About me

I have always loved storytelling. I vividly remember my own parents reading to me before bed, totally committed to telling the story - sound effects and all. When I was sixteen, I parlayed my interest in narrative into my first job as an assistant at the local library. My favorite duty on the job was to read to classes of preschool students. Keeping their attention was challenging, but I leaned into it - more goofy voices, more silliness, throwing myself into the book with gusto. I had found something I loved doing.

My time at the library led to a few different early childcare jobs, but it wasn't until my time as a teaching assistant for Mrs. Huang's kindergarten class in my senior year that I knew I'd found my calling. Several weeks into the semester, Mrs. Huang assigned me to be a learning buddy for a new student. He and his family were recent immigrants from Iraq, and though he could speak and understand English wonderfully, he had trouble reading or writing it. We worked together in the classroom, connecting over a mutual love of video games and stoking his natural gift for math. I worked with him during free-learning periods on phonetics, coming up with games that helped him see learning the alphabet and different phonic clusters as a fun challenge that could help him read for himself what happened next in a story. When he got frustrated, I got creative - we would make our hands or bodies the shapes of letters, singing the letter, playing with the sound until it stuck in his memory. With patience, time, and some trusty silly voices, he made massive strides. Hearing him read simple books back to me was incredibly rewarding - I knew I had to keep doing that work.

Since graduating college with a degree in communications and psychology, I have worked in education as a test-prep, general subject, homework and chess tutor. I am well-versed in prep for the G&T, Stanford-Binet, and AABL exams. The majority of my experience is with children ages three to nine. I am an ideal fit for any family looking to integrate homework help and creative learning into their childcare routine. I work well with both unconventional learners and children who are a bit shy having been both as a child myself. I want to empower students of all learning styles and temperaments, and have found that one of the best ways to do that is simply to listen to them, respecting their opinions and ideas while providing a structured, safe environment with routines that optimize their academic, emotional and social development.

I am a writer and actor as well as a childcare provider, and love empowering children to tell their own stories through both creative writing on a page and make-believe on their feet. As an early learner, I was diagnosed with attention deficit disorders which meant I had to get a bit creative to stay engaged in the classroom. I love passing along the tricks that helped unlock learning and listening for me to students with boundless energy, helping them channel it productively. I'm passionate about getting students up and moving outside with tag, soccer, or hide and seek as well as about As a reformed picky eater from childhood, I am excellent at making kid-friendly meals that check off all nutritional needs.

As a caregiver, I foster a creatively engaged playful environment, though as an educator I always structure play with intellectual growth in mind. When not working in childcare, my partner and I work as foster parents for a neighborhood animal rescue. Serving others, especially beings that can't verbally communicate their needs, has been a great way to develop my empathy and ability to anticipate needs for the most vulnerable beings. This spirit of respect and listening is a cornerstone of my childcare philosophy - every kiddo has a story to tell if we listen closely, challenge their minds, and give them the tools to share it.