Nichelle Waddell credits her desire to pursue a career in child care to Maria Otto, whose nurturing home-based daycare she attended while growing up in the Bronx. As a teenager, Nichelle began volunteering at a daycare associated with Otto, and later began volunteering with the Red Cross to work with special needs children. 
 
Nichelle’s child care career began with New York City’s Department of Education, where she worked with the Cooke Foundation for Special Education. During this time, she founded her own nonprofit organization, Growth Opportunity Development Inc., to provide underprivileged youth in the tri-state area with services such as tutoring, counseling, assistance with scholarship searches and internships for college, and field trips and outings. 
 
After shifting to a career as a stockbroker for several years, Nichelle returned to her true calling of working with children. She started Watch Me Grow Daycare in 2019, offering full-time and part-time care with a focus on outdoor education. Children take part in activities such as gardening, bird watching, hatching baby chickens, hunting for bird nests, and looking after the daycare’s pet bunny.