Meet the team

Lara SchoenfeldFounder

Lara is a mom of three boys and Occupational Therapist, a certified life coach and co founder of Play Sense with Meg Faure. Nanny ’n Me was started in Cape Town in 2012. There was the realisation from her own nanny that most nannies have never had the opportunity as children to paint or to build puzzles themselves and may feel reticent to have to initiate such activities with the child they care for. So with a passion for creativity, a love for little people and nannies as well as experiencing the struggle of being a working mom, the idea was born. She left her UCT position and put all her energy into growing Nanny ‘n me.

Karen ParkerLowveld

Years of homeschooling have solidified Karen’s appreciation for the role of secure attachment in neurodevelopment and learning, and she loves that Nanny ’n Me’s curriculum celebrates the bond between nanny and child as vital to learning. She has been grateful for the influence of her training as an Occupational Therapist on her homeschooling journey with her children.

She thinks that Nanny ’n Me’s structured weekly groups and hands-on learning approach is excellent as nannies are able to hone the application of the knowledge they gain. This builds confidence, and parents can have peace of mind that their nanny will be able to implement play-filled stimulation with their little one at home.

She loves walks on the farm where she lives, drinking tea with a friend, the Drakensberg mountains and sharing reading-aloud stories with any child who is willing to listen.

Cayleigh CannonDurban

Cayleigh is a fun, loving and caring person who is a qualified Foundation Phase teacher with 12 years of experience. Cayleigh has a Bachelor of Education and two Honours degrees; one in Remedial Education and the other in Educational Management. She is passionate about kids and empowering those around her. Cayleigh loves animals and has two gorgeous dogs named George and Mbili

Roxanne van ZylCape Town Northern Suburbs and Northern Southen Suburbs

Roxanne qualified as a Speech and Drama teacher, before taking up a position at Parklands College. An offer from Disney Cruise Lines sent her across the world to work with children on multiple ships as a Youth Activities counselor. Roxanne then joined the Nanny ‘n Me team in 2016 where she found her passion in facilitating classes and watching little ones develop. The social aspects of empowering nannies and indirectly, their communities, is a very important aspect to her. Roxanne has a son, Jackson, and very supportive husband Nick. She is the franchise manager of the Cape Town Northern Suburbs, Claremont and surrounding areas and Observatory and surrounding areas.

Jennifer PowerCape Town City Bowl and Atlantic Seaboard

Jen is a teacher with a love for children and watching them develop to their full potential. She qualified with a B.Ed in 2011 and Honours in Educational Psychology in 2018. She has been teaching for over ten years and has experience with a vast range of different ages. Most of her time teaching has been with young children, but she also has experience teaching teenagers and adults during her time as an English teacher in Vietnam. She is a dog mom to a rescue named Ruby and spends as much time in nature as possible. She has been a facilitator at Nanny n Me since 2017 and she is now managing and running the Cape Town City Bowl and Atlantic Seaboard franchise in Cape Town.

Sandra JollyCape Town Deep South

Sandra Jolly has spent the last 10 years working on the cruise liners in high pressure, target driven environments. She was often given the role to train the teams and this is when she realized that her biggest passion was teaching people, and watching their confidence grow as they were empowered. She believes that people have the ability to be whatever they want to be and children, the blank canvases that they are, now have the opportunity to start off on the right foot.
With Nanny ‘n Me, not only are we helping the children to grow, we are helping the nannies who are so essential to this process to benefit hugely thems

Samantha SlavenSomerset West and Stellenbosch

Samantha Slaven, is an occupational therapist with a special interest in paediatrics and maternal mental health. She is a mama to a very active boy and together they love the beach, exploring new places and building community.

Samantha is passionate about early childhood development and supporting caregivers so that both littles and parents/caregivers thrive as they journey through the early years. Samantha has worked in a variety of settings from state hospitals, private practice and NPO’s. She feels incredibly privileged to live in the beautiful Helderberg and spending her days inspiring learning and play with littles and their caregivers.

Landi LotzPaarl, Wellington and Franschhoek

Landi is an enthusiastic Occupational Therapist who is well on her way to becoming a certified Sensory Integration Therapist. Her love for early childhood development and passion for empowering caregivers led her to become a franchise owner of Nanny ‘n Me. What excites her the most about the Nanny ‘n Me program is that it not only helps little ones thrive during those critical early years but also gives nannies the chance to grow, both personally and professionally. With Nanny ‘n Me, Landi gets to foster playful learning for kids while helping nannies find joy and purpose in their work. She’s thrilled to bring this program to the beautiful communities of Paarl, Wellington, and Franschhoek, and can’t wait to make a meaningful impact on families.

Megan PienaarGeorge and Mossel Bay

Megan is an Occupational Therapist who graduated from Stellenbosch University in 2016. She spent 5 years working in private practice in Pretoria with experience ranging from acute adult and paediatric care to school-based therapy. She has also completed her Sensory Integration certificate from Sheffield Hallam University, U.K. In 2023 she moved back to her hometown, George, with her husband and baby boy and is excited to own and manage the new Nanny ‘n Me
George and Mossel Bay branch. Megan has a passion for working with people and assisting in transforming them into the best version of themselves.

Sinead van AswegenPretoria and Johannesburg Central

Sinead, an occupational therapy graduate from Wits, has a passion for empowerment and social justice with a history of NGO and volunteer work. She has gained experience in early childhood development and caregiver training through her time spent running a children’s developmental clinic at Tygerberg Hospital. Having worked for Nanny ‘n Me in Cape Town, training nannies in child development and stimulation, she is now managing and running the Pretoria, Midrand and Johannesburg Nanny ‘n Me operation in Gauteng.

Priscilla RautenbachEdenvale

Priscila is a wife and mom to a little girl. Her family, friends and faith are very important to her. She loves organizing, creating (mostly in the kitchen) and being outside. She finds fulfilment in her job, where she gets to work with incredible little beings and their families. She is so motivated by children, who despite challenges can still have fun and achieve so much over time with the right support and in the right environment. Priscila has a special interest in working with little ones, children on the autism spectrum and with those who have feeding difficulties. She is a co-owner of the Edenvale and surrounds Nanny ‘n Me franchise.

Natalie ReynoldsEdenvale

Natalie considers being an Occupational Therapist a great privilege. She has treasured her experience and takes every opportunity to learn, share and help others. She is enthusiastic and enjoys being creative. She enjoys working with children, families and nannies. Her favourite part of her job is being part of a journey where she can watch children flourish and gain the confidence to achieve and be themselves. Born and raised in Johannesburg means she is used to the hustle, bustle and business of city life. She knows that nannies are a special part of some of our family’s journeys and knows how special it is to be part of the imparting of knowledge about childhood development!

Lezani OberholzerWest Rand

Lezani graduated as an occupational therapist from the University of Pretoria in 2021. After finishing her community service year at Bongani Regional Hospital in Welkom, Free State, she returned to her hometown in Krugersdorp.

While working in private practice, mostly with a pediatric caseload, she also had the privilege of being a group facilitator for Nanny ‘n Me in the Midrand area and surrounds in 2023. After this she decided to open a franchise in the West Rand to bring Nanny ‘n Me even closer to home.

Lezani has always had a great love and passion for working with children and feels truly blessed to live out her passion every day. She is excited about the opportunity Nanny ‘n Me gives her to work with parents and nannies to share her passion for childhood development and playing with a purpose.

Punam ChibabhaiJohannesburg South

Punam is a mum of two boys, a pediatric Sensory Integration OT and practice owner. She qualified from Wits in 2001 and completed her Masters in early Childhood Intervention in 2006. Her passion is early intervention and family centred collaboration to maximize the potential of children and their needs. Her practice is school based in Johannesburg South. She loves seeing young children develop, thrive and grow and overcome adversity.

She enjoys spending time with my family outdoors and enjoys being creative in the kitchen. As an avid reader she believes that books nourish your soul. She is very grateful for having a strong, supportive family who are her strength and inspiration.

She is excited to be bringing Nanny ‘n Me to Johannesburg South and to help and grow the community and enrich and inspire families and nannies. The Nanny ‘n Me program will be a good addition to her practice to help mums find work/life balance and teach and grow nannies to be upskilled and resourceful.

Joanne BradleyJohannesburg Fourways

Joanne is a mother to three wonderful daughters and a certified International Massage Instructor as well as an Internationally trained Massage in Schools Instructor. With over two decades of experience, Joanne has been passionately engaged in nurturing infants through baby classes and stimulation programs.

She has been instrumental in educating numerous teachers and healthcare practitioners in Early Childhood Development, driven by her love for sharing knowledge. Currently, Joanne collaborates with a multidisciplinary team at The Children’s Therapy Centre in JHB, specializing in aiding parents of premature babies.

Since 2022, Joanne has been part of the Nanny ‘n Me team, facilitating groups and now takes pride in being a franchise owner. Her enthusiasm for early childhood development shines through as she finds immense joy in supporting caregivers and families of young children.

Joanne is geared up to expand Nanny ‘n Me in the Fourways and surrounding areas. Her mission is to empower nannies and provide unwavering support to parents throughout their parenting journey.

Tebogo MokwenaAlberton and Boksburg

Tebogo is an enthusiastic school-based occupational therapist who loves working with children and adolescents. She is a strong believer in advocating for, as well as being the voice of the marginalised and disempowered, especially in the paediatric and disability communities.

She completed her BSc in Occupational Therapy at the University of the Witwatersrand in 2016 and is currently completing her Master’s degree at the same institution. Her favourite pastime activities include reading, puzzles, cooking and exercising. Tebogo volunteered at the Wits Centre for Deaf Studies from 2012 until 2020 where she would conduct home visits and support families in navigating through the challenges and blessings of raising a child who is hard of hearing. This solidified her love for Early Intervention and family support as it brought fulfilment seeing parents confidently grow in the understanding of childhood development and the importance of interaction irrespective of communication challenges.

Having learned about Nanny n Me rekindled this love and passion and she looks forward to being part of this wonderful community that empowers both nannies and parents in supporting the bundle of joy that graced this world as they navigate their first three important years of life!

Melissa WestigKyalami, Waterfall and Surrounds (Midrand)

Melissa Westig, a dedicated Occupational Therapist, graduated from the University of the Witwatersrand. With a passion for early childhood development, she established her own practice, focusing on helping young children reach their full potential. Melissa joined the Nanny ‘n Me team as a group facilitator. After a year, her commitment and passion for early childhood intervention led her to invest in the franchise, aiming to expand the Nanny ‘n Me community in the Midrand area.

Melody Van RooyenJohannesburg Central

Mel is a mom of two and an occupational therapist with a qualification in sensory integration. Since graduating from UCT in 2010, she has worked in various roles, primarily working with children in private practice and the NGO sector. Her passion for early childhood development has continued to grow, and she finds great joy in seeing children learn, develop, and realize their full potential. She believes the most effective way to do this is through close collaboration with the child’s family and key people in their life, creating supportive and stimulating environments in which they can thrive.

In 2023, she became a group facilitator at Nanny ‘n Me and has thoroughly enjoyed being part of such a dynamic team. In 2025 she is excited to take on the role of central Johannesburg franchise owner, where she will remain dedicated to empowering and supporting both nannies and parents as they navigate their child’s unique developmental journey.

Charne LehmanPort Elizabeth / Gqeberha

Charné is an ECD childhood development specialist with a passion for allowing children to develop according to their unique potential and abilities. She completed a B.Com degree followed by a PGCE, an Honours degree in Psychology, as well as an Honours degree in Special Educational Needs while teaching for five years at a school for children with special educational needs.

When blessed with two bubbly boys, it became her heart’s desire and passion to build a firm foundation for them in their early years. Between 2010 and 2017 she decided to grow her knowledge and skills through owning and running a toddler movement and stimulation programme which was primarily based on sensory motor experiences and active play. During this time it became even more apparent to her that the child’s early years are the foundation for their future development as well as the incredible benefit of early intervention and occupational therapy during these years.

In January 2017 her dream was realised when she opened a playschool for 2-4 year olds, which has grown from 12 children in 2017 to 48 precious little ones currently. She was finally able to use her in-depth knowledge, insight, and experience to make a difference in the lives of children and their parents. With Nanny ‘n Me she is hoping to give back to the local community and inspire the nannies to be proud of their contribution to the little ones in our society!

Janri du PlessisHarare, Zimbabwe

Janri is a physiotherapist who graduated from the University of the Free State in 2015. After completing her community service year at Kimberley Hospital, she stayed on in government where she developed her passion for paediatric patients. She has extensive experience in treat patients with clubfoot, developmental delays and neurodevelopmental conditions. Since 2022, Janri has gone over to private practice and still enjoys treating children whenever she gets the change.

Janri has been married to her high school sweetheart since 2017 and they welcomed their first child in 2023. It was this that sparked her interest in finding somehow to assure her nanny will be able to do developmental activities with her little one. Finding Nanny ’n Me solved this problem.

After her nanny and little one did Nanny ’n Me online for a while she decided to start a franchise in Kimberley to not only continue the learning for them but also to help other Nannies and little ones connect and learn.

Julia MooresHarare, Zimbabwe

Julia is an Occupational Therapist who graduated from Oxford Brookes University, U.K. Her passion is working with kiddies and being able to provide them with a nurturing environment where they can grow, develop and reach their full potential. Julia also considers a positive relationship between kids and their caregivers to be imperative and believes Nanny ‘n Me is an excellent way to help foster these relationships. She is so excited to be a part of it!

Julia is also very passionate about creating learning opportunities for nannies, giving them access to resources and knowledge – not only to provide quality care as a caregiver but also to empower them and to increase their self confidence. She loves living in Zim with her family and friends, and is so excited to grow the Nanny ‘n Me community outside of South Africa.

Lindsay Blandin de ChalainEast London

Lindsay is an Occupational Therapist who graduated from UCT in 2016. She has a passion for mental health and is so excited about the influence that Nanny ‘n Me is able to have on “peace of mind” and support for mommies, together with the empowerment and positive influence on self-esteem it has for nannies. Lindsay has always loved being around children. She considers being a part of the journey of development in little lives the most wonderful thing. Prior to joining Nanny ‘n Me, she ran her own school-based OT private practice in Johannesburg, while also working in another OT practice in the field of mental health. Lindsay has moved back to her home town, East London, where she resides with her husband, Ryan. She is continuing to work in her mental health practice and is excited to grow the Nanny ‘n Me community in her East London Franchise.

Jandri PottowMidlands

Meet Jandri, a dedicated wife and a loving mom to two little ones under two. With a passion for teaching young children, she brings energy and creativity into her groups every day, nurturing the next generation’s curiosity and love for learning. Outside of her teaching role, Jandri cherishes every moment spent outdoors, whether it’s exploring local parks, enjoying family hikes, or simply playing in the backyard with her kids. For her, the beauty of nature complements the joys of motherhood, creating precious memories to last a lifetime.

Zandile MaholaGrowing Together (Khayelitsha)

Zandie started with Nanny ’n Me in April 2016. She is a mother of two and stays in Delft with her family. She studied Early Childhood Development and has worked with children between the ages of 0 to 6 years for over 5 years in an NGO in the township. Her love for children grew when she had to raise her younger siblings at an early age. She looked after her epileptic brother and her sister who has an intellectual disability. From 2016 to mid 2021 Zandie was our fantastic workshop manager, doing an amazing job of packing about 88 kits per week for all the Cape Town groups. She now manages and runs our Growing Together programme which runs in Khayelitsha with mums and little ones between the ages of 0 to 3 years. She also assists franchisees by occasionally facilitating groups when needed.

Wendy BastonHead Office

Wendy is an occupational therapist, wife and mom. She loves to work with children of all ages and considers it a privilege to grow alongside the special women who have the important job of being their nannies. After running groups for 8 years, she now manages our ongoing operations and provides ongoing support to all franchisees all over the country.