2025 Family Helper of the Year

Maris Delapaz

Maris Delapaz was born and raised in the Dominican Republic. She is the proud mom of a 15-year-old daughter. Maris knew from a young age that she wanted to work with children in some capacity. She helped raise her younger sibling happily accepting daily tasks including feeding, nurturing, teaching and making sure she was happy and comfortable. Upon immigrating to the U.S., Maris became a Mother’s Helper for a family, eventually becoming a full-charge, career nanny. While working as a nanny, Maris studied early childhood education. Within the twenty-five years that Maris has worked as a mother’s helper/nanny, she has only worked for three families. As evidenced by the longevity of her positions, Maris is a “Keeper!” She loves her profession and she wouldn’t trade it for anything else! She is valued by her employers and has had a respectful and professional relationship with all of them. She loves encouraging children to be the best they can be to become well-rounded human beings. Maris loves watching them grow and meeting each milestone. Their safety and happiness are of utmost importance to her. She teaches her Charges, and she learns from them too. Maris loves and cares for her current Charge of one and a half years as if she were her own precious child. She is thankful for her amazing employer and being a part of their daughter’s life. She is a happy and respectful child, and most importantly, she is a silly child with a good sense of humor. Maris and the family clicked from the time they met and both of them are grateful to have found each other. The family dog and Maris also have a wonderful relationship!

Mrs. R., Maris current employer describes Maris as “warm, honest, dependable, incredible gracious and loving. She cares for my daughter as if she was her own and I cannot even put into words the sense of ease and peace I feel in my life now having her as a part of our day to day. She is positive and has such a wonderful presence to have in our home. Both my daughter and dog jump from their seats when her car pulls up in front of the driveway and waits by the door to greet her. My daughter tells her about a zillion things upon arrival, and Daisy (my dog) with a toy of choice.”

“Maris frequently amazes me with her skills as a caregiver and parent herself, but one example recently really stuck with me as it shows both her deep understanding of my daughter, as well as her own sense of spirit and fun. My daughter is very shy and uncertain in new situations and greets all new classes and experiences that she is not familiar with a stern no, and often a lot of tears. I had signed her up for a dancing class and I knew that she would love it if she could get into it because it was princess music, and you could wear anything you choose, and it was just exactly the type of class my daughter would love. But it was new and she did not know the teacher and so she cried week after week and sat from the side, with Maris, watching all of the other girls dance. Maris decided –enough. Today Maris was going to go into the room and do the class, and my daughter would have no choice but to go in with her; and so, they went in and Maris started dancing and doing the class, and finally my daughter budged and started to get into it. And now, fast forward, months later, this is my daughter’s favorite activity of the week, and she is asking to go to a second class.”

“Maris is the most wonderful nanny. She is so deserving of this special honor of being Helper of the Year!”

Previous Winners

2024 – Josselyn Montero
2023 – Olga Severino
2022 – Menana (Mona) Roudah
2021 – Maria Tosto
2020 – Mavette Singh
2019 – Cindy Augustine
2018 – Lori Conklin
2017 – Norma Wagner
2016 – Ana Kluk
2015 – Mitzy Blair
2014 – Dorrett Henry
2013 – Elizabeth Ramoutar
2012 – Isabel Brito
2011 – Claristine Greer
2010 – Lisa Pagan
2008 – Kristin Smith