Dear Family Let me introduce myself. I am a mother of four grown children and Grandmamma to three little darlings, ages five, three and two. Being a Mother and now a Grand Mother has been my, “Life’s Work”. I raised my young family (infant to 13 years of age) aboard our sailing vessel, travelling through the South Pacific for six years. I home schooled my children, teaching the younger ones to read and write and assisted my two older daughters with their correspondence. My husband and I now live one block from the beach in beautiful Brentwood Bay where I still keep my sailing vessel. We get great pleasure having the Grand children over for extended stays, going for forest walks or to the beach and going out on the boat. I have a strong sense of adventure and wonder for the natural world which I love to share with my grandchildren and the children of families I work with. I began my childcare career four years ago working part time for my daughter, in her eco- friendly, licensed daycare, Grow Child Care in Vancouver. I enjoyed working with the 3 to 5 year olds so much that I decided not to return to my “real job” with the Canadian Coast Guard! I began working part time as a Nanny for local families in Victoria. Last year I managed a full time schedule, providing part time childcare and housekeeping for four local families with children ages ten months to nine years. I have over 30 years’ experience caring for children of all ages. My goal when I care for children is to create an environment of mutual respect. I believe learning to feel and express emotions is very important; I make a point to listen so that kids will talk and to validate their feelings. I believe most children are capable of understanding the need for appropriate behaviour. I am patient, yet firm and make sure my needs and expectations are known. I explain “why”, I demonstrate “how” and then I encourage children to complete tasks independently, with a “can do “, attitude. We learn new skills every day, I encourage children to discover their natural abilities and celebrate their achievements. I believe in a positive, child led, whole learning environment, experiencing natural consequences in a safe environment. Wow that’s a mouthful! Most importantly we have FUN, doing what we need to do. I am happy to pitch in and meet your family’s needs in the way of additional home support. Light house cleaning, organizing, laundry, cooking, driving, grocery shopping, gardening, milking goats, walking the dog or visiting Great Grama. I have done it all….really! I engage the children’s cooperation whenever possible. I can manage a family’s busy schedule but prefer to work with a family that values some unstructured time as well, so I can just be with the children and give them my undivided attention. Reading, painting, playing games or make believe, hockey, lacrosse, baseball, yoga, swimming, gymnastics whatever activities engage your child. Thank you for your time and consideration in reading my letter of Introduction. I love what I do and I am happy and proud to be a Nanny with Canadian. I feel it is a privileged to be given the opportunity to care for your children. I look forward to meeting you and your family in the near future to discuss how I can meet your family’s individual child care needs. All the best, Rebecca Gresham (aka Becca)