About me

Greetings, my name is Daja Karumba. I grew up in the South Bronx, the eldest of three girls. I did not enjoy being an only child. So you can imagine how excited I was when my parents had my sisters (Dana and Daya). My favorite and best memories include my sisters, from playing dress up to figuring out 1,000-piece puzzles. As the oldest, I have always possessed natural leadership and teaching skills. I enjoyed helping my sisters with their homework and sharpening their problem-solving skills. Besides being an older sister, I have always had a love for science and understanding how the body functions. I initially went to college to become a Forensic Pathologist. However, while attending school, I learned the healing powers of plants and herbs and adopted a plant-based diet. I thought, “ why not shift my focus to helping people live? “. I continued my Associates in Biology and then went on to become certified in holistic nutrition. Since graduating, I have helped a number of individuals overcome health ailments and heal their relationship with toxic foods and life practices. Thus allowing them to lead and maintain healthier lives. I worked as a Nanny pre and post-graduation. It has been rewarding to bridge the gap with the two things I'm most passionate about; children and healthy living. I've had the pleasure of helping the families I worked for introduce healthy eating practices into their households. Creating fun activities around healthy eating and educating the children along the way made health and wellness an enjoyable thing for the children.
The joy being a nanny for the last 10 years has brought me is indescribable. My experience is centered around children aged 3 and up. Most of my positions required more or less of the same tasks:

•Preparing and serving balanced nutritional meals, ensuring food safety for children, and
preparing lunch boxes each day for each child.
• Performing housekeeping tasks, including doing the children's laundry, organizing the children's wardrobe by season, and cleaning common areas and play spaces.
• Organizing fun and educational games that encouraged and prepared them to achieve developmental milestones.
•Managing an active calendar.
• Planning outdoor activities such as Museum visits, playgrounds, ice cream dates, etc.
• Assuring the kids completed and understood homework and other assignments.
• School drop off and pick up.
• Putting the children to bed and participating in nightly reading daily.
• Meeting with the parents weekly to discuss plans for the following week.
• Successfully teaching basic and important habits to improve the child’s autonomy,
including feeding and sleeping habits, dressing/undressing, maintaining a clean and
organized environment, personal hygiene, etc.
Although the general tasks were the same, the approach to dealing with each child was not. No child is alike, and each possesses their own unique learning style, hobbies, and special interests. I learned early on in my nanny career the importance of building a relationship and creating an environment for the children that ensures that they feel safe, heard, and understood. Cultivating this space helped me grow as a communicator and a teacher and build strong bonds with the children. The children in my care felt comfortable vocalizing things they didn't know or comprehend and how they felt without fear of rejection or as if they weren't smart. I created a game to encourage the children to ask questions called the “ FUN FACT DECK. “ Anytime a child had a question, we would write it down on a flashcard and research the answer, then jot it down on the flip side of the flash card. Before you know it, it's a deck of facts.
Working with a child with ADHD and a minor learning disability enhanced my patience and understanding of how to create an environment that is concentrated on their needs while never making them feel like they aren't “normal” or different from their peers.
Over my 10-year tenure, I have worked Part-time, full-time, live-out, and live-in positions. During the summer months I lived in, I traveled with the families guaranteeing the children were occupied, engaged, and safe at all times.
I truly believe children are the future, and that is why it is imperative for them to have a solid and bonded village. Being a nanny allows me to be a part of that village and work alongside great parents to help instill values and love into the children who will one day become adults and bring greatness to the world. In hindsight being a Nanny has rewarded me with the wonderful opportunity of being all the things I naturally and genuinely am: a big sister, a nutritionist, a childcare provider, and a person of service.