Being Nanny of the Year™(NOTY™) can sound a little intimidating and you may feel it is too overwhelming to apply for. However, if you have ever wanted to be NOTY but found that attending the INA Conference to be a barrier to this, NOW IS THE YEAR TO GO FOR IT. With INA’s Annual Conference still undecided due to COVID, the requirement to attend our conference has been removed (for this year only.) So, you can be nominated and if you win, you will be recognized via a social media celebration! 
Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing the entire process in 7 easy to follow steps. The process will start with the NOTY™ Nominator.
Nominators need to complete the online form by December 7, 2020. This is a simple form that gives us basic information on the NOTY™ candidate and the nominator. It also includes an essay (max word count 1000) from the nominator telling the NOTY™ Selection Committee why you should be the next Nanny of the Year™. The NOTY™ Nominator can be a fellow nanny that has interacted with you in some way throughout your career, your employers, past or present, a nanny agency owner that you have worked with, or a family member that has first-hand knowledge of your experience with children. The person who nominates you should really understand your strengths and experience in the in-home child care industry. Talk with this person about what it would mean to you to be Nanny of the Year™ and what specifically you are asking of him or her.
Once this form is submitted, the NOTY™ Selection Committee will confirm the nomination with the nominator, review the candidates and give eligible candidates access to the 2019 NOTY™ Digital Portfolio through your INA member portal.
This should all be complete by December 14, 2020, and you can then continue with your part of the process. At that time you will find the Digital Portfolio when you log into your INA member portal under “Forms”.
You will be able to fill this form out in steps, saving your work as you go. It will be helpful for you to download and print the 2021 Nanny of the Year™ Guidelines for reference during the coming weeks.
Read through the 2021 Nanny of the Year™ Guidelines in its entirety.
Go to page 3 of the Guidelines and verify your eligibility for NOTY™.
There will also be responsibilities as NOTY™ that will be occurring before, during and after the award is given. These are on pages 5-6 of the Guidelines. You should be able to fulfill these responsibilities with enthusiasm and professionalism.
One of those requirements is to provide a recorded speech for the 2021 NOTY™ Announcement Video which will be held in May of 2021. Some nannies may be a little frightened or nervous about this. You are not alone as there have been many NOTY™’s that have not been comfortable with this aspect of the honor. The speech the new NOTY gives is only a few minutes and we offer assistance in preparing for it. This is your chance to share your experience as a Professional Nanny, tell stories about your charges and share a little of your wisdom.
Every NOTY™’s experience has been unique and different reflecting the personality of the individual. Announcement month (May 2021) and the following month (June 2021) are probably the most exciting and hectic times. The rest of the year generally is low key. Getting to share with people that you are NANNY OF THE YEAR™ can be lots of fun. Getting to explain what you do for a living and educate about the International Nanny Association is incredibly rewarding.
Finally, during this step, you should begin gathering glowing reference letters. You may have reference letters that you use in your job interview portfolio but the letters for your NOTY™ portfolio should be slightly different. You want your NOTY™ reference letters to specifically express why you should receive the honor of NOTY™.
Get three to four (3-4) past or present employers to write a reference letter sharing why you are their “Nanny of the Year™”. Talk to Placement Agencies that you have worked with or managers at other child-related centers you know. Make sure you give them a firm deadline that is at least 2 weeks before you need it done (January 25, 2021). Remember this is a busy time of the year so the sooner you ask and set the deadline, the less chaotic it will be later. Ask them to either get them to you in a PDF file form or be prepared to transfer it to a PDF when you get it.
It seems like a lot but it is mostly preparation for the work ahead. Please know that this blog is meant to be a helpful suggestion on how to break down the process but you are not required to use this process.
We are here to answer your questions about the NOTY™ program and portfolio requirements. Please contact INA Membership Services Office by phone at 888.878.1477 or by email at memberservices@nanny.org. Please include “NOTY Question” in the subject line of your email. Good luck!