About me

Hi, my name is Maria! I was born and raised in Lebanon with two younger siblings (sister and a brother), which were basically my first experience in childcare. As a child, my mother encouraged me to embrace my artistic side and signed me up for piano, singing, and dance classes that I continued doing growing up. In 2018, I moved to New York City to pursue my MFA in Acting at The Actors Studio Drama School at Pace University. Since graduation, I've been working as a language and performing arts instructor at NASMA Culture Center of NY, teaching both children and adults Arabic, which is my first language. I've worked with children between the ages of 2 and 11 years old and developed a sense of what each type of learner responds to best. I try to make my classes as fun as possible using songs, theatrical role-play games, dialogue, and handcrafts.

I also have 2 years of experience in childcare as a babysitter. The first babies I've looked after were two adorable 11 months old twin girls back in 2019. I would babysit on date nights and arrive a few hours before the parents leave to feed the babies, play and sing with them, bathe them, give them milk, read them a story, and put them to bed. The parents were usually around for the bedtime routine and then would head out for their date, and I would stay with the babies while they slept. The family reconnected with me after the pandemic and I was asked to look after the (now two-year-old) girls again. They grew up so fast!

Since then, I've looked after several other children including a 2-year-old lovely girl to help out her mom, who had just had another baby. I would take her out in the mornings to her music, gymnastics, or art classes as well as the park. I would feed her snacks in between and sometimes we would have play dates with other children or just play at home.

When I meet families for the first time, they almost always text me right afterward saying how quickly I've made a good impression on their child/children. I am still a child at heart and I think that makes children connect with me quickly. I am also a great listener and observer and will always bring fun, music, and laughter with me.