Submission by Cindy Wilkinson
A
nanny’s professional life can have challenges that are unique to our particular
kind of work. The isolation that comes along
with working in a private home, rather than in a traditional workplace, is one
of those special challenges. Which leads
me to the important work of Stephanie Felzenberg.
In 1993, Stephanie began her journey as a
professional nanny. With her home base
in Montclair, NJ, she has served many families in that region, caring for her charges
for the past two decades. Stephanie also saw the need for connecting nannies to
one another. She understood our need for
sharing, not only new information and educational ideas with one another, but
also tackling some of the more difficult aspects of this profession.
So, in 2001, Be The Best Nanny Newsletter
was born. It was a publication she
created for nannies, enabling them to share, learn, and network with one
another. And now, in the age of the
internet,
Be The Best Nanny has evolved into a popular blog. You can also find
Be The Best Nanny on
Facebook as well, where she has over 4,000 likes. Her mission for continually finding new
topics for discussion, and added guest writers contributing to the education of
nannies, has had an extraordinary impact on our industry!
Stephanie and I have been friends for most
of her nanny career. We have been
roommates at both International Nanny Association and Nannypalooza
conferences. I truly admire her for the
tremendous work she has done, both as a nanny and as an editor/blogger. But, I find her passion for fostering the
camaraderie of nannies as equally important.
While I was vacationing in the New York
area several years ago, Stephanie played the perfect host for me during the
first days of my trip. She had planned a
surprise excursion into the theater district for me, where we saw a performance
of Mary Poppins on Broadway. The
following day, we met up with nanny friends from as far away as Westport, CT
for a cruise around the city.
Stephanie’s role as a mentor expands
beyond the written page and into the lives of those who know her personally. Her efforts to provide nannies with a
stronger voice and a connection to others in our profession, has benefited us
all greatly. And, this contribution,
which she has made, and is still making daily, will affect the lives of countless
nannies for the better !
If you have a nanny you would like to write about please email nannytransitions(at)gmail(dot)com
