History

I have my bachelors in early childhood education. It was a 5 year

program, one year was soley on the enhancement of infants from pregnancy

through the first year. One year was cultural arts, in which I took

things like: fencing, art history, music appreciate etc. Three years were

dedicated to the care/development and methods of teaching various subject

areas to children birth through third grade.

When I graduated I worked for a nanny temporary agency , which placed

nannies in homes from 4 hours to overnights to a month or two. I worked

here for almost a year. This gave me so much insight into many different

homes, how they operate and the different styles of parenting/nannying.

When I moved back to Indiana, I worked for a company for a year that

helped developmentally challenged adults/children reach their full

development potential either in group homes or in assisted living

situations. I became the Regional Program Manager due to my knowledge and

expertise. I wrote goals for them, wrote plans for those goals,

maintained logs, and trained 45 staff members to work with them on these

goals. I have experience with deaf/blind/mute/cerebral palsy/autism/

down syndrome/mental retardation/emotional disorders from Self-injurous

behavior to manic depressive disorder.

I have had countless experiences communicating with teachers/principals/

parents/guardians//behavior therapists/occupational therapists/

psychiatrists/psychologists/speech therapists etc, and working with them

on their goals, and forming my own goals for them branched off of those

goals.

Philosophy

I have combined this system of communication and programming into a method of nannying that I use for the children that are in my care. It is similar to what they do in preschool, only more detailed communication is involved between me and the parents. I feel that being a nanny is not just about caregiving , it is also about teaching. Nannies should provide the same opportunities to learn as a preschoolor day care would. The difference is that nannies provide those opportunities in a fun and interpersonal/engaging way. This method "tricks" the kids into learning things while they are having fun.

I operate on a “strength-based” philosophy, which I learned while working as a case manager for a shelter through Americorp. This philosophy builds up weaknesses using the strengths that a person has. My main goal for every child is that they learn to learn. My other goals for every child are that they learn to problem solve, think for themselves, make healthy choices, have that “I can do it myself” attitude of independence, communicate their needs/wants/feelings in a nice and healthy way, and to have safe, fun and healthy social relationships.

Resources

I have three 4" binders that I concocted through my courses at the University full of resource activities to do with each age group (by month for babies under a year) and (by year for over a year old.) I also pull activities and knowledge through many child development books that I have been reading for 11 years.

Method

The first two weeks or so that I am with a family, I evaluate the children in all areas of physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development. Then I create a resource binder of activities just for that family, with a section dedicated to each child.

I keep daily logs for each child as to what they ate, what activity they

did, and when. I even keep track of bowel movements with babies/toddlers

to monitor for food allergies/sicknesses.

I write out monthly goals/assessments for those goals/plans for those

goals, to let the parents know what we are working on, and so they can

encourage those same things. Consistency is important.

I also shop for developmentally appropriate toys/games and activities that are fun and also encourage optimum development.

Children think I am fun/creative and they are never bored or burned-out.

I find the way they learn best, and work with it. I update their resource

file whenever they progress.

Case Example #1:

Rachel

Rachel is a bright young girl. She just turned three years old. She is

Adopting much of the language around her, loves to learn, loves to

Think she is a “big kid” She also wants to be a good “big sister”. She

Is a good listener and has good attention span. She doesn’t have great

Hand eye coordination or small motor skills (which is typical for her

Age). She also just started potty training. She uses her fingers to eat

Her food.

I built on her strengths to strengthen up her weaknesses. First,

Because she wants to be a big kid, and learn, potty training was easy.

We got books and videos about potty training, we potty trained her

Teddy bear (which also encourages role play, a good environment

Learning technique that begins at this age), then she used the potty

` herself. She loved being such a big kid.

The first day I was there, I handed her a fork, demonstrated how

To use it, did hand over hand assistance the first time, and she took over

From there. Again, she loved being a big kid. She is now so good, she

Feeds her baby brother with a spoon!

We did many cut/paste/color activities to make doll houses for her

Dolls to play in. (This encouraged her small motor skill development and

Enabled her to role play with her dolls.) We bought play-dough and made

Our own, bought lacing toys, peg boards etc. to practice using her fingers

While playing with creative toys. When she was stronger, we played with

Legos, doll clothes, puzzles etc. Now, her fingers are more flexible and

Strong and she can now buckle her own seat belt, lace her shoes, and zip

Her coat up. She can even paint in the lines! She can also draw a person

With arms, legs, eyes, nose…6 months ago, it was a big scribble.

Because she was so bright, I wanted to work on her cognitive

Development. First, we gathered up all her baby toys, and put them in

The babies room. Then, we got new toys that were “more fun”. We got

Games: Go Fish, Dominoes, Candy Land, Pegs in the Park, Puzzles,

Crazy Eights, etc. She then learned game rules, taking turns, descriptive

Words like “back, forward, beside, next, under” plus more numbers and

Letters.

She knew 8 letters when I started. Now she knows 20. We used

Letter song videos, books, felt letters on a board, letter puzzles, letter

Flash cards, we traced letters, wrote letters in shaving cream, side walk

Chalk. Then, we moved to the next step of “letters in real life”. I pointed

Out letters on signs, on boxes, on papers, she would tell me what letters

They were, and what sound it made. Then we would sound out words.

So, now at age three, she can sound out words that use those 20 letters.

Since she could count to 13 already, and she wanted to tell time,

I taught her to count by 5s. I bought her an owl clock that you can arrange

The hands, and it will tell you what the digital time is.

We got books and videos on babies. I taught her how to feed her baby brother, how to play gently with Him. Now she plays peek-a-boo with him, she “reads” to him, gives him safe toys, and hugs him a lot. She gives him his bottle if he needs it and if he has a toy she wanted, she will give him a more appropriate toy and

Take hers back.

Because I don’t speak to her in baby talk or a condescending way,

Adults are always commenting on how articulate she is. She learned new

Feeling words by our paper plate emoticons. I taught her that many words

Can mean the same thing. I explain things to her instead of brushing off

Questions with a simple answer. One time in a store, a woman said, “hi.”

To her. She smiled and said, “This is my baby brother, Sammy. You can

Say “hi” to him too. He is fragile, so you have to be gentle with him.”

Also, for language development, I dictate stories the children

Tell me. I rarely prompt them. Then I bind the stories so they can see how

They have matured in their writing. The difference is amazing in Rachel

In only 6 months.

Also, within a year, she knew how to do and read a picot-graph

add, subtract, read simple words, sound out the letters of the alphabet,

identify and sound out vowel sounds, trace drawings, point out 6 states

on the map and 3 countries, how to follow/read a map etc.

Case Example #2:

I started when Sam was 6 mos. old. I worked on language development

this early by using word cards, pointing out names of objects etc. He said

his first word when he was 12 mos. old, right on schedule. We worked

from the time he was 6 mos. old on physical developmental skills by doing

baby exercises and baby massage, and obstacle courses. When he started

crawling at 7mos. I made crawling obtstacle courses for him to crawl over

(tunnels, pillows, boxes…). I put chairs, tall push toys etc. in front of him

to help him pull up on, thus he began to pull himself up by 8 mos. At 8

mos. we continued to work on his muscles by having me hold his hands

while he climbed up and down the steps using just his legs, and by 12

mos. not only was he walking, but he was also using the banister to go

up and down the stairs. He also, at a year old walked EVERYwhere by

himself. I never carried him. He even had his own cart at the grocery store he could push around by himself. He also didn’t use the stroller when we

went on walks, he preferred to walk by himself holding my hand.

We also worked on typical “baby to toddler” stuff

like using a cup, fork, spoon, bowl, helping to dress himself when he

seemed interested in doing so (around 12 mos.) He was doing it all within

3 mos. after that. At 13 mos. old, I taught him role play. We would feed, burp, and potty train the dolls/stuffed animals in the house together. And, I started potty-training him at 15 mos. old, and by

17 mos. old he was going to the potty when he had to pee except at night time. At 12 mos. old I began counting things out loud to him and pointing

out letters in everyday life as well as colors and shapes and other descrip-

tives to build his language and academic development. By 15 mos. he

understood 15 one step directions and 50 words and spoke 6 things. I worked on puzzles with him when he was 15 mos. old and puzzle boxes. He was then doing one to 4 piece puzzles by himself at 18 mos. old. We started with small motor skill activities when he was 17 mos. old, we used fat crayons, finger paints, squeeze balls and puzzle boxes, this was to help

him learn to control his fingers enough to write on paper when he is 2.

We worked on throwing, kicking, tumbling, “wrestling”, and kid exercises

to improve his large motor skills. In order to help him learn hand-eye coordination, besides learning to feed himself, I also taught him how to aim. I held a clothes basket out and he would throw the ball in it, and I would get father away, and the containers for the balls would get smaller.

Example Summary:

These are just some of the things I do with small children. Kids find them fun, and feel good about themselves because they are gaining knowledge and independence.

Position Type

I would only nanny for someone who wanted to improve their baby or

children's development. The smaller number of children I have, the more I

accomplish and the more they accomplish.

I require a minimum of 1/2 my health insurance paid, a car to drive the

children around with, discretion to plan activities, and make decisions

for the children in terms of playgroups/play-dates/events, and discretion to

buy things I think could benefit the children physically/mentally/

emotionally and cognitively.

Right now, I make $30K gross. I am looking for a higher paying position

that is similar. Right now, I have 3 children. I started when the baby

was 4 months old, the toddler was 3, and the older boy was 5. The older

boy has developmental delays of speech/communication/motor skills. I

speak with this Occupation and speech therapists and teachers.

I have a file box of the progress all three of the children (I currently work with) to take to interviews.

I I prefer to work with children without developmental delays to enhance their current development levels, however, I am open to working with children with developmental delays again as well.


History I have my bachelors in early childhood education. It was a 5 year program, one year was soley on the enhancement of infants from pregnancy through the first year. One year was cultural arts, in which I took things like: fencing, art history, music appreciate etc. Three years were dedicated to the care/development and methods of teaching various subject areas to children birth through third grade. When I graduated I worked for a nanny temporary agency , which placed nannies in homes from 4 hours to overnights to a month or two. I worked here for almost a year. This gave me so much insight into many different homes, how they operate and the different styles of parenting/nannying. When I moved back to Indiana, I worked for a company for a year that helped developmentally challenged adults/children reach their full development potential either in group homes or in assisted living situations. I became the Regional Program Manager due to my knowledge and expertise. I wrote goals for them, wrote plans for those goals, maintained logs, and trained 45 staff members to work with them on these goals. I have experience with deaf/blind/mute/cerebral palsy/autism/ down syndrome/mental retardation/emotional disorders from Self-injurous behavior to manic depressive disorder. I have had countless experiences communicating with teachers/principals/ parents/guardians//behavior therapists/occupational therapists/ psychiatrists/psychologists/speech therapists etc, and working with them on their goals, and forming my own goals for them branched off of those goals. Philosophy I have combined this system of communication and programming into a method of nannying that I use for the children that are in my care. It is similar to what they do in preschool, only more detailed communication is involved between me and the parents. I feel that being a nanny is not just about caregiving , it is also about teaching. Nannies should provide the same opportunities to learn as a preschoolor day care would. The difference is that nannies provide those opportunities in a fun and interpersonal/engaging way. This method "tricks" the kids into learning things while they are having fun. I operate on a “strength-based” philosophy, which I learned while working as a case manager for a shelter through Americorp. This philosophy builds up weaknesses using the strengths that a person has. My main goal for every child is that they learn to learn. My other goals for every child are that they learn to problem solve, think for themselves, make healthy choices, have that “I can do it myself” attitude of independence, communicate their needs/wants/feelings in a nice and healthy way, and to have safe, fun and healthy social relationships. Resources I have three 4" binders that I concocted through my courses at the University full of resource activities to do with each age group (by month for babies under a year) and (by year for over a year old.) I also pull activities and knowledge through many child development books that I have been reading for 11 years. Method The first two weeks or so that I am with a family, I evaluate the children in all areas of physical, emotional, cognitive, and social development. Then I create a resource binder of activities just for that family, with a section dedicated to each child. I keep daily logs for each child as to what they ate, what activity they did, and when. I even keep track of bowel movements with babies/toddlers to monitor for food allergies/sicknesses. I write out monthly goals/assessments for those goals/plans for those goals, to let the parents know what we are working on, and so they can encourage those same things. Consistency is important. I also shop for developmentally appropriate toys/games and activities that are fun and also encourage optimum development. Children think I am fun/creative and they are never bored or burned-out. I find the way they learn best, and work with it. I update their resource file whenever they progress. Case Example #1: Rachel Rachel is a bright young girl. She just turned three years old. She is Adopting much of the language around her, loves to learn, loves to Think she is a “big kid” She also wants to be a good “big sister”. She Is a good listener and has good attention span. She doesn’t have great Hand eye coordination or small motor skills (which is typical for her Age). She also just started potty training. She uses her fingers to eat Her food. I built on her strengths to strengthen up her weaknesses. First, Because she wants to be a big kid, and learn, potty training was easy. We got books and videos about potty training, we potty trained her Teddy bear (which also encourages role play, a good environment Learning technique that begins at this age), then she used the potty ` herself. She loved being such a big kid. The first day I was there, I handed her a fork, demonstrated how To use it, did hand over hand assistance the first time, and she took over From there. Again, she loved being a big kid. She is now so good, she Feeds her baby brother with a spoon! We did many cut/paste/color activities to make doll houses for her Dolls to play in. (This encouraged her small motor skill development and Enabled her to role play with her dolls.) We bought play-dough and made Our own, bought lacing toys, peg boards etc. to practice using her fingers While playing with creative toys. When she was stronger, we played with Legos, doll clothes, puzzles etc. Now, her fingers are more flexible and Strong and she can now buckle her own seat belt, lace her shoes, and zip Her coat up. She can even paint in the lines! She can also draw a person With arms, legs, eyes, nose…6 months ago, it was a big scribble. Because she was so bright, I wanted to work on her cognitive Development. First, we gathered up all her baby toys, and put them in The babies room. Then, we got new toys that were “more fun”. We got Games: Go Fish, Dominoes, Candy Land, Pegs in the Park, Puzzles, Crazy Eights, etc. She then learned game rules, taking turns, descriptive Words like “back, forward, beside, next, under” plus more numbers and Letters. She knew 8 letters when I started. Now she knows 20. We used Letter song videos, books, felt letters on a board, letter puzzles, letter Flash cards, we traced letters, wrote letters in shaving cream, side walk Chalk. Then, we moved to the next step of “letters in real life”. I pointed Out letters on signs, on boxes, on papers, she would tell me what letters They were, and what sound it made. Then we would sound out words. So, now at age three, she can sound out words that use those 20 letters. Since she could count to 13 already, and she wanted to tell time, I taught her to count by 5s. I bought her an owl clock that you can arrange The hands, and it will tell you what the digital time is. We got books and videos on babies. I taught her how to feed her baby brother, how to play gently with Him. Now she plays peek-a-boo with him, she “reads” to him, gives him safe toys, and hugs him a lot. She gives him his bottle if he needs it and if he has a toy she wanted, she will give him a more appropriate toy and Take hers back. Because I don’t speak to her in baby talk or a condescending way, Adults are always commenting on how articulate she is. She learned new Feeling words by our paper plate emoticons. I taught her that many words Can mean the same thing. I explain things to her instead of brushing off Questions with a simple answer. One time in a store, a woman said, “hi.” To her. She smiled and said, “This is my baby brother, Sammy. You can Say “hi” to him too. He is fragile, so you have to be gentle with him.” Also, for language development, I dictate stories the children Tell me. I rarely prompt them. Then I bind the stories so they can see how They have matured in their writing. The difference is amazing in Rachel In only 6 months. Also, within a year, she knew how to do and read a picot-graph add, subtract, read simple words, sound out the letters of the alphabet, identify and sound out vowel sounds, trace drawings, point out 6 states on the map and 3 countries, how to follow/read a map etc. Case Example #2: I started when Sam was 6 mos. old. I worked on language development this early by using word cards, pointing out names of objects etc. He said his first word when he was 12 mos. old, right on schedule. We worked from the time he was 6 mos. old on physical developmental skills by doing baby exercises and baby massage, and obstacle courses. When he started crawling at 7mos. I made crawling obtstacle courses for him to crawl over (tunnels, pillows, boxes…). I put chairs, tall push toys etc. in front of him to help him pull up on, thus he began to pull himself up by 8 mos. At 8 mos. we continued to work on his muscles by having me hold his hands while he climbed up and down the steps using just his legs, and by 12 mos. not only was he walking, but he was also using the banister to go up and down the stairs. He also, at a year old walked EVERYwhere by himself. I never carried him. He even had his own cart at the grocery store he could push around by himself. He also didn’t use the stroller when we went on walks, he preferred to walk by himself holding my hand. We also worked on typical “baby to toddler” stuff like using a cup, fork, spoon, bowl, helping to dress himself when he seemed interested in doing so (around 12 mos.) He was doing it all within 3 mos. after that. At 13 mos. old, I taught him role play. We would feed, burp, and potty train the dolls/stuffed animals in the house together. And, I started potty-training him at 15 mos. old, and by 17 mos. old he was going to the potty when he had to pee except at night time. At 12 mos. old I began counting things out loud to him and pointing out letters in everyday life as well as colors and shapes and other descrip- tives to build his language and academic development. By 15 mos. he understood 15 one step directions and 50 words and spoke 6 things. I worked on puzzles with him when he was 15 mos. old and puzzle boxes. He was then doing one to 4 piece puzzles by himself at 18 mos. old. We started with small motor skill activities when he was 17 mos. old, we used fat crayons, finger paints, squeeze balls and puzzle boxes, this was to help him learn to control his fingers enough to write on paper when he is 2. We worked on throwing, kicking, tumbling, “wrestling”, and kid exercises to improve his large motor skills. In order to help him learn hand-eye coordination, besides learning to feed himself, I also taught him how to aim. I held a clothes basket out and he would throw the ball in it, and I would get father away, and the containers for the balls would get smaller. Example Summary: These are just some of the things I do with small children. Kids find them fun, and feel good about themselves because they are gaining knowledge and independence. Position Type I would only nanny for someone who wanted to improve their baby or children's development. The smaller number of children I have, the more I accomplish and the more they accomplish. I require a minimum of 1/2 my health insurance paid, a car to drive the children around with, discretion to plan activities, and make decisions for the children in terms of playgroups/play-dates/events, and discretion to buy things I think could benefit the children physically/mentally/ emotionally and cognitively. Right now, I make $30K gross. I am looking for a higher paying position that is similar. Right now, I have 3 children. I started when the baby was 4 months old, the toddler was 3, and the older boy was 5. The older boy has developmental delays of speech/communication/motor skills. I speak with this Occupation and speech therapists and teachers. I have a file box of the progress all three of the children (I currently work with) to take to interviews. I I prefer to work with children without developmental delays to enhance their current development levels, however, I am open to working with children with developmental delays again as well.