Level of education: I have a Bachelor of Arts degree from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in Geneva, NY

Additional skills or certifications: CPR and First Aid. I was raised bilingual, English and native Spanish speaking. I am very creative and love making different kinds of art in my everyday life.

Experience: I have extensive experience working with newborns through elementary school age children. I am able to provide support in helping infants reach their monthly milestones, clothing and diapering, bottle feeding (breastmilk, formula and transitioning to whole milk), transitioning to solids and baby led weaning (finger foods), help with baby-proofing home, sleep training and assisting with potty training. I can help with meal prep for children: breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks throughout the day. I take charge in organizing playdates with friends and classmates. I love to encourage reading and creativeness and help kids express themselves through crafts, pretend play, dressing up, dancing and building LEGOS. I can plan outings to museums, appropriate playgrounds and parks throughout the week and encourage kids to help weigh in on where they want to spend their time too. I am also capable of taking the children to their pediatrician for wellness check-ups and sick visits if needed. I have experience working with children with special needs (speech, dyslexia and autism) and severe food allergies. I worked with kids alongside their speech therapist, educational specialist and occupational therapist in order to help keep them on track and progressing forward in their learning abilities. I am neat and organized and will help maintain areas of the home such as children’s room and common areas like living room and kitchen tidy as well as handling their laundry and assisting with bath and bedtime on longer days. As a household helper, I have experience coordinating with other household employees such as housekeepers, cleaners, landscapers and contractors. I have also helped parents with scheduling child-related things such as: summer camps, trips, tutoring, therapy sessions, appointments, and after school extracurricular activities. I have helped with picking up groceries, ordering school supplies, shopping for children’s clothes as they grow. I can also run family related errands for parents as timing allows.

Experience with the following age groups: Infant through school age.

Interests and hobbies:I have always been adventurous and lusted after new places to travel to and explore. I enjoy learning and furthering my education on world history and different cultures and languages. I am working on my French language skills on my own during my free time and hope to be able to speak all four Romance languages at some point in my life. I’ve always been into yoga, barre and recently became interested in pilates during quarantine last year. I also enjoy soccer and have always loved running around and kicking a ball at the park with my nanny kiddos or niece and nephew. Music brings me so much joy in my everyday life and I often share it with those around me whether at home, work or with my family. As a media/arts major, I love going to concerts, plays or musicals every once in a while and enjoy television and film at home. My favorite genres are historical period pieces, dramas, documentaries and fantasy/sci-fiction: Downton Abbey, The Crown, Victoria, Poldark, Sherlock, Homeland, This is Us, Game of Thrones, Westworld and my all-time favorite Harry Potter. My hobbies include reading, writing, painting, drawing and building complex LEGO sets. I love making crafts and will often make my own cards and gift tags for my loved ones for birthdays and holidays.

Describe your childcare style:First and foremost I tell all the parents I potentially work with that I see us as a team and expect us to be on the same page in order to provide consistency and less confusion for the children. I often ask what their parenting styles and philosophies are like and how they would like for me to implement this in their home. I like to be able to allow my kids to make their own choices and therefore allowing them to learn to make good choices on their own. I want to allow myself to be someone the kids know they can always trust and depend on when mom and dad aren’t around during the day. I like to have somewhat of a routine for the day, which helps kids get into a groove of tasks and activities that make up each day but also allocating free time in which they can decide between activities, outings and such. I try to encourage outside over screen time even in homes where parents don’t care if their children watch tv. As a child, I grew up with TV being a treat or a family night event at the end of a productive day, with the exception of sick days, and this philosophy has stuck with me all my life.

What activities do you like to do with children:I enjoy being outside with the children under my care, even if they’re only months old. There is something magical about spending a nice sunny day out in the park. I like playing soccer, lacrosse and tee-ball or whatever game we come up with. One of my previous kiddos loved playing in the wet dirt and sand and would make me mud pies which was messy but awesome. I bring outdoor toys with us, including sidewalk chalk and would sometimes spend an entire afternoon scribbling on the sidewalks if that’s what my kids wanted and if it timed out with our afternoon. As I’ve mentioned before, I love crafts and making art and I try to encourage kids to do so. I enjoy building LEGO sets and hope to continue to share this in my next position. I often play music - in my car, while doing sit-down activities outside or while working on things inside the home. Or simply because my kiddos ask for me to play songs by ACDC or Michael Jackson and just have a dance party. I’m a huge DC/Marvel Universe fan and can usually keep up with kids who talk about playing with Batman, Superman, Iron Man, The Joker etc, although my favorite is totally Wonder Woman (I have the pjs and LEGO mini-figure mounted on my car’s dashboard to prove it!). These are just some of the things I’ve have enjoyed with my preschool-elementary aged kids in the past, however the best part of working with kids at this age is that they are able to teach me new things too, which in my opinion makes our day even more fun!

Why are you interested in working as a Nanny or Babysitter? What I love most about being a nanny is that there is never a dull moment! I’ve always loved working with children from a very young age. My little brother and younger cousins and I would often play “school” or “teacher” at home and we’d bring out our pretend play chalkboard and old workbooks from the summer before and I would lead the “classroom” through a lesson whether math, spelling or reading. My mom and my aunts are all retired school teachers and I guess the passion to be involved in childcare stems from seeing them in a classroom. I decide to take a different route to achieve this and prefer to work with kids in home setting because I think it’s more enjoyable and allows for some freedom in our day not allowed in a classroom setting. I am a very kindhearted and loving person towards my kiddos, that I often take on a “mama-bear” with all my kids and will care and look after them as if they were my own. Being a caregiver comes so naturally for me and after years of experience I still find it to be so rewarding.

What qualities are important in a Nanny or Babysitter?A great nanny is able to provide a positive, safe and educational environment for children of all ages and also be a good influence on them. One must be patient, caring, and understanding through the good as well as the not so very good times. Kids pick up things they see at home and through their caregivers, so it’s important to think about what kinds of examples we set for our children especially in today’s society. I will always find teachable moments in which my kiddos can learn and practice kindness and empathy in their hearts. I also think it’s important to allow a safe space for kids to feel like they can truly be themselves without judgment.

Additional comments:I look forward to meeting you!