Level of education: I have a Masters of Science is Speech Language Pathology from the University of Central Missouri

Additional skills or certifications: I am fully boosted against COVID-19 and Covid conscious, and up-to-date on vaccinations including Tadap. I lived in France for almost 5 years; at the moment, I am at a conversational level, but regularly engage in activities to help me progress. Throughout university, and a few years after, dance was a big passion of mine, and at one point I was an adjunct college professor for Ballroom Dance. I have taken a couple of cooking courses, and being in the kitchen and expanding my knowledge in the domain is a big hobby of mine.

Experience: Child Care: I started babysitting at the age of 11. I continued on and off throughout university and then at the age of 24, got a job as an Au Pair in France where I realized my passion for childcare. I then continued to nanny and teach English while still in France. I moved back and came to Colorado in January 2019 to work for a nanny share with 2 infants. After 6 months. one of the babies moved on to daycare and I stayed with family K through another baby being born and left when the boys were 18 months and 3 years. I have taken charge or assisted with bottle feeding, tummy time troubles, baby-led weaning, toilet training, maintaining sleep schedules, curating libraries, choosing and booking their activities, maintaining/cleaning and cycling out children's toys, cooking and packing meals for children, baking and cooking with children ( a big favorite for all), and all sorts of child-led shenanigans. I am able to keep track of small tasks such as when to clip children's nails, keeping up with their shower routine, and changing out their bed sheets on a set schedule. House Manager: When family K had a second baby I took on more house manager duties during the mother’s maternity leave. I have gotten skilled at keeping up with light housekeeping, laundry (even having fun with the 2 year old by throwing the clothes from the washer to the dryer). I can easily complete a grocery pickup from any app and even utilize a list of “staples” that I can pull from when putting together the current pickup list. At my current position I am a nanny/ house manager and have completed many tasks. I have a long list of meal ideas from cook books, online websites, and even admin a group of nannies who cook online. I have purchased new pots, pans, and knives (wusthof being my preferred) for families. I have been in charge of researching household maintenance teams to come in as well as booking and supervising their services. I have organized birthday parties and even transported my first tiered cake this year; successfully. I have been in charge of managing all playdates including texting with corresponding parents.

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

Interests and hobbies:I love cooking, eating, and exploring nearby towns, especially for cute cafes. I enjoy practicing my spoken French, finding nearby trails to walk, and am a big cat lover. I am currently learning to figure skate and learning to cultivate the plants in my home. I am planning on taking more cooking courses to increase my repertoire and skill set in the kitchen. As an extrovert, I have close friends all over the world with whom I enjoy keeping in touch with regularly. As nannying is a passion of mine, I do commit time to listening to podcasts, reading books, writing with other child care professionals, and even attending conferences and seminars to continue my education.

Describe your childcare style:Autonomy is extremely important to me when it comes to children. I try to foster independence in every facet possible. I have a rule that I won’t physically help any child climb up or down something but better yet will help them problem solve how to do it on their own, or come to their own realization that they’re not up for the task yet. The joy you see on a child’s face after they’ve accomplished something they, and maybe many others, thought they couldn’t is priceless, and a joy I’ve witnessed many times through my methods. Open-mindedness is something I value, and in my opinion is essential to helping to raise children with strong values who could become tomorrow’s leaders, and who I would have the privilege of helping to raise. Another value I hold in child rearing is healthy life-styles. Getting outside and moving our bodies, exploring, and learning through whatever comes our way, can be a magical day. On the flip side, healthy eating is something I love to model and help families achieve. It brings me joy to help prepare a healthy meal, even better yet with the help of children, that’s well rounded to give us the ability to still enjoy a delicious pastry semi-frequently. Lastly, routines are something I love and thrive off of. I have seen many children blossom when placed in a routine that works best for all involved. I prefer to give consistency throughout my nanny children and I’s day, though still leaving room for spontaneity, a balance I feel like I have been able to achieve through my years working with children.

What activities do you like to do with children:Newborns: I like to talk about things around us, sometimes in French. I find it can be quite funny to explain the most mundane things to an infant, such as how to prepare a bottle or the location of objects in the house. I love to read all kinds of books and share many types of stories. Infants: I like to explore different toys/objects in their space and talk about the different textures, sizes, colors, etc. Reading varied books is something that does not escape my daily routine. Story time and music class are a favorite of mine to start to introduce some diversity into their lives. I enjoy introducing them to French children's songs. I find it beneficial to find a baby's favorite way to do tummy time. Young babies always love bubbles, as do I, and they never realize it's also great fine motor training. Toddlers: I will continue to read more and more diverse books to this age group. I enjoy seeing what they might create out of random and different craft supplies or materials from the recycling. I like to attend story time, music classes, or outdoor classes such as those offered at botanical gardens. Going on scavenger hunt walks has been a favorite for some of my past nanny kids. I often like to give them the space to play independently at parks to develop a sense of autonomy and continue to develop gross motor skills. One thing I adore is teaching children to cook and bake; as long as they can stand, they can help with some of the tasks involved. Counting can be done in many ways such as counting stairs or toys. 3-5 year olds: something I find fun is teaching children to count in several languages (with one family I worked for, the child and I could count to 1-10 in 4 languages). Working on numbers can be done with all sorts of games such as “hide and seek” where they find 2 numbers and then add them together or tracing numbers in shaving cream. I love outings as well, including going on walks at the botanical gardens or just in surrounding nature, playing at a park, or having a fun afternoon picnic in a grassy field. The zoo or museums can be a fun change-of-pace outing for all involved. School aged: With this age, I enjoy taking the lead from them and seeing what they find entertaining. I might encourage card and board games as it is something I can equally enjoy. As previously mentioned, I love cooking with children, so I try to cook around their tastes and offer them a role. However, I like to give children an option to say no so I often end my invitations with “but you can say no” in a neutral tone so they can learn to make choices. I’m a fan of coloring, so I always join in if offered to color with a child – it can be a great bonding moment. Recently my 6 year old nanny kid and I created shapes with toothpicks and tiny marshmallows. Occasionally, creating things like that can become a competition to see whose structure can hold the most weight. Creating obstacle courses can be great fun and involve a lot of problem solving, gross motor skills, and of course a lot of laughs! During my years as a nanny I have worked with many different children and have taken part in many fun activities, games, and experiences to the point where I feel confident in being able to be spontaneous and creative with what we have available and as always, I love to discover what children come up with themselves!

Why are you interested in working as a Nanny or Babysitter? Working with children is a delight and it's where I feel like I can really make a difference in the world, by making a difference in the future generation. Helping children to be well adjusted, confident, compassionate individuals in society might be a huge task, but one I am very much up to!

What qualities are important in a Nanny or Babysitter?There are so many things that can make a great nanny as nannies and families come in many shapes and sizes. I think reliability, flexibility, open-mindedness, and communication skills are the most important. Families must be able to rely on their nanny, not only to arrive at work on time, but to handle multiple family-supporting things at one time. Additionally, a nanny is given a lot of responsibility while being alone with children, can have access to family funds, and is privy to sensitive information; A reliable nanny is crucial to safety, efficiency, and overall care. Flexibility is crucial for both a nanny and a family to understand and practice. Being flexible allows for compassion in difficult situations, and affords a special level of support when things don’t go according to plan. Lastly, communication is the “make or break” element in developing positive relationships and is the root of all successful nanny arrangements.

Additional comments:I am a nanny that does well when families let me take the lead throughout the day after we have discussed our child rearing ideas and I’ve gotten a handle on the family dynamics and routines. Through my years of experience I have found a lot of things that work and things that don’t; though I am not a closed mind and love to collaborate. As an experienced nanny I just want to be listened to and my ideals valued and considered. This is a career where we put a lot of time, thought, and research into our methods and it feels validating when a parent really listens to our thoughts and opinions. I am looking for an open-minded family and will thrive off of an open, collaborative, team-oriented mindset. I know it must be hard to leave your child in the hands of someone else but we work hard to play and learn all day so your little ones can be excited to see you at the end of the day and tell you about they ants they tracked through the yard, or the funny faces they made up in the mirror. Nannying is far from an easy job but is one that I take seriously and full-heartedly. Looking forward to hearing from and answering any questions you might have for me!