Raiya L.
Education
University of Wisconsin - Madison,
B.A. in English (Creative Writing emphasis)B.A. in Psychology
Professional Childcare Experience
Summer Nanny/School Year Babysitter
Madison, WI, 06/19 - Present
ages 6 and 4
Part-Time Babysitter
Madison, WI, 06/23 - Present
ages 1 and 4
Summer Nanny/School Year Babysitter
Madison, WI, 08/21 - Present
ages 5 and 2
Playroom Attendant
Madison, WI, 08/17 - 03/20
~2 months to ~ 12 years
Part-Time Babysitter
Madison, WI, 03/19 - 03/20
ages 4 and 6
Other Experience
Undergraduate Lab Assistant
Madison, WI, 09/21 - 05/23
Summer Theater Intern
Madison, WI, 05/16 - 08/18
About me
I grew up in Madison, WI with my parents, an older sister, and two cats. As the younger sibling, I learned to harness my performative flair at an early age. I was obsessed with all things singing, theater, art, reading, and storytelling. I took this love of stories with me to the University of Wisconsin Madison, where I graduated with degrees in Creative Writing and Psychology. I also spent a summer in Florence, Italy where I studied at an art school. During college, I spent two years as a research assistant in the Cognitive Media and Development Lab studying the impact television has on children. Since my recent graduation, I’ve been nannying and soaking up all the time I can to spend with friends and family before my move!
My first experience with children was a summer internship at a local theater, where I supervised campers ages 5-7 with theater games, songs, and skits, culminating in a final showcase. I then started working as a playroom attendant for a local health club. At the playroom, I watched children ranging from just a few months old to preteens. The environment was constantly changing–sometimes I’d have one kid and other times I’d have 15. After high school, I started summer nannying for two boys ages four and six. My responsibilities included driving to activities, providing snacks, and taking the boys on outings. I also watched the boys on a regular to as-needed basis during my school and have a close relationship with them to this day. About halfway through college, I started school year babysitting and summer nannying for a 2-year-old girl and a 5-year-old boy. We’ve had lots of fun doing art, imaginary play, reading, and biking. I’ve also done lots of babysitting for children of all ages, and my responsibilities have included bedtime routines, meals, and providing entertainment.
I believe that children are some of our greatest teachers and I value the lessons they have taught me just as much as the ones I’ve taught them. I have seen so much compassion, intelligence, and creativity exhibited within this next generation, and I feel passionate about fostering these qualities to help kids become empowered adults ready to take on the world!
I have professional child care experience with...
Infants- Toddlers
- Preschoolers
- School-aged (K-5)
- Preteen
- Twins
- Multiples
In 5 years, I hope to be...
I love school more than anything, so I have a feeling I'll be back for some form of higher education soon. However, I think I'm going to need more experiences outside of school to know if I'll want to go back for writing or psychology or maybe another field entirely! It's always been a dream of mine to write and illustrate children's books, so it'd be amazing if in five years I've made some headway in that area. I've spent the past four years of college cycling through ever-changing professional interests ranging from lawyer to child psychologist to playwright so I'm excited to see which path I go down. Given the love I have for so many different subjects, I'm hoping to be afforded the privilege of getting to explore careers in a few different fields.
Activities & skills I love to teach & share with children...
I really enjoy doing art with kids and teaching them new techniques. I also love reading books to kids, which naturally always becomes a big performance with voices for all the characters. A big thing I do with children is lots of imaginary play. I was a super imaginative kid growing up, and I like to think I've retained this creative lens into adulthood. I work together with children to come up with really fun ideas for games, and it's so funny to see their reactions when I throw a twist in the narrative like a giant octopus or a secret spy team. I also tailor my personal interests to the interests of each specific child. For example, I've spent the past few months drawing dozens of different NFL quarterbacks so one of my nanny kids can color them in. That being said, the things that make me happiest to do with kids are the things they love! Watching them grow in areas of their own personal interests is so cool to see and I try to teach myself along the way so I can keep up. When my nanny boys got very interested in scootering, I took up skating so I could participate at the skateparks with them. I've spent hours playing soccer and basketball with one of my nanny kids and his classmates after school. And, when he got really into biking, I finally set aside a middle school bike accident and hopped back on a bike without so much as a second thought after years of refusing.