Meet the team
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.
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 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.
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.
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 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!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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 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
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
Megan is an Occupational Therapist who graduated from Stellenbosch University in 2016. She has spent the last 5 years working in private practice in Pretoria with experience ranging from acute adult and paediatric care to school-based therapy. Megan has a passion for working with people and assisting in transforming them into the best version of themselves.
She completed her Sensory Integration certificate from Sheffield Hallam University, U.K. and has moved back to her hometown, George, with her husband and son. Megan is excited to own and manage the Nanny ‘n Me George and Mossel Bay branch.
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
Amy graduated as an Occupational Therapist in 2014 and completed her community service year in Winterton KZN in 2015. She has spent the last 5 years working in the field of Adult Physical and Neuro rehabilitation and runs her own private practice in Pietermaritzburg and surrounding areas. She has a passion for working with people both young and old and is excited to grow the Nanny ‘n Me community in KZN. Amy has always had a love for little ones and is passionate about empowering and upskilling those who care for them.
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!