b'10 QUESTIONS WITHLauraSchroederINA PRESIDENT1. WHAT MADE YOU BECOME A NANNY? 4. DID YOU WANT TO BECOME PRESIDENT?I have spent my entire career working with children. I began in 1987 as Being president of INA was never a dream of mine. It was something Ia social worker, but my life turned upside down in 1994 when my two wasaskedtodo,andIfeltthecallfromwithintoacceptthatsons were diagnosed with autism. To get them the at-home treatment invitation. My only goal has been to make a positive difference, tothey needed, I opened a state-licensed family daycare in my home. listen to members, and to bring the honor and joy of membership toAfter a decade running a very successful family daycare, I returned more people in our industry.briefly to social work. I realized at that time that my heart was inteaching and caring for young children and I decided to shift to nannycare. Ive never looked back!2. WHAT IS YOUR CHILDCARE BACKGROUND? 5. WHAT HAVE YOU LEARNED FROM YOURROLE IN THE INDUSTRY?I hold a bachelors degree in psychology with a focus on developmentand I have completed many masters level classes in social work. Since I have learned so much about the industry, mostly about the areas that,2014,Iattendednumerousnannyindustryconferences,including asanannyandmember,Ididnthaveregularinvolvementin.AsNannypalooza, APNA (Association of Premier Nanny Agencies), NAEYC president, you are intimately involved with all aspects of nanny lifethe(NationalAssociationfortheEducationofYoungChildren),iNNTD business side, the employer side, the agency side, the educator side,(InternationalNannyTrainingDay)andINA(InternationalNanny the support services side, and more. It seems that everyone thinks theAssociation). I have also presented workshops at various Nannypalooza, other side has it easier or makes more money or whatnot when theiNNTD, and INA conferences. I also am a trained ABA therapist and truth is every side is similar, just different. I hope that over time eachhave attended numerous conferences related to autism. Finally, I am side can see that the grass isnt greener somewhere else, but that wethe mother of three grown children: Alexander, Benjamin, and Bethany. can all have green grass if we work together.3. WHAT MADE YOU GET INVOLVED WITH INA? 6. WHAT IS THE ONE THING YOU WISH PEOPLEKNEW ABOUT NANNIES?I feel that its important to be a member of professional organizationsin your career, and because of this, I have held membership in INA, There are two things I wish people knew about nannies. The first is thatNAEYC, and NDWA (National Domestic Workers Alliance) for years. I not everyone who cares for children in a private home is a nanny, andbecame more involved with INA after I attended my first conference in that is okay. There is absolutely nothing wrong with sittersthey play an2016. In 2017, I was an INA Nanny of the Year nominee and I also joined importantroleinsociety.Thesecondisthatrealnanniesaretruethe INA board of directors. In 2018, I joined the Executive Board as professionals. Nannies teach, triage, and take our jobs very seriously.Second Vice President, and in 2019, I became Co-President of INA with These two roles need to be kept separate and become fully understoodTonya Sackowicz.by society.NannyMag.com25'