Monday Moxie: Win a Conference Scholarship to the INA Conference by Regarding Nannies

1. Can you imagine spending 3 days with other professionals who actually understand your job and can offer you support advice and great resources?
2. Would you like to attend conferences and workshops that are geared specifically to the needs of professional nannies and learning how to meet the unique challenges of your job?
3. How many times have you wished that you had access to a professional nanny who could address a specific concern or problem you are struggling with?
4. Would you like to feel validated for the work you do with children every day and connect to a part of this profession beyond the walls of the private homes you work in?

If you answered YES to any of these then you don’t want to miss this opportunity to attend the 25th Annual International Nanny Association’s conference May 20-23 in San Francisco, California. Regarding Nannies is excited to be offering a 2010 Conference Scholarship to an INA Nanny Member. We would love to have an INA nanny member who has never had the chance to go to the conference to come to this year’s conference. We are asking that you write an essay and submit it to us by Wednesday March 24, 2010.

To Be Eligible You Must:

• Be a current INA Member (membership info)
• Have never attended an INA conference
• Be employed more than 25 hours a week as a nanny

What The Conference Registration Scholarship Includes:

• Thursday: 6:00pm Conference Orientation & Evening Welcome Reception (appetizers)
• Friday: Breakfast, Lunch, Network breaks and Workshops.
  
• Saturday: Breakfast, Lunch, Network breaks, Workshops and Closing Reception & Raffle.
• Sunday: INA Board Meeting (optional).

Expenses You Will Be Responsible For:

• Thursday, Friday & Saturday Dinner expenses
  
• Thursday Workshops-optional (costs of workshops)
• Friday evening optional activities (cost of evening activity)
  
• Hotel expenses ($115 plus 14% tax nightly) –you can have up to 4 in a room There is a roommate coordinator should you want to share expenses.
  
• Airfare discount available on American Airlines (details)
  
• Airfare to San Francisco (SFO) or Oakland(OAK)
  
• Ground Transportation to the hotel (discounts for Super Shuttle etc)
  
• Hotel Parking (details)
• Rental car if you choose, though not needed (details)
• INA Membership ($35)

Before Submitting Your Essay:

• Make sure you utilize spell check and grammar check before submitting.
  
• Check with your employers to make sure you can have off May 20-23, 2010. You may need travel days on Wednesday May 19 and maybe Monday May 24, 2010.
• Confirm that you have the financial ability for the additional costs of the conference outside the scholarship.

You may want to ask your employer if they would be willing to help you offset some of the expense for the conference. For example: they could offer frequent flyer miles, they could offer to pay for all or 1/2 of your airfare, they could offer to pay for one or more nights at the hotel for you, or even your INA membership as a job benefit. Some nannies even negotiate these things into their work agreements when looking for a job. Remind your employer that their children will directly benefit from your opportunity to broaden your professional horizons. Discuss with them the schedule of workshops available, there might be some they would like you to attend.

Rules:

1. Write an essay between 400 and 500 words letting us know:

4. Then go to the Submit the form checklist and intent to go to the conference and fill out the confirmation form for your entry.
(Form to be filled out here)

5. Email your essay by Wednesday March 24, 2010 to nannyentry@gmail.com

If you have any confusion or questions about how to do this email us at regardingnannies(at)gmail(dot)com and we will help you.


Notification of Winning:

• You will be contacted on Sunday March 28, 2010 via phone if your essay is chosen for the Scholarship.
• If you are not chosen you will receive an email letting you know so that you can take still advantage of the Early Bird Registration that closes on Thursday April 1, 2010
• The winner will be announced on Monday March 29, 2010 on the Regarding Nannies blog.
  

Thank you so much for entering the Scholarship Essay and we look forward to reading your essays. Good luck and we hope to see you in San Francisco in May!