Certified and Professional

What does it mean to be a Certified Professional Nanny?
It means I graduated from a nanny school (English Nanny and Governess School) where I studied a multitude of subjects, including:

• Child Development (which I also took in college)
• Infant Care - certified as a Newborn Care Specialist
• Nutrition
• Children's Literature
• Children's Art (again, took in college)
• Creative Play
• Music
• Defensive Driving and Car Seats
• CPR and First Aid - certified in adult, child, and infant CPR, AED use, and First Aid
• Special Needs and Learning Disabilities 
• Boating/Water/Horse/Fire/General Safety
• Childproofing
• Infant Massage
• Professionalism
• Resumes, Interviewing, and Contracts
• Budgeting and Savings
• In-home practicum with newborn and toddler (interned in a daycare in college)

I have come to realize that the state of childcare in this country is deplorable. Every where you turn there is a bad nanny/daycare story. I see nannies all the time at parks and in stores who have no idea how to talk to children or deal with them at their level. I'm not perfect, no one is, but a basic understanding of child development never hurt anyone.