30 Year Award Recipients
Sandra Costantino
Sandra Costantino is the executive director and co-owner of Neighborhood Nannies, Inc., a Haddonfield, New Jersey based leading nanny placement agency. Neighborhood Nannies was established in 1983 and was one of the first nanny agencies established on the East Coast. Sandy has been a guest on numerous TV and radio programs speaking out on issues concerning the nanny industry and its impact on the American family, in addition to representing the nanny industry in issues of regulation within the State of New Jersey.
Sandra is a founding member of INA and has been involved with the association since its inception. She is the only elected individual to serve continuously on the INA board of directors since 1985. Sandra has also served on the executive board of the association for many years and also serves as the unofficial INA historian.
Sandra has been responsible for the Annual Conference site selection, contractual negotiations, and conference planning since 1993. In addition to being treasurer for multiple terms, in past years Sandra has served as INA’s secretary and first vice president. Sandra has chaired the INA committee on professional standards and has served on many other association committees including the finance committee, INA relocation committee, and publications review board. She has also headed up various task forces over the past 30 years.
Sandra is an industry professional in the true sense of the word. She is focused and passionate about the nanny industry and is able to offer expertise to nannies in all levels of their careers. Sandra is sought after and respected by INA members because she is recognized for her commitment to professionalizing the nanny industry and helping to insure its’ success.
• • Praise for Sandra • • • • • • • • • •
I have known Sandy for 30 years. She is my partner and co-executive director of Neighborhood Nannies in Haddonfield, N.J., one of the original nanny agencies in the United States. We have been placing nannies together since 1983. Sandy is passionate about the nanny industry. She is a founding member of the INA and since that first meeting she has consistently shown her commitment to INA in everything she has done and continues to do. I would not be able to list the most important contribution Sandy has made to INA because she is always actively doing something.
Celia Sarajian, RN, BS, MA/Business Partner
Sandy has provided an invaluable resource to me, the community and to her clients everywhere. Her nannies are experts in their field. They are compassionate, trustworthy, experienced and the very best at what they do. Sandy can meet anyone’s needs, at any time. She is wonderful at matching nannies to families and their needs.
Ellen Zanolle / Friend, Neighbor and Client
I have worked with Sandy on collaboration and in competition. She is the quintessential professional, highly regarded in her community and in the industry. She deserves her pin…she’s been at this a very long time!!
Wendy Sachs / Colleague former INA President
Wendy Sachs / Colleague former INA President
25 Year Award Recipients
Louise Dunham
Louise Dunham started her business, Placement Solutions, in Melbourne, Australia in 1988. In 1988 the company was named Mother’s Little Helper and provided on call casual childcare, as well as other household management services. The business started from home when Louise had one small child, a 6- year-old. The impetus for starting the business was the discernible lack of quality care and screening when obtaining a casual career.
By 1994, Louise was operating out of a small office and had another child, Sianan, who works now as theEvents and Training Manager for Placement Solutions (and whom many of you met in 2011 in Tampa Bay). In 1994, Louise was an instigator and founding member of the AANA, the Australian Association of Nanny Agencies. The impetus for setting up this association was that Victoria as a state was lagging behind the other Australian states in making Working with Children’s Checks compulsory by law. We were also concerned at the lack of screening of Nannies, Clients and Agencies.
Louise served as president of the AANA from 1999 to 2000. By that time not only had the Victorian Working With Children Check become law but also a federal government pilot scheme to initiate In-Home Childcare and provide government approved subsidies to eligible families had been introduced. Louise as AANA President provided the keynote speech to the National Family Day Care conference in 2000 entitled, “Not Just a Baby Sitter and Why Nanny Is Not a 4 Letter Word.” AANA folded and Nica, the National In-home Care Association, took its place in 2004, Louise again being a founding member. As an inaugural provider of the National DEEWR (Department of Education, Employment and Workplace Relations) in-home care scheme, Louise has worked hard to write and set standards within the Australian industry. She served on the Senate National Steering Committee for In-Home Care Standards in 2008 and on the National Industry Training Board for the updating of the Certificate 3 in Children’s Services in 2003. Later in 2008 she was on the CCMS (childcare management system) Industry Taskforce when new software was introduced to oversee the whole childcare industry and childcare rebates across the country. Louise is proud of what she has achieved since 1988 both professionally and Australia wide with our in home care scheme.
Louise has an arts degree from Latrobe University in Melbourne and both postgraduate teaching and research diplomas. Prior to setting up her own business she worked as an adult and community educator and secondary school teacher.
As of 2012, Louise has set up a separate business providing nanny payroll services to both her own agency clients and Australia wide. In her 24 years in the industry she is delighted to see how far this sector of the childcare industry has developed both in Victoria, Australia, and here in the Unites States.
• • Praise for Louise • • • • • • • • • •
Louise has established a sense of professionalism in her dealings with both her staff and her clients. She expects her families and staff to treat each other with respect and she models this in her behavior. Louise puts children first and has established a child care model that does this.
I was able to take on challenging work opportunities and do so in the confidence that my children were well looked after. It enabled me to take on work responsibilities including interstate travel that without in-home care I would not have been able to do.
I have full confidence that Louise is a worthy recipient of this award and my family’s experience in the child care she has provided has been a happy one.
Susan Smith, friend/client
Marni Kent
When you’re a nanny, you never know what surprises each day will bring — like an impromptu biology lesson and stand-up comedy act.
A few years ago, nanny Marni Kent took fourth grader Sammy to the Hobby Lobby to pick up all the raw materials for her class project on the human ear: a paper mâché head, Silly Putty for the outer ear and pipe cleaners for the inner ear. During the girl’s presentation, she meticulously explained each part of the ear and how it contributes to processing sound and sending signals to the brain. With a deadpan delivery, the student later showed her classmates where the brain was located. It was represented by a pea — as in “pea brain” —a gag inspired by her brother.
“I was sitting with Sammy’s parents and siblings and the crowd went wild with laughter,” Marni says. “At that moment, I was so proud not only how she used all those big words, but that she had put so much work into this project and was able to entertain and explain this in front of a large crowd.”
It’s natural for nannies to experience parenting-like moments such as these. Although the public often assumes that a nanny is merely a full-time babysitter, the truth is that they are constantly switching roles as trusted guardian, teacher, and friend. “Some people see the career of a nanny as simply unchallenging, yet where else can one take credit in playing an integral part in the way a young person will become an adult amongst society?” “We get to mold the content of a child’s character face to face and see the results first hand.”
“I’ve learned that you can’t learn how to be a professional nanny from a book,” she adds. “Each family has a specific blueprint of needs and expectations. The nanny has to be able to morph into those needs, be flexible and accept different parenting styles, temperament and personalities. Child development is about playing and modeling, exploring the world around them. And a little praise means a lot to a child — it helps with building their independence and self-worth.”
“Children have such a profound effect on you whether you realize it or not,” she says. “When you get down on their level, you are forced to think and learn about patience. Your tone of voice can affect a child so greatly, and most importantly, children teach you how to be happier and more positive about yourself when you are the one who is supposed to be teaching them.”
Marni’s Best Nanny Tips
- Every nanny should think of herself as a “wife to the wife.” The parent-nanny relationship is about discipline, development, and rearing that will allow for long lasting relationships.
- Growing with a family requires great commitment, dedication, and desire — even when things get rough.
- Nanny resources and support are key for self care, personal growth and creating new opportunities to advance further in this career.
• • Praise for Marni • • • • • • • • • •
Marni was the best employee anyone could ask for. She committed herself completely to her job. She was dependable, consistent, and always cheerful. She gave 110 % all of the time. She had an uncanny ability to stay highly professional while still being friendly and approachable. Marni deserves to be acknowledged for her outstanding work ethic and boundless energy. She was my role model and I will always respect and love her.
Terri Elfner / Past Employer
I met Marni 10 years ago, shortly after I became a nanny and she was the first person to make me realize that I could be a career nanny. She mentored me, walked me through my first conference and has supported me through all aspects of my career as a nanny. I’m proud to call Marni my friend and colleague.
Christy Ochs / Nanny and Friend
MaryAnn Meddish
MaryAnn started babysitting at age 12 and started taking college classes while still in high school. One day at the college MaryAnn was asked if she was interested in being a nanny and ended up working for the family for four and a half years, working every schedule possible and even moving in to the family’s home as a senior in high school and moving with them to a different town the following summer.
In 1990 when she found out you could be certified to be a nanny as she was looking into the validity of “Nannying” as a career, she left her job and enrolled in Northwest Nannies Institute saying, “When you choose your career you get the education needed to be your best at what you do.” MaryAnn is a graduate of NNI and Starkey International, she has passed the INA Credential Exam, and in 2009 she was selected as INA’s Nanny of the Year.
In the 25 years since turning 18, MaryAnn has been a live-in nanny in eight states in a variety of situations including stay-at-home, work-at home, and non-working parents in expatriate, mixed religion, kosher Jewish homes, and a family compound.
She has experience with newborn singletons, multi age children, blended families, and premature newborn multiples including twins, triplets, and sextuplets. Her experience also includes working with children with ADHD, Asperger’s, mild CP, developmental delays, food allergies, special diets, medical regiments, and traveling solo both domestically and internationally with her charges.
MaryAnn is known for being very active and never running out of energy. She volunteers in her church, local community, and nanny community. She does a number of crafts including quilting, sewing, knitting, jewelry making, and scrapbooking. She enjoys hiking and camping, has walked the 60 mile Breast Cancer 3-Day, and loves to travel.
• • Praise for MaryAnn • • • • • • • • • •
MaryAnn is a nanny who strives to learn and to give back. She is always sharing her knowledge, experiences, what she has learned and her talents with others in the nanny community. She encourages and lifts up other nannies, helping them to be the best they can be. She purposefully seeks out new nannies at every INA conference with a goal of meeting a set number of new people and making them feel welcome and like they have a “friend”. I consider MaryAnn more “family” than I do friend at this point. She has encouraged and lifted me up as a nanny, but her greatest support has been to me as a mother. Her friendship, unwavering support and encouragement and knowing I could depend on her 100% when my children were in her care means more to me than I can ever put into writing. Mary Ann is one of the finest people I have ever known. I am truly blessed to call her my friend.
Tonya Sakowicz / Professional Nanny, Mother, Owner of Baby Go Green
MaryAnn draws on her vast experience with young children as well as her own childhood challenges to approach each situation with a child with love and understanding. Her ideas were always valuable, and her experience gave us the feeling that we too would figure out how to navigate each challenge in our own family’s way. MaryAnn absolutely gave us a new level of respect for the profession. Our kids know that if Nanny MaryAnn said something, it must be true! They love to keep in touch with her, though it has been three years since she was here.
Deb Birnbach/Employer
MaryAnn loves the kids she takes care of, and loves to continue to keep in touch with the children she used to take care of. She is very dedicated to the nanny industry as a profession, and has always tried to find ways to help the industry by participating in nanny organizations, attending nanny conferences, contributing articles and photographs to nanny newsletters, and formal and informal mentoring of other nannies. She is a professional in her approach, but she also has experience in customizing her approach based on the family she’s working with. She does not impose an approach, routine, etc., just because it worked with a previous family. Since each family has different concerns, needs, etc., she makes sure what she does fits that family’s personality.
Norman Birnbach / Employer
30 Year Award Recipients
Kathy Webb 20
Kathy co-founded HomeWork Solutions Inc. in 1993. Her business provides payroll and payroll tax services to household employers. Kathy and her partner started their business with a sub-let 90 squarefoot office, one desk, one computer and printer, two chairs and two telephones, and a “milk crate” for a file cabinet. Today her firm employs 18 full time and 7 part time employees and assists thousands of families nationwide
Kathy took her company online in 1995. In 1996 she launched NannyNetwork.com, the first searchable national database of nanny placement agencies. This was the first online nanny industry website to articulate standards and practices in the nanny industry, featuring the first nanny bulletin board, which enabled nannies to network with other nannies, other people who “got it.” The site today has between75K – 90K unique visitors per month, with an average of 6.2 pages viewed by visitor.
Kathy believes strongly that families and their nannies have better relationships when they understand the norms and practices involved. She wants families to understand their responsibilities –reference checking, background checking, and payroll tax compliance. She also wants nannies to be informed and encourages written work agreements. She has authored numerous articles, and is consulted frequently by national media on nanny industry issues.
She is also a very energetic and active leader in the nanny industry. Her company is a proud member/sponsor of INA, APNA, Nannypalooza, National Nanny Training Day, and a member as well of the Loudoun County Chamber of Commerce and the American Payroll association. Kathy currently serves on the INA Board of Directors. Her commitment and dedication have positioned Kathy and her company as the experts in the nanny tax arena.
Kathy is a magna cum laude graduate of Boston College, and lives with her husband of 30 years in Northern Virginia. She is the proud mother of 3 young adults, mother in law to 2 others, and the absolutely –in-love-grandma of a little princess and her soon to arrive baby brother!
Prior to HomeWork Solutions, Kathy held a variety of positions in th telecommunications field, in Boston, Southern California and then greater Washington DC. She and her husband hired their family’s first nanny in 1987 with the help of former INA member Karen Ryan, then operating as Classic Personnel. Hiring that nanny would be the first of many steps that have brought her to the INA and today’s conference!
• • Praise for Kathy • • • • • • • • • •
Kathy has articulated and advocated for the professional treatment of nannies in terms of being paid legally. This includes taxation and wage and hour compliance, providing work agreements, pay for hours worked, and promoting many other standards to the working conditions of all domestic employees. She has accomplished this in a number of ways including via our company website, white papers, the NannyNetwork.com bulletin board, and with presentations to parents, nannies, and industry professionals. For over 20 years Kathy has been recognized as subject matter expert by most national media outlets. Today’s professional nannies are savvy about legal and worksite rules, have access to standard work agreements, in no small part due to the efforts of people like Kathy and organizations like the INA. Kathy has been a main force behind introducing technology, especially Internet based systems and advertising to the industry.
Alan Heilbron / Business Partner
Kathy is a true industry leader who is always willing to share her knowledge, her wisdom, and her experience. She is always there giving back to nannies at every opportunity she can. She is an asset to our industry and I am honored to call her my friend.
Glenda Propst /Colleague and Friend
15 Year Award Recipients
Joanne Barrow
Joanne was born to a small and loving family in 1970 and raised in a rural and close knit community in East Sussex, England (about 60 miles south of London). A natural and eager caretaker from a very young age, Joanne was keen to get started on her path of childcare and signed up for her first‘ mothers helper’ role at just 10 years of age for her next door neighbors 3year old son, Steven. She knew then and there that taking care of little ones was where her heart was happiest and a decade later took that dream to the USA to fulfill an exciting career as a Nanny, currently spanning almost 23 years. While working as an Au Pair for a wonderful NJ family with 3 young children, Joanne took courses in Child Day Care Management and First Aid and CPR before further extending that training to become an Emergency Medical Technician where she volunteered with EMS in Somerset County for the remainder of her time in NJ.
Joanne went on to work with six families over the next two decades caring for children ranging in ages from one to thirteen. A voracious reader and learner of all child related topics Joanne became self and professionally taught adding diplomas in Children’s Etiquette and Butling and Household Management to her resume. These qualifications paired with her love and passion for private service and childcare made her a well-rounded candidate for family care and opened many wonderful opportunities as a result.
Joanne considers herself a Professional Career Nanny, dedicated to supporting families and their children in development of a strong and positive self image, all the while enhancing their ability to solve problems, explore and experience a wide variety of interests, activities and social interaction and to help them gain and polish healthy social skills.
Joanne feels the most gratifying part due to the longevity of her career has been the lasting bonds that she has formed with each family and the chance she’s been given to see the children grow up into the exceptional young teenagers and adults they are all becoming. She feels her life as a Nanny has been nothing short of a gift and a privilege and remains in close touch with all her families to this day. She currently cares for 2 sweet elementary school aged children in New York.
• • Praise for Joanne • • • • • • • • • •
Joanne has made many important contributions to the nanny industry by providing families with safe, fun, developmentally appropriate, and comprehensive child care but perhaps the most valuable has been the strong sense of integrity she has bought to all her positions, always doing the ‘right’ thing rather than the ‘easy’ thing. Joanne is one of the most caring, honest, and loyal people I know. She is intelligent, thoughtful, and fun. I can’t think of another Nanny more suited to receive this prestigious honor.
Cindy Roland Miller / Adjunct Professor at Long Island University
Joanne is truly an expert in the field and I have witnessed first hand the positive impact her sincere care has had on a family. There are many wonderful traits that she exhibits, but if I must pick one, I’d say that it’s her commitment to the whole family that makes her contribution so special, and tailored. She considers everyone’s needs, and quietly but deliberately, knows how to set a family up for success. Her timing and ability to know when to step back, and when to step in, is an innate skill that she taught me. She has shown the importance of being aware, prepared, and an appropriate compliment to a family; which has been an invaluable asset to myself and my years as a Governess.
Elizabeth Barnett /Certified Professional Governess E.N.G.S
Maryann Kamitian
Maryann Kamitian relocated from New Hampshire to Phoenix, Arizona in November of 2011 in search of new challenges. She has a strong network of friends and family who believe in and support her.
Maryann was fortunate to grow up on a small farm with lots of land where she and her brother would spend a lot of time outside caring for animals. Maryann’s mother was a wonderful nurturer. Her father worked hard which taught them the importance of a strong work ethic.
Maryann has been working with children since she was a teenager. Her first job as a teacher’s assistant in a pre-school moved into working as a substitute teacher in the same pre-school. She moved on to a daycare and filled many roles from assistant to head teacher.
In 1998 while she was enrolled in an Early Childhood Degree Program, she decided she wanted to become a Professional Career Nanny. She has been a Professional Nanny for 15 years! Maryann has worked long term for three wonderful families .She has cared for children of all ages including newborns. The fun and exciting part about her job is that each day is always different. This is why she loves this profession.
Over the past few years Maryann has enjoyed caring for more newborns in her positions. She says the calmness and trust a baby can have for you is unique and comforting. Maryann decided to start researching specialized newborn care. She felt that was really the next step in her career. She soon realized there was a name for she was looking into: Newborn Care Specialist. Maryann took a Newborn Specialist training class before moving to Phoenix.
Maryann knew she would be great with newborns and worked to connect with other professionals in the business. Maryann felt the same passion as she did when she first became a Nanny. She found a great professional network in Arizona. Most were willing to speak with her and answer any questions she had.
Shortly after relocating Maryann found her first client as a Newborn Care Specialist and is now working for a family with a newborn boy! They family felt that the combination of her 20 years of child care experience and her personality would made her a perfect fit for their family. They also felt that her longevity at previous jobs showed her commitment and dedication to the profession.
Maryann is a strong teacher and nurturer along with being a self-starter and an excellent communicator. She feels these are all extremely important in the child care field. Maryann has a huge heart and loves to give to others. She enjoys teaching children new things, and helping to promote learning at their own pace. Maryann hopes to continue as a Newborn Care Specialist educating and providing quality care to many families. She continues to set professional goals that she hopes to achieve. She knows that she still has much to learn on this new journey.
• • Praise for Maryann • • • • • • • • • •
I think Maryann’s most important contribution is yet to come! It is rare to see someone so dedicated to being the best they possibly can, learning as much as they can, and so dedicated to doing such a good job for the families and children depending on her care. Even though Maryann has several years of nanny experience under her belt, she is constantly striving to learn more and be better at what she does. Her dedication to learning as much as she can while she transitions to becoming a newborn care specialist is something we all could learn from.
I have really appreciated her dedication to excellence. It has reminded me of why I got into this business to begin with and has renewed my belief in the idea that when you do what you love, it shows! The INA will be honoring someone with a dedication to excellence and commitment to learning. The INA can be proud to put their name on this young lady.
Tonya Sakowicz /Friend, Mentor, Colleague
Jocelynn Yelverton
Growing up Jocelynn loved the movies Mary Poppins and the The Sound of Music. She also loved the book Eloise at the Plaza. I guess you could say that every day since she was a little girl, she was destined to become a nanny. Even though none of these fictional stories and characters reflect how nannies and families are today, she appreciated what nannies did for the children and families as a whole.
Jocelynn grew up in North Carolina in a family of four. She is the eldest of two children. When she was ten years old, she babysat for the first time for her next door neighbor when she went for her weekly grocery store run. Soon, she became the neighborhood babysitter.
Jocelynn had a regular sitting job with a family throughout high school which led to traveling with them during her junior and senior summers to their beach house. This gave her a small taste of what it was like to be a nanny. She loved every aspect of it. When she attended North Carolina State University, she began to pursue her dream of becoming a nanny. She found a position that lasted even beyond her college years. Once this position ended she learned there were resources for nannies. A local placement agency referred her to the Triangle Area Nanny Group. (TANG) If it were not for this support group, she would not be the nanny that she is today. Being involved in TANG she learned many things that were important to her career. TANG kept us updated on local classes, events, and other helpful resources. The founder of TANG really wanted to educate nannies about the ever changing industry. TANG introduced Jocelynn to nanny conference and she has attended the INA conference for many years. She is also a former member of NAN and a current member of NAN.
Over the last 15 years as a professional she has cared for newborns through teenagers. Jocelynn is very comfortable caring for children of any age. She also has experience taking care of multiples and children with learning disabilities. When interviewing for potential families she looks for a family where she feel as if she is an extended family member. Taking a job as a professional nanny places you in an intimate job setting. The bonds you form last for a lifetime. Jocelynn has worked as a part-time nanny, full-time nanny, a nanny/household manager, full charge nanny, as well as a traveling nanny, and live-in nanny.
Jocelynn is the former Nanny’s Night Out Coordinator for TANG and she attended the APEX program at the Alexandria School in 2011. Jocelynn has been involved with conference as a workshop moderator and other unlimited tasks that organizers needed assistance with. This year she worked with Marcia Hall, Glenda Propst, and Kellie Geres on the INA workshop proposal committee. Ultimately, childcare is not just a job to Jocelynn, it is definitely her passion. She cannot imagine another profession that would make her as happy!
• • Praise for Jocelynn • • • • • • • • • •
Jocelynn’s most important contribution is her love. Her love shows through her smile that lights up lives and her soft demeanor that smoothes children and adults alike. Jocelynn allowed my wife and I to pursue our separate careers, but she was more than a nanny to our children. She is a friend and family member. Every time she visits, there is joy in the faces of my children (and my oldest has entered college). Her most important contribution is being part of our family. My wife and I travel frequently with business. With Jocelynn’s support, we knew our children were safe, which gave us peace of mind.
Laurie and Gene Merlo, Former Employers
10 Year Award Recipients
Bob King
Bob King is an attorney and founder of Legally Nanny®, the leading law firm providing legal and tax advice to household employers and domestic employment and homecare agencies.
When Bob and his wife Jennifer decided to hire a nanny for their daughter, they were determined to hire someone legally. However even as a labor & employment attorney, Bob spent countless hours researching the complicated federal and state statutes and regulations governing household employees. Frustratingly, no one could provide all the California and federal legal and tax information in one easy to understand place and for one flat fee. Thus, the concept of Legally Nanny was born. Bob founded the firm on the premise that people should be able to hire nannies, caregivers and other household employees legally and without unnecessary effort and expense.
Bob is a former INA Board Member and has shared his expertise as a contributing writer for INA newsletters and as a speaker at INA conferences. Bob graduated from Georgetown University Magna Cum Laude, studied at the University of Lisbon, Portugal, on a Rotary Fellowship, and received his law degree from the University of Chicago Law School with Honors.Legally Nanny assists domestic employment agencies nationwide with business, dispute resolution, and labor & employment matters. Bob also serves as the General Counsel for the Association of Premier Nanny Agencies (APNA) and as an expert witness in household employment litigation.
Bob and Legally Nanny have been featured in The Wall Street Journal, CNN, ABC News, USA Today, The Los Angeles Times, The Chicago Tribune, Parenting Magazine, Entertainment Tonight, and California Lawyer Magazine. Bob also contributed to the books “How To Hire & Retain Your Household Help,” “How To Hire A Nanny,” and “Help!! How To Find, Hire, Train & Maintain Your Household Help.”
This year marks Legally Nanny’s 10th year in business. Bob and Jennifer have come a long way since hiring their nanny and creating the spark for Legally Nanny, and they look forward to continuing to work in the household employment industry they love.
• • Praise for Bob • • • • • • • • • •
Bob is always there for anyone in the industry who is having problems with clients, contracts, Yelp – anything. He is very helpful and a genuinely nice guy to have on one’s side. He gives us the tools for proper interviewing techniques, helps us write airtight contracts and supports the industry in a huge way.
Annie Davis / Agency Owner
It is not often that seasoned agencies, let alone new agencies are able to call a service professional with a question, and receive a clear knowledgeable answer rather than speculation. I believe that Bob continually serves our industry by providing just that, a well informed, accurate, and concrete answer.
Rachel Lawrence / Colleague
Cindy Augustine
Cindy Augustine has been working with children since she was a teenager. Cindy, who was born and raised in San Jose, CA. began volunteering in a daycare center when she was sixteen years old. She then worked for the YWCA West Valley Daycare’s in San Jose, CA for seven years before becoming a nanny. She loved working with children, but wanted to become a nanny to be able to care for just a couple children at a time, which allows a more one on one relationship. She was working for an amazing family in California that moved to New York for business reasons. They asked her to move to New York with them and she decided to go. Three years later when the position ended she decided to stay in New York.
Cindy’s creative talents enable her to create a fun environment for her charges. Cindy was involved in musical theatre in her teen years, performed four musicals a year with Children’s Theater of San Jose. She also has enjoyed helping out backstage when her charges take dance. She also has taught past charges to tap dance.
Cindy has worked for families facing difficult challenges, including a family that had a member with advanced cancer. One of her past employers said that her motto is “not a problem”, and that she is a favorite of other children in the neighborhood. She has been described by one of her employers as being kind, supportive, creative and always helpful.
Cindy accompanied one of her past employer’s families on a week-long vacation with another family. The other mother, a well-known writer, was so impressed with Cindy that she published an article about her. Cindy feels blessed to have had the opportunity to have worked with such amazing families and children. They all remind her everyday why she chose to be a nanny. She looks forward to the hugs she is greeted with every time she goes to work. Cindy is very proud to be a professional nanny and looks forward to the adventures that being a nanny will bring.
• • Praise for Cindy • • • • • • • • • •
Cindy is a professional nanny that represents this industry in the best possible way. She is knowledgeable, loves children, a team player and always eager to improve herself and learn. Cindy is really an asset to our industry. She is a wonderful role model and true professional.
Susan Tokayer / Agency Owner
It has been a pleasure to watch Cindy grow into a mature young lady and I am proud to have her as a friend and comrade in the business of childcare. She so easily accepts all the differences with her families and I find that to be unique. She believes in being professional as a nanny. She is very nurturing and has very high ethics. Cindy is extremely dedicated to her job. She has helped her many “kids” to grow into responsible, caring people.
Linda Davis