The INA Nanny of the Year™ (NOTY™) award is presented annually by the International Nanny Association (INA) to recognize the personal achievements of a working nanny. INA’s NOTY™ represents a positive role model for our industry and association. We are excited to introduce you to our five 2021 INA Nanny of the Year™ Nominees over the next few days. Today, we would like you to meet Danielle Bujnak of Fort Lauderdale, Florida. 
Danielle Bujnak’s experience with infants, children, and teenagers spans more than three decades and incorporates education, training, and formal practice in a wide variety of environments and approaches, including Nanny, Governess, Master Newborn Care Specialist™, and Teacher, following the Montessori Method, Steiner-Waldorf Education, the RIE & Pikler approaches, Head Start, homeschooling, attachment parenting & teaching, traditional play-based learning, music therapy, children’s mindfulness & yoga, and the Reggio Emilia philosophy.
During 20+ years of experience as a private service specialist, Danielle has supported a diverse array of families including many who are considered UHNW and/or HP in roles including caregiver, educator, governess, nanny, house manager, and newborn care specialist.
Danielle has earned the titles of Master™ Newborn Care Specialist and Master Teacher/Site Supervisor (California – ages birth to 7 years), and she is currently completing the last requirements for her master’s degree in Infant & Toddler Mental Health, Early Childhood Special Education, and Constructivist Curriculum through Portland State University.
In addition to her academic pursuits to expand her knowledge base in the field, she has committed herself to top-level, intensive in-person training from the American Academy of Pediatrics in the following related fields: Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, Pediatric Emergency Medicine, and Advanced Pediatric Life Support. She has also pursued formal training in Nonviolent Crisis Prevention & Intervention (CPI), “Nanny Be Safe,” Positive Behaviour Intervention, Nonviolent (Collaborative) Communication, Orton-Gillingham (Multi-Sensory Education), RIE Foundations for Professionals, and she has long-standing familiarity with the Montessori and Waldorf approaches to early childhood.
In 2017, Danielle created a brand-new course “Respectful™ Care for Newborns, Infants & Toddlers,” for Newborn Care Specialists and Nannies who are interested in supporting parents who choose a respectful approach to newborn care for their infants and toddlers, including current research in the field of neuroscience which supports the importance of respectful, relationship-based care during infancy and early childhood.
Danielle’s reference had this to say about her: “I feel that she was a lifesaver for my son and our family. There were many challenges and professionals involved in my son’s daily life and she was not only always a part of the team meetings and on board with the greater good but she also contributed greatly to problem-solving and always had my son’s best interests at heart. She always tries to go the extra mile. She’s extremely dedicated to the families and children she works with and treats them as her own. Any family would be very fortunate to have known and worked with her.”