INA Scholarship Essay Winner ... Heather McKinley

The Regarding Nannies Development Team is enjoying a few days to recoup after the INA Conference in San Francisco. We met so many wonderful people and look forward to bringing you their stories and expertise in the days and weeks ahead.

While we're unpacking, recharging and getting organized, we bring you another one of our favorites ... meet Heather McKinley. She submitted the winning essay for the Regarding Nannies INA Conference Scholarship. We met Heather at conference and are pleased she had the opportunity to enjoy her first conference and become part of the Regarding Nannies 'family'.


INA Scholarship Essay
by Heather McKinley

For as long as I can remember children have been my passion in life. In the summer of 2007 I was given a wonderful opportunity that changed my path in life. I left my school and home in Indiana to live with a family in Maryland for the summer to be the nanny for two girls. By the end of the summer, not only did I want to stay, but I had changed my major from Elementary Education to Children’s Ministry.

As I got into my new classes I knew I had made the right decision and was already thinking ahead to my next summer. That summer I spent six weeks in California for a Children’s Ministry practicum. A week later I went back to Indiana to start my new nanny job for a little girl to finish out my summer.

While I finished my last semester at Indiana Wesleyan in December 2008 I knew I wanted to find another nanny position. I moved again to watch a little boy and fully enjoyed those seven months. I got married and again we moved; this time to Cincinnati, Ohio. This brought a new and wonderful beginning to where I am today.

When I became a nanny in 2007 I did not know there was such a thing as a Professional Nanny. However, when I moved to Cincinnati in late 2009 I found a wonderful group to be a part of called CincyNanny. I learned that I could be a Professional Nanny and be part of an even larger organization. I was then able to find that the International Nanny Association offers a conference to help nannies around the world be better employees and better individuals. On our own each one of us can do good things, but as a group we can learn from each other and do great things. This made me want to be a part of the puzzle.

The INA Conference to me is a way to complete the puzzle. I not only want to put my piece in, but be joined by the pieces (people) around me so I can grow and become a better nanny for my family. There are many skills I feel I would learn by attending this conference. The first one being that I would love to become a professional, credentialed nanny. I would do this by coming Thursday to take the INA Nanny Credential Exam Review and Exam. Second, many of the classes resonate with what I am doing in my job now. Four of these classes are: “Positive Discipline for Young Children”, “Working with Families in Stress”, “Learning Through Play”, and “Is Food Your Enemy—or Your Best Friend? How to Handle Your Food and Weight Issues”.

My time at this conference would not be wasted and my employers’ family and I would both benefit from this time in the long run.

Heather has been a nanny since the summer of 2007. She has been caring for two boys under the age of 3 since October. She nannies near the Blue Ash & Indian Hill area. She is a live out nanny. She is a proud member of the INA & CincyNanny

Monday Moxie: INA Scholarship Essay

INA Scholarship Essay
by Heather McKinley

For as long as I can remember children have been my passion in life. In the summer of 2007 I was given a wonderful opportunity that changed my path in life. I left my school and home in Indiana to live with a family in Maryland for the summer to be the nanny for two girls. By the end of the summer, not only did I want to stay, but I had changed my major from Elementary Education to Children’s Ministry.

As I got into my new classes I knew I had made the right decision and was already thinking ahead to my next summer. That summer I spent six weeks in California for a Children’s Ministry practicum. A week later I went back to Indiana to start my new nanny job for a little girl to finish out my summer.

While I finished my last semester at Indiana Wesleyan in December 2008 I knew I wanted to find another nanny position. I moved again to watch a little boy and fully enjoyed those seven months. I got married and again we moved; this time to Cincinnati, Ohio. This brought a new and wonderful beginning to where I am today.

When I became a nanny in 2007 I did not know there was such a thing as a Professional Nanny. However, when I moved to Cincinnati in late 2009 I found a wonderful group to be a part of called CincyNanny. I learned that I could be a Professional Nanny and be part of an even larger organization. I was then able to find that the International Nanny Association offers a conference to help nannies around the world be better employees and better individuals. On our own each one of us can do good things, but as a group we can learn from each other and do great things. This made me want to be a part of the puzzle.

The INA Conference to me is a way to complete the puzzle. I not only want to put my piece in, but be joined by the pieces (people) around me so I can grow and become a better nanny for my family. There are many skills I feel I would learn by attending this conference. The first one being that I would love to become a professional, credentialed nanny. I would do this by coming Thursday to take the INA Nanny Credential Exam Review and Exam. Second, many of the classes resonate with what I am doing in my job now. Four of these classes are: “Positive Discipline for Young Children”, “Working with Families in Stress”, “Learning Through Play”, and “Is Food Your Enemy—or Your Best Friend? How to Handle Your Food and Weight Issues”.

My time at this conference would not be wasted and my employers’ family and I would both benefit from this time in the long run.

Heather has been a nanny since the summer of 2007. She has been caring for two boys under the age of 3 since October. She nannies near the Blue Ash & Indian Hill area. She is a live out nanny. She is a proud member of the INA & CincyNanny

Monday Moxie: Presenting the INA Scholarship Recipient

The Regarding Nannies Development Team wants to thank those of you who submitted an essay for the INA Conference Scholarship. This was a hard choice for us. The submissions were wonderful. We wished we could have chosen all of the entrants as the recipient.

The recipient of the First Regarding Nannies INA Scholarship is:
Heather McKinley of Cincinnati, Ohio

Heather has been a nanny since the summer of 2007. She has been caring for two boys under the age of 3 since October. She nannies near the Blue Ash & Indian Hill area. She is a live out nanny. She is a proud member of the INA & CincyNanny

Congratulations Heather and we look forward to meeting you in May at the conference.


To read Heather's essay, stay tuned to next week's Monday Moxie on April 5, 2010.

Week End Round UP

Monday Moxie: Great article about how nannies around the country are giving back to their community.

Tuesday Tips: Kris Kanoski gave us a Spring Cleaning Check list

Wednesday Creative Nanny Find the Afikomen Treasure Hunt and a few tips for creative clues.

Thursday Table Talk Extra classes you can take at the INA conference to enhance your experience, and your resume.

Financial Friday: Alice makes us stop and think about how we find the money for what we value and how we make those choices.

Next week on Regarding Nannies we will anounce our INA Scholarship recipient.

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

Yes or No?

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:

Why you want to go to the INA conference and how you feel going will help you improve your skills as a professional nanny?

2. Email your essay to nannyentry@gmail.com
3. Please include at the top of your essay: your name, email address and phone number

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!