Hello!

I’m Kimberly Howard, a licensed Early Childhood Educator with a wealth of experience caring for little ones. Enough to know that there is always more to learn! I’ve worked and done practicums under many different philosophies and in doing so have been able to find my own! I see children as curious and capable and those are two things that I try to nourish by modeling and by giving them the time and space to accomplish things for themselves. In infants this starts out with getting to help undress, help with that token tug on each piece of clothing and in older children this translates to helping around the house. In the toddler years I refer to this as “unhelping” because it certainly makes each task take longer! However this delay is worth it, children who feel involved and capable are the ones who continue helping once their skills evolve. They are also more confident in exploring their environment and have an “I can do it!” attitude. They look to themselves for their self worth and aren’t reliant on adult praise. I also believe very strongly in the occasional skinned knee. I think young children need to explore their environment and take (appropriate) risks, rolling down hills, climbing things, running, jumping and swimming. I stay close enough to step in but allow those first little falls as a child is just toddling to set the stage for excellent risk assessment. A baby who isn’t put into positions they can’t get into/out of themselves learns so much about their own abilities and learn the value of trying again and again until they find success. It also means greater safety since they aren’t used to jumping off of heights into an adults arms. Rather they start by jumping off a small rock or step and by their own judgment decide what heights they can achieve! I think the best thing an adult can do for a young child is be busy around the house. Leisurely cooking, cleaning and gardening give the young child something to imitate in their play and enrich the lives of all involved. It either gives them the option of being involved in meaningful work ( work they can see a simple purpose for) or lets them wander off and really get involved in their own imaginative play since the adult is “busy”.

I believe that routine is our best friend when it comes to eating/sleeping/toileting and other habits. The younger the child the simpler that routine should be. It should always involve time outside, rain or shine and that there should be regular periods of uninterrupted play and exploration. With only children or children with a large age gap the park is a wonderful social tool and our city is brimming with wonderful, social places to play!

• Education: Some college
Skills
• Swimming
• 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