Hello! My name is Jellay and I am a nineteen year-old student from Toronto. I am currently studying Classics and English at the University of King's College in Halifax. I have been looking after children since 2007 when I was twelve and first did a babysitting/CPR & First-aid course. In Toronto I was my neighbourhood's babysitter. My childcare responsibilities usually ranged from occasional babysitting on evenings and weekends, to after school care. On occasion this included full-day nannying during the summer and other school holidays. I have experience with children ages three-months and up, and also have experience with several children of different ages at once. For the past two summers I have worked at the Harbourfront Centre Summer Camps in Toronto, at Camp by the Water, which is a general day-camp for campers aged 3-5 years. Having worked at summer camps I have lots of games, crafts, and activities up my sleeve for children up to the age of twelve. As part of my counsellor training I took workshops on how to modify games and activities depending on the age of the child in question. I was also on occasion a one-to-one counsellor through the Reach for the Rainbow program for children with special needs in Toronto. This has given me experience with children who's disabilities have ranged from mild ADHD to severe non-verbal Autism. While I love getting to play games and doing crafts, I am still quite strict. I believe that structure is important, especially with younger children. My philosophy is that rules are rules and they should be followed. I like to use proactive strategies in this, for instance when dealing with a picky-eater I might say that the child doesn't have to eat everything on the plate, but that it is important to at least try everything once. I also like to use rewards systems such as sticker charts leading to something that the child enjoys (such as watching a movie that he or she likes). I use a three-strike system usually, and if proactive strategies don’t work I do not like to use the term "time out", instead I ask the child to “take a break”. Once he or she is calm I ask what is going on, and we would go over why the rule that the child wasn’t following is important. I love to cook, and with older children I like to get them involved with the process. I ask them to help pick out what they would like for snack or dinner and help me with the simpler tasks in the preparation process. I find that this helps encourage independence and I have found that it also makes children more likely to eat what is put in front of them because they have had a part in making it. I am a vegetarian myself, and so am comfortable adjusting recipes to accommodate dietary restrictions. I also have no problems cooking meat for others. I have a current criminal record check with vulnerable sector’s screening, and I have a current CPR and Emergency First-Aid certification. I am also moderately fluent in french as I did my final high school french credit in Paris. I am flexible to what kind of position is required of me, and out side of classes am always available. Thank you for your consideration, and please feel free to contact me with any questions, for references, or to set up a trial meeting. Sincerely, Jellay Mitchell