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 Wendy Sjaardema of Denver, Colorado. 
Wendy Sjaardema is a CACHE certified Newborn Care Specialist, Master NCS®, Sleep Consultant, and a seasoned nanny with over 16 years of professional experience. Over the course of her career, Wendy has provided care to more than 26 families and 35 children as both a professional nanny and newborn care specialist. Wendy now specializes solely in newborn and infant care from birth through 6 months and is passionate about supporting and coaching new parents through the transition of adding an infant to the family.
Wendy also strives to remain active within the nanny industry as a whole. She has volunteered as the administrator of the Denver Area Nanny Association for 10 years, leading a group of close to 2000 local nannies. She has also participated in the planning of and been a featured speaker for International Nanny Training Days and offers her time, experience and mentorship to nannies starting out in the industry. In addition, Wendy started a consulting company in 2019 focused on promoting professionalism within the childcare industry and targeted coaching for both caregivers and parents.
In her personal life, Wendy currently resides in Denver, Colorado, and is passionate about traveling the world, exploring the depths of the oceans while scuba diving, pairing wine with gourmet home-cooked meals, and experiencing all the joys life has to offer. She takes “work hard, play hard” to heart and prioritizes self-care and adventure alongside her NCS work and entrepreneurial endeavors.
Wendy’s nominator had this to say about her: “She is extremely knowledgeable. Her methods are backed by science, research, and experience and she uses all of these tools. The best way I can describe the benefit of her ability to combine all of these elements is in a simple fact that she was always right. Even if our intuition led us down one path Wendy used her observations and knowledge to know what was really happening with our child and how we should handle the situation. It worked every single time.”