About me

I grew up in the city of Chicago, the oldest of my cousins in a large family. Not only was I the oldest, I was clearly the loudest and most playful. My naturally comfortable personality is what lead me to being the family babysitter. As my family grew, I had a safe space to learn the ins and outs of infant care. My mother was a lacation consultant for Rush Hospital, in addition to volunteering her time to bring the then-new concept of "Headstart" into our community. I grew up surrounded by prenatal and early childhood education at my disposal, and it was information I eagerly learned. As a kid I grew up helping my Abuelita take care of 7 other neighborhood children after school and during the summers. When I started college at the American Academy of Art, I found myself babysitting for families that I would meet at my receptionist job in River North. I would continue to find new families through word of mouth and several agencies throughout and after college, eventually leading me to Stepping Stones Nursery School where I worked as a PreK teacher for two years. Realizing I could be doing more with my experience, I recently started going for my Master's in Child Development at Erikson's Institute of Chicago.

With my bachelors in Illustration, I have the creative and flexible mind to come up with fun activities for kiddos, no matter their level of interest in art. I'm a big believer in natural playtime without screens, and take kiddos outside every chance I get. I encourage curiosity by proposing fun experiments when faced with questions; I encourage self-expression by offering open-ended activities with room for customization. In addition to creating fun activities for toddlers and children, I focus on respecting the rules and schedules set out by the parents. I also consider myself a parent helper, not a parent replacer. My focus is on the children, but I am more than happy to help with dishes, laundry, and cleaning.