About me

Born and raised in Anchorage, Alaska, I have always had a strong sense of adventure and creativity. It's easy for one to get bored in the middle of nowhere so therefore, I have a lifetime's experience in finding ways to create and entertain! This has now led to a career in Musical Theatre. I am a singer, dancer and avid Disney fan, having both worked for Disney as a performer, as well as having been raised on all of the classic films.
Childcare has always played a major part in my life. I grew up with a younger brother whom I adore and would babysit almost daily during my pre-teen years. As I got older, I would assist my mother - our Sunday school/nursery teacher- in her classroom.
At 15, I went to a boarding arts high school in Michigan, where I ended up becoming the Sunday School teacher at my local church there and that was when the childcare bug really hit me. I had so much fun making crafts with the kids, singing our favorite songs and learning together! Once I got to college (University of Michigan, BFA Musical Theatre), my professors quickly pegged me as a lover-of-children and I began babysitting for them whenever my schedule would allow it. Post-college I took a year off from performing and became a substitute teacher for a school year, working all throughout the Anchorage School District. I had an incredible time teaching students all the way from preschool to high school. I taught everything from math to music and everything in between and worked with students of varying backgrounds and learning abilities. I loved how much I learned from my students and how much joy and laughter they brought me every day.
I've lived in NYC for about five years now, pursuing my acting career but I am also so excited to still be able to work with children as I do so. During that time I have had the opportunity to work long term for a few families. Some live-in, some live-out. I've travelled with families on vacations and to summer homes. I've worked many after-school shifts so I'm very comfortable with all that entails, including pickups, parks, playgrounds and playdates, after school activities, homework assistance, music practice, playtime, dinner (cooking, serving, encouraging eating, cleanup), bath time, bedtime, etc. - I've done it all! Of course, as a singer I like to incorporate singing when I can as a goodnight lullaby or perhaps an incentive - sometimes the incentive is that I sing a song and sometimes the incentive is that I *stop* singing - whatever works, I've got thick skin. As a creative person myself, I LOVE doing creative activities with kids. Putting on performances, playing cards or board games, writing creative stories together, ANY crafts - especially holiday and seasonal crafts to display in the house are always a favorite and of course, karaoke! I also love learning new activities from my students. For example, I worked for a family whose son was very into competitive origami and he would often teach me! (Sadly, it is not my calling but I loved learning!) I think it's so important to keep children engaged, so if that means a good chat about their lives and things that interest them, baking the perfect chocolate-chip cookie, an exciting game of Freeze Dance or a quiet hour of origami, I'm fully in it, 100%.
I am CPR/first-aid certified in infants and adults and have quite a bit of experience with students with learning disabilities.