I have several years of experience working with children, and it is what I love doing more than anything. I have been nannying for a wonderful family for the past year. I taught at Shediac Bay Sailing School for four years, teaching children ages 6-16 how to interact with each other on the water, and helping develop their skills. I spent two years teaching swimming at the top infant swim school in the world, Aquaventures. During my time as a swimming instructor, I frequently had to find ways to work with some difficult behaviour from the children. I also worked with several children with special needs in this job. I learned ways to cope with these behaviours, including signing many songs about monkeys jumping on beds and turtles blowing bubbles :) I also taught fine art and drama to children at Summer at Saints.

I graduated from UBC last year with a BA in psychology, focusing on child development, as well as a BFA in acting. I believe both of these degrees have helped me develop the skills to be an exception caretaker. From psychology I have learned to get a feel for what age children are developing certain abilities, how to better relate and bond with them, and how to create opportunities for them that will enrich their development. From my training in theatre, I have been taught the importance of “feeling your feelings”. I have also realized the extent that our society teaches children(and really everyone) to hide their feelings. We tell our children not to cry, get upset or angry, when really these feelings are natural. Forcing ourselves not to experience our feelings is detrimental to our health. It is important to me that I be part of what breaks this cycle. I enable children I work with to feel whatever is coming up for them, and try to help them identify these feelings, perhaps finding out together what has caused them. I also know the importance of setting clear boundaries. I spent the last year looking after two wonderful girls aged 3 and 5, and I often hear myself saying “It’s ok to cry and feel sad or angry, but it is not acceptable to be rude to me or to other people”.

Throughout all my experience working with children, I have always been and will always be fully committed to treating every child with all the respect they deserve, no matter how difficult their behaviour becomes. My top priority when interacting with a child (or anyone) is to ensure that they feel safe and able to be themselves with me.

I am looking for a casual/on-call, part-time, or full-time position. My hours are flexible. I am comfortable helping with homework, preparing simple meals, and doing light housework. I appreciate you taking the time to read this, and I look forward to potentially working with you and your family in the future! I also would be happy to provide you with references upon request.

• Education: Undergraduate degree
Skills
• Swimming
• Homework & tutoring
• Cooking
• Errands / groceries
• Housekeeping
• Travel with Family
Specific Skills
• Infants/Babies (0-18 months)
• Toddlers (18-36 months)
• Preschool/School (3+ years)
• Twins and multiples
• Kids with allergies
• Kids with disability
• Early Childhood Educator (ECE)