We would like to introduce you to one of our newly elected Board members. Today we learn a little more about Candi Vajana, INA Board Member and the Chair of the Membership Committee. She also helps on the Nanny of the Year committee and the Ethics committee.
Candi is a full time Nanny who works on a rota system which is very challenging as there is a lot of travel involved. She often travels to remote areas of the world for long periods of time and is not always able to interact with other adults and the outside world. Rota schedule can mean many different things, in Candi’s case it is 4/24 on and 2/24 off.
Candi told us about what brought her to the nanny industry. “I trained as a Nanny in the United Kingdom, received my NNEB in 1992, and earned a Montessori Teacher Training Diploma. NNEB stands for Nursery Nurse Education Board. It is the name of the highest qualification with regards to childcare in the United Kingdom. I have always had a passion for children, so I decided that nannying would be the best option for me.”
We asked Candi what brought her to the INA.: “I became a member of INA in the ’90s but was not an active member and let my membership lapse as I took a break from nannying. I joined again a few years ago and immediately decided that I wanted to be involved in this organization that gives so much to the nanny industry.”
Candi told us what she finds most beneficial about the INA. “There are many benefits to the INA. The one I find the most beneficial is the opportunity to be able to share my passion with like-minded professionals and be able to exchange views and ideas that help me grow as a nanny. The conversations that are sparked by meeting these wonderful colleagues keep me curious and eager to learn more. The INA offers me the possibility to delve deeper into subjects that matter to me and my profession.”
We wondered what Candi feels she brings to the INA. “As a trained and qualified nanny with over 25 years of experience, I believe that I bring expertise and a different perspective to the industry. As an international nanny, I believe I bring the international community to the organization.”
When we asked Candi some goals she hopes to accomplish while on the Board she told us: “I would LOVE to see some diversity in the membership base and I would like to be able to spread the word about the organization. I hope to accomplish all of this during my time as a Board Member and I hope you will all help me achieve this.”
Lastly, we asked Candi if she had a message she’d like to share INA members or the in home childcare community at large.: “Yes, I do. All of you work really hard to ensure that the children in your care receive the best quality of care — please keep up the good work. Thanks to you and thanks to the INA we will be able to elevate the role nannies have in society.”
Candi Vajana – (San Jose, CA) Candi is a Professional Career nanny with over 25 years of experience working with children from birth to 12 years. She is an N.N.E.B. trained and qualified Nanny and has lived and worked across Europe, the US and the Middle East. She is currently living and working in California where she takes care of one child. She possesses a degree in Business Management from Anglia Ruskin University in the U.K., she is a trained and qualified Montessori Teacher, as in a previous life, was a Nationally Credentialed Child Care Center Director. Candi was the 2017 Nanny of the Year and she is passionate about all child-related issues as well as ensuring that her fellow nanny and manny colleagues are treated fairly in the workplace. Candi has extensive experience working with High Profile and High Net Worth employers as well as working in fully staffed homes. Candi is an avid traveler and travels frequently both for work and for pleasure. Candi Vajana speaks two languages fluently and is able to make herself understood in 2 more. Candi is not afraid of a challenge and is always eager to help others. Candi has been an INA Member since 2015 and joined the Board in 2018. Please see the Committee Appointments list for a list of committees for which Candi is the chair.