $250 a cohort. Cohort 1 covers Communicating with Parents with Megan Summers and Burnout and Self-Regulation with Angie Canny, and Dr. Schwager leads two of the four open sessions, with the topic coaches leading the other two. Enrollment opens January 4, 2027, and the waitlist is open now.
When can I enroll, and when does Cohort 1 start?
Enrollment opens January 4, 2027. Cohort 1 starts Monday, January 11, 2027, and runs twelve weeks. Waitlist members get the enrollment link first, and session times are shared at enrollment.
What happens in a cohort week?
Across the twelve weeks you get eight live sessions: four 90-minute teaching sessions, about 45 minutes of instruction and then 45 minutes of coaching; two 60-minute open sessions with the topic coaches; and two 60-minute open sessions with Dr. Ginny Schwager, live only. Between sessions there’s a mini-course for each topic with an AI tutor. Session times are shared at enrollment.
Are sessions recorded, and what if I miss one?
Megan’s and Angie’s sessions are recorded for the cohort library, so a missed session is there to watch. Each recording is reviewed first, anything that touches a household’s privacy is cut, and the library can’t be downloaded. Dr. Schwager’s open sessions are live only.
How is confidentiality handled in group sessions?
Every participant completes the Confidentiality and Discretion course before the first session: under 30 minutes, ending in a quiz you must pass. Once you pass, you’re sent your unique session links and access to the cohort’s mini-course content. The Formator Institute never reports your participation, or what you say, to an employer or agency, whoever paid for your seat. Sessions are recorded only by The Formator Institute, for the cohort library. No one else may record, screenshot or photograph a session.
Can my employer or an agency pay for my seat?
Yes. They check out with your name and email, so the seat is yours. They receive a receipt and nothing else: no attendance, no participation, nothing you said.
Is this therapy?
No. These are working conversations about your work, and the coach says so at the start of every session. You bring a real situation, and the group works it through with you.
How do the 10 renewal hours work?
A completed cohort counts 10 hours toward Certified Formator™ renewal when you attend at least half of the live sessions and complete the Confidentiality and Discretion course and both mini-courses.
Can I book 1:1 time with a coach?
Yes. One-hour virtual sessions are $200 an hour with Dr. Schwager, or $150 an hour with Angie Canny or Megan Summers. Group Coaching cohort members pay the member rate of $100 an hour with Angie or Megan. Ask about bulk pricing.
Buying and Access
How much does Certified Formator™ cost?
The Introduction is free. The Full Program is $350: Parts I to V and the Examination & Certification, taken in order. Any Part on its own is $60, and the Examination & Certification on its own is $100. Buying every piece separately comes to $400, so the Full Program saves $50.
Which email do I use at checkout?
The one you’ll log in with at certifiedformator.com. If you already have a Certified Formator account, use that same email, so your purchase lands in the right place.
I have a Certified Formator account from V1. What do I do?
Log in at certifiedformator.com with the email you used before. If you passed the V1 assessment, your credential stands and you have access to the V2 courses. If you were still inside your V1 window, your V2 courses open in order from November 1, 2026. If anything hasn’t opened, write to info@formatorinstitute.com.
What's the difference between the Full Program and buying a Part?
The Full Program is taken in order; each Part opens when the one before it is complete. A Part on its own opens right away and counts toward the credential.
Can I buy one Part now and the rest later? Is there an upgrade credit?
Yes to the first, no to the second. You can add Parts and the Examination & Certification whenever you’re ready, inside the two-year window. There’s no upgrade credit: a Part bought on its own isn’t credited against the Full Program.
When does each Part open?
Full Program buyers get the Introduction right away, and each Part opens when the one before it is complete, with an email each time. A Part bought on its own opens right away. The Examination & Certification opens once all five Parts are complete.
How long do I have access?
Five years from the date you buy.
How long do I have to finish the credential?
Two years from your first purchase. After that the program restarts and the fee is charged again, because the content is updated regularly to keep up with industry standards.
How long is the credential valid?
Two years from the day you complete it, and it’s renewable every two years. Renewal requirements are shared with every Certified Formator before their date.
What's the refund policy?
A full refund within 7 days of purchase, as long as nothing beyond the free Introduction has been opened. For a Part bought on its own, that means no lesson in that Part. Write to info@formatorinstitute.com.
Do partner codes work on every purchase?
Partner codes work on the Full Program only.
Where do I log in?
At certifiedformator.com, with the email you bought with.
Where is the Enrollment Agreement?
At formatorinstitute.com/enrollment-agreement/. You agree to it at checkout, along with the Code of Professional Excellence at formatorinstitute.com/code-of-professional-excellence/.
For Agencies
Is The Formator Institute a placement agency?
No. We do not place nannies. We train and certify them, and we assess, train and manage the care teams of the families you place.
What does a partnership include?
Partner codes and bulk seats on Certified Formator™, Group Coaching seats for your candidates, referral fees on every family engagement, and staff scripts and a one-page client profile for your team.
How do referral fees work?
They are set out in the partnership agreement, paid on money we have received, and apply to Assessment, Training and Management engagements referred through the partnership.
Can my agency partner with FI alongside other providers?
Yes. You can partner with us alongside other providers, and either side can end the partnership with 30 days’ notice.
Can we buy Certified Formator™ seats or Group Coaching seats for our candidates?
Yes. Both are available on terms set out in the partnership agreement. Partner codes apply to the Full Program only.
What does my agency have to do?
One email or newsletter feature and one social post. The rest is ours.
How do we apply?
Apply through the partner sign-up form and we will come back to you within a few business days, usually with a time for a 45-minute conversation.
Still have a question?
Write to info@formatorinstitute.com, or book a call.