Tuesday, July 17, 2007

INA Invites You to Share Exceptional Nanny Stories and Photos of Nannies with their Charges

INA is proud to honor nannies who are exceptional caregivers and have gone beyond the call of duty to enrich the lives of the children in their care. If you are an exceptional nanny or know an INA member who is, you are invited to share your story with the readers of INAVision. The articles selected by the INAVision committee will be featured in the fall issue of INAVision.

Is photography your hobby? If you have a knack for taking pictures, you are also invited to send us photographs featuring nannies with their charges. The photographs selected by INA’s publication committee will be featured on the covers of updated INA publications.

Please note that only articles and photographs from current INA members will be accepted and considered.

Exceptional Nanny Article: Guidelines

Article Requirements: Articles should be typed and limited to 600 words. Choose your own title. Please email your article to the email addresses below.

Photo Requirements: Forward a photo of yourself for the byline along with a completed photo consent form. If you are writing about a nanny you know, forward a photo of the individual along with a photo of yourself for the byline. Please ensure that photos are of a high resolution (jpeg) and are forwarded as an attachment via email. Mail or fax a photo consent form to INA for each individual featured in the photograph(s) you submit for publication. If minors are featured in a photo, please note that a consent form should be filled out by the parents and nanny. INA will not print the names of minors who are featured on the photos submitted. A photo consent form is attached for your convenience

Deadline: Your article must be received by August 6, 2007 for consideration. Please email your article to the email addresses noted below and mail or fax your photo consent form(s) to the INA office.

Article Submission Acknowledgement: By forwarding your article to INA, you agree to have it printed in full or in part in INAVision if selected by INA for publication; and/or posted online on the INA website. Please note that INA reserves the right to edit your text.

Photos Submitted for INA Publications: Guidelines
Requirements: Your photo(s) should feature a nanny interacting with her charge(s) or a group of nannies interacting with their charges. Please ensure that photos are of a high resolution (jpeg) and are forwarded as an attachment via email. Mail or fax a photo consent form for each individual featured in the photograph(s) you submit for publication consideration. If minors are featured in a photo, please note that a consent form should be filled out by the parents and nanny. INA will not print the names of minors featured on the photos submitted. A photo consent form is attached for your convenience. Please mail or fax all photo consent forms to the address or fax number noted below.

Deadline: Photo(s) must be received by August 6, 2007 for consideration. Please email your photo(s) to the email addresses noted below. Remember to mail or fax the applicable photo consent form(s) to the INA office.

Photo Submission Acknowledgement: By submitting your photo(s) to INA, you agree to have your photo(s) printed on INA publications if selected by INA for publication; and/or posted on the INA website.


INA Contact Information
Email addresses: Please email your article and/or photos to: projects@nanny.org and cc: desireeday@sbcglobal.net. You may fax your photo consent form to 713.526.2667 or mail it to: 3801 Kirby Dr., Suite 540, Houston, TX 77098

Monday, July 16, 2007

AZ Nanny “Dream Team” donates time to Parents of Sextuplets



Phoenix, AZ – For parents Jenny and Bryan Masche, having six babies─Bailey, Blake, Cole, Grant, Molly and Savannah, aka the Masche Miracles─born 10 weeks premature on June 11, was a dream come true. Little did they know that another dream was about to enter their lives in the form of four career nannies and newborn care specialists--the self described “Baby Dream Team.”

“When a family of multiples needs extra help and can’t afford the expense of professional child care, we like to step in and donate our services,” said Tonya Sakowicz, newborn care specialist and long-time nanny to triplets. When Sakowicz of Phoenix, Arizona heard about the Masche Miracles, she gathered her Baby Dream Team of newborn care specialists─Lisa Stipe of Arkansas, Cortney Gibson of Indiana, and Clelie Bourne of Kentucky─and the ladies flew to Arizona to meet with the family and grandparents. The ladies are all members of the International Nanny Association, an educational resource association dedicated to promoting quality in-home child care.
To ensure voluntary efforts are coordinated, the dream team is creating a Masche Miracles Volunteer’s Handbook for families and friends who will time to care for the babies. The handbook will cover issues such as hygiene, sleep techniques, maintaining family confidentiality, and more. The team will also create a daily log book to keep track of the babies’ eating, medication, diapers, and sleeping patterns. “Our goal is to have one of the newborn specialist at the house when the babies come home, which should be by the first week of August,” offered Sakowicz. There are several Arizona-based newborn care specialists with experience caring for twins who will work with the Baby Dream Team. Sakowicz believes this opportunity will not only help the family, it will also provide a great learning experience for the local newborn care specialists.

Sakowicz and her team members have contacted the vendors they use and asked them to donate products for the babies. “We’ve had such a great response. These babies are going to get some of the best baby products on the market.” Some of the donors include: Miracle Blankets, Babysense 5 Monitor, Aden and Anais Swaddling Blankets, Doctor Brown Bottles, sound machines from HomeMedics, and Inch Bug, “bumpy name labels.”

For more information on the Mashe Miracles and how to donate, visit www.maschemiracles.com.

INA is a nonprofit organization that was established in 1985. It is an educational association for nannies and those who educate, place, employ, and support professional in-home child care providers. Membership is open to those who are directly involved with the in-home child care profession including nannies, nanny employers, nanny placement agency owners, nanny educators, and providers of special services related to the nanny profession.