Level of education: I have a Bachelors of Science with a focus on Interdisciplinary Health and Human Services as well as Holistic Health. I received my college education at Western Michigan University.

Additional skills or certifications: CPR & First Aid certifications.

Experience: My 10 years of childcare experience consists of nannying, family management and teaching. Growing up in a large family, I was given the responsibility of caring for young kids when I was still young myself. My childcare experience began at the age of 15 when my aunt had triplets then an unexpected fourth child within a year. I was responsible for four children under six years old which wasn't easy, but a challenge that I accepted and accomplished throughout my teen years. Once in college, I took on a management role for an in-home care facility. I was responsible for managing and documenting passing medications, educating and ensuring clients understood their daily schedules to become more independent with their everyday responsibilities, food preparation, bathing and dressing, and teaching clients about money management. After college, I began teaching at a non-profit school in the Denver area for kids ranging from preschool to highschool with intellectual and developmental disabilities. During my two years of teaching, I was able to work alongside speech therapists, OTs, and BCBAs, all while personally implementing ABA therapy with my students. After two years, I felt that I had learned everything I could from my position in the school. From there, I became a part of a family who was seeking help managing the house as well as caring for their three year old son with autism. I worked everyday with their child while implementing the approaches I have learned over the years that have proven to be beneficial. Their son, who is now scoring as high as 11 years old in some areas as his yearly assessment, has proved to me that my passion for early childhood development is my true calling in life and it is something that will always bring me joy.

Experience with the following age groups: I have cared for infants, toddlers, elementary, and high school age groups

Interests and hobbies:I'm truly my happiest when outside in nature! I've been on many backpacking trips- some as short as a couple days, but also others that have been as long as a month! If I'm not hiking, I'm most likely biking or doing anything related to board sports. In the summer months, I enjoy skateboarding, surfing, and paddle boarding. In the winter months, I spend most of my time off snowboarding all around Colorado. If I'm not feeling like going outside, I usually spend my time inside reading, journaling, baking vegan goodies, painting or drawing.

Describe your childcare style:My top priority as a childcare provider is to ensure the child feels they have a safe space to communicate their needs, wants, interests and emotions. I am a very patient and active listener when it comes to assisting kids through difficult situations/strong emotions. I believe all kids need to be heard in a calm manner as opposed to being yelled at and reminded they "shouldn't have done that". I also implement learning strategies in those situations. (ex. "What could you have said to tell your brother he made you mad instead of hitting?" "How can we move on from this so we can continue to have a good day?") Aside from managing kids' behaviors, I love to bring my creative mind into the kids' world. I truly am a kid at heart and love being active and coming up with new fun ways to explore. I read a saying that says "we don't stop playing because we grow old, we grow old because we stop playing". I truly live by these worlds, which is why I believe I resonate with kids so much and want to create a healthy, loving, positive environment for them.

What activities do you like to do with children:Since my childcare experience ranges amongst many age groups, I approach, develop and/or suggest activities based on the child's age. With my younger clientele (infant-toddler), I implement a variety of gross and fine motor skill activities, in-the-moment speech development, and the use of colors and shapes through arts and crafts. For preschool to elementary ages, I seek opportunities to apply early childhood development skills- practicing the alphabet, colors, numbers, shapes, spelling, reading, music, sensory, sorting and depicting differences and more. I encourage a lot of pretend play with all age groups. I believe pretend play scenarios are beneficial in preparing children for social settings and behaviors they'll experience once in school and/or extracurriculars. Pretend play also has a positive effect on the child's imaginative development as well as their unique personality which can be expressed through the play. During pretend play, I try to get kids to play outside as opposed to indoors as long as the weather allows it. I have seen what a powerful and positive impact surrounding kids with nature can have on a child's cognitive development. Overall, activities will look different for every child based on their cognitive and developmental abilities, and I believe my experience working with kids of all ages and backgrounds allows me to recognize and meet the child where they're at and grow from there.

Why are you interested in working as a Nanny or Babysitter? I discovered my passion for teaching a few years ago when working at The Laradon School. I've always loved working with kids, but teaching at the school really shifted my perspective on how important teachers and other adults can be when consistently showing up for a child. After teaching 15 kids at once for a couple years, I decided I wanted to move into more personal 1:1 care with kids in order to implement my ideas and strategies in a more individualized way.

What qualities are important in a Nanny or Babysitter?I believe patience, clear communication, empathy, and creativity are all extremely important qualities when approaching and interacting with children. I also believe someone who has the physical energy to keep up with kids can be significant as well. When we exhaust our physical energy, this can start to affect our mental energy/health which could challenge our abilities to fully care for the children at times.

Additional comments:I look forward to meeting you!