2013 INA Nanny of the Year Nominees Announced

Introducing the
2013 INA NOTY Nominees:

Tirzah Winterton – Marietta, GA

Tirzah has worked with children for 6 years as a nanny.  Currently she cares for a special needs child and works to help him and his siblings meet all their developmental milestones while balancing their basic needs.  Tirzah has worked with North Atlanta Nanny Association and Metro Atlanta Nannies planning events, play dates and helping prepare for National Nanny Training Day.  Tirzah also spends some of her free time volunteering for many different charities both related to children and unrelated.  Her greatest joy is seeing the pride on the faces of her charges as she helps them reach the next developmental milestone in their lives.

Tirzah was nominated by Sara Kogon who had this to say about her:  Tirzah exemplifies what a nanny should be.  She is firm, yet caring and fun with each of my children.  She engages all three of them in age appropriate ways.  She has a wonderful ability to play with each of them simultaneously.  Tirzah is truly a team player and we feel so blessed to have her as our nanny.

Maryann Kamitian – Phoenix, AZ

After almost 15 years as a nanny Maryann has successfully made the transition from Professional Nanny to Newborn Care Specialist.  As a nanny she looked forward to every day being different and adapting to each child’s like and dislikes.  She now sees her role as NCS as a team player educating and supporting new parents with their little ones.  Her positive attitude and love for all aged children shows though in her daily work with children.

She was nominated by Brooke Eanes who had this to say about her:  Throughout her career, Maryann has contributed to the development of the children she has cared for. Maryann exemplifies the kind of knowledge, dedication to quality care and passion for helping families that truly talented nanny and newborn care specialist should possess.

Karen Le Blanc – Austin TX

For Karen Le Blanc being a nanny means the opportunity to partner with families and impact their children.  It has been a privilege for her to be invited into homes and to be a part of the team dedicated to nurturing young people.  As a nanny for almost 8 years she has provided care for 5 families and 10 children.  She is an exclusive nanny for Nannies from the Heart, writing for their blog.  She recently co-founded the Community of Caregivers which works to bring together nannies, parents, teacher and other caregivers to learn about and discuss child development-related topics.

Karen was nominated by Jules and Zach Elkins who had this to say about her: She skillfully balances her own opinion and knowledge about caretaking with the preferences and needs of the family.  It is a fine balance, indeed, and may be one of Karen’s hallmark professional characteristics…being able to make use of her tremendous breadth of experience while kindly and tactfully integrating the desires and needs of the family for whom she nannies.

Joanne Barrow – Valley Cottage, NY

Joanne feels honored to give her working life to helping families raise children for the last 22 years.  She has cared for a family struggling to overcome the loss of their mom, children whose parents were in the middle of a divorce and helped a busy single mom adopt, care for and connect with her children.  Joanne moved here from England when she was just 20 years old through an Au Pair program and has become a true professional American nanny.

Joanne was nominated by Faith Popcorn and Glenn Kaufman who had this to say about her: (Faith) My daughter was 3 years old when she [was adopted from China] and had never heard a word of English.  Through play and everyday activities Joanne worked tirelessly with her to develop a command of the English language.  Joanne was instrumental in helping her adjust to the monumental transition.  (Glenn) She has a work ethic and proactive nature as great as any I have witnessed and both her time management and organizational skills make the countless tasks, decisions, actions, needs and changes of a typical day and substantial projects seem virtually effortless.  She anticipates and assesses situation with a level of thoughtfulness and decisiveness required to take the nanny role to a level beyond the highest of expectations.

The International Nanny Association would like
to announce that the Nanny of the Year™ for 2013 is

Joanne Barrow
Of
Valley Cottage, NY