MaryKate G.
Education
Fordham University, Rose Hill Honors College,
BA Philosophy and Theology
California Institute of the Arts,
MFA Acting
Professional Childcare Experience
date night / temp childcare
Los Angeles, CA, 04/22 - 05/24
various ages and siblings (5 months - 6 years)
Summer Nanny
New York, NY, 05/22 - 07/23
4 boys (2.5, 7, 9, 12)
afterschool nanny/support
New York, NY, 08/19 - 05/21
boy and girl (w/ them through ages 7-9 and 9-11!)
weekend sitter
New York, NY, 08/18 - 05/21
various infants-toddlers
Part-Time Sitter
New York, NY, 02/19 - 08/19
girl, age 1.5
tutor/behavioral assistant
New York, New York, 08/18 - 06/19
3 boys (7, 10, 13) / adhd support
Summer Program/Outreach Co-Coordinator
Sacramento, CA, 08/17 - 07/18
Groups of 10-30 children, ages 3-15
Full Time Summer Nanny/After School Babysitter
New York, NY, 08/16 - 04/17
One girl, age 10
Other Experience
Writing Specialist and Tutor
Los Angeles, CA, 09/21 - 05/24
Grant Writer and Consultant (ongoing)
Los Angeles, CA, 11/22 - 05/24
Lead Instructor Intro to Acting (undergrad & grad)
Los Angeles, CA, 09/23 - 05/24
Teaching Assistant - Movement Research
Los Angeles, CA, 01/24 - 05/24
Ceramics Lab Technician
Los Angeles, CA, 09/23 - 05/24
Teaching Assistant -- Interpretation&Performance
Los Angeles, CA, 01/23 - 05/23
Guest Artist and Workshop Facilitator
Amsterdam, Netherlands, 08/22 - 08/22
Crew Member at Trader Joe's
New York, NY, 08/18 - 12/21
Afterschool Nanny/Support
New York, New York, 08/19 - 05/21
Assistant Canvas Director, Grassroots Campaigns
Philadelphia, PA, 06/15 - 08/15
About me
From rural Colorado, to New York City, to Northern California, my work in childcare has been with children of diverse ages, backgrounds, and circumstances. Core to my care-giving philosophy is a grounded presence and clear, kind communication. I center creative play, somatic-centered behavioral and emotional support, and allowing the child to take initiative. I prioritize making space for the communication of boundaries and needs. I value giving each child the freedom and space to explore and learn in a self-directed way, while also offering structure and appropriate expectations. I want each child that I work with to know that they are safe, respected, supported, and loved when I am with them.
I have been nannying with families in New York City since 2013. However, my most formative experience working with kids began when I moved to Sacramento after undergrad to work at the Mustard Seed School. Mustard Seed is a preK-8 private school for children whose families are currently unhoused. I supported the students and parents at Mustard Seed in a variety of ways, including morning and afternoon transportation, accompaniment to doctors' and dentists' appointments, and one-on-one work with students who had emotional or behavioral differences. The Mustard Seed ethos of kindness, gentle boundaries, patience, and joy in the work fully shaped my pedagogical approach to working with children. I carry this energy with me to this day, with every new family I meet.
Since returning to New York from Sacramento, I've been lucky enough to continue to form beautiful relationships with the families I've worked with through SmartSitting. I have worked with three families long-term, largely in after-school and summer support. I've worked with many others, (with children ages 4 months to 13 years) throughout my five years as a SmartSitter. I have particular experience with multiple siblings, and children with learning and behavioral differences ie ADHD. I additionally have tutoring experience in language arts, and am always overjoyed to support the children I work with in any creative explorations and projects!
I have professional child care experience with...
Infants- Toddlers
- Preschoolers
- School-aged (K-5)
- Preteen
- Teenagers
- Twins
- Multiples
- Special Needs
In 5 years, I hope to be...
In graduate school I am building a community of artists and collaborators who nourish and excite me! I hope to continue to cultivate communities such as these once I graduate, and seek out spaces generating creative work that is authentic and takes risks. At some point after my MFA I plan to formally pursue a degree in psychoanalysis and somatic experiencing, both of which I consider to be intimately connected to acting, as well as to being present with any other person (including, perhaps especially, children). In whatever communities I am in, I know that teaching and being with children is an important part of my life, and something I will continue to seek out and prioritize.
Activities & skills I love to teach & share with children...
When I started babysitting for families in New York City I found that one of my favorite parts of spending time with the kids was all of the beautiful, creative, inquisitive questions they asked. I love activities that that spark children's imaginations and make them wonder and dream. This can be anything from making up stories with them, playing imaginative games, reading aloud together, processing feelings, putting on a play, or building a fort in the living room....I thrive in active environments, and I will always try to incorporate park time/sports/outside play in my work. I also have experience planning and implementing an arts-based summer program for the students at Mustard Seed, so I would love to engage in any visual art the children wanted to explore--from painting, to photography (kids love disposable cameras), to clay, to even just good old crayons and white paper. Kids love creating art, and I love doing it with them!