About me

I was born in Iowa, and grew up in Tonga, New Zealand, and New Guinea. I have a younger brother and sister. As a child I enjoyed swimming, bike riding, crocheting, art, pottery, and camping. I trained as an Occupational Therapist and have degrees in Education from Auckland University. As the eldest of three children I was often given responsibility for my younger siblings, which was good early training for working with children. I also worked for three years as an Occupational Therapist at a child and adolescent mental health facility in New Zealand.

I have worked as a nanny in New York for over 17 years now with children ranging in age from 6 months old to 15 years old. The 6-month-old is now 17 and I still have contact with her. When she was a baby, it was my job to monitor her at night and take her to her mother for her night feed, change her diapers, and bathe her while also looking after her 4-year-old brother, who had to be taken to pre-school, play dates, and after school activities. It was great to watch her learn to walk and talk, feed herself and use the bathroom. Later I helped her learn to dress herself, read, ride a bike, and swim. I have also worked with twins which required being able to help each of them learn at different rates.

I enjoy each age group that children move through because they are learning different things at different times. It is fun to help children learn to swim and ride bikes as I believe that these are both wonderful healthy forms of exercise that they can enjoy through most of their life.