ChildCare
I provide child care to a limited number of clients either with a basic focus on the child's wellness and contentment during the care or an advanced focus on skills and behavioral development during the care.
Basic Childcare
General babysitting
I take on a limited number of clients to provide general child care services which can include preparing easy meals, giving baths, and putting to bed. I prefer to provide these services in the evenings and on weekends for at least 4 hours.
$22/hr
($2 more per additional child)
Advanced Childcare
Behavior and skill focused child care
I work with some families to provide advanced child care that focuses on developing a child's skill or behavior.
Possible skills to address for older children (age 4-10): reading, writing, social skills, effective communication, emotional intelligence. Possible skills to address for younger children (age 0-3): sleep training, potty training, letters and numbers, tantrum management, communication via speaking and/or sign language.
Upon meeting with all caregivers and children in the family and discussing parenting techniques, child(ren)'s needs and areas of concern, I will work with caregivers to identify goals and develop a plan (and timeline) for addressing them. We will continue to meet throughout the process to go over the progress.
$28/hr
Mara has been consistently positive, flexible and always energetic even during some of the darkest, hardest days of the pandemic... My kids are always so thrilled to know she is coming. They love the extra touch of fun she brings, and I love often finding the surprise area she has tidied up without my direction. We love you Mara!
Angie Chiodo
My Approach
My main approach to child care is focusing on emotional intelligence and behavioral control. When I work with children, I make sure that they feel heard and understood - whether they are verbal or not. If they are still learning to communicate, I employ sign language to help them express their needs and I pay close attention to their behavior and cues to anticipate issues. If they are older, I make sure to have conversations about how they are feeling and what could make things better.
My expectations with children are that they treat me and others with respect, request their wants and needs without whining, and listen to my directions. When they do not do these things (as, of course, they will not always do), I explain my reasoning and encourage them to express their frustrations and emotions in constructive ways.
When a child is emotionally heightened, my approach is to give them direct attention and help them work through their feelings. It is extremely important to me that a child knows it is okay to cry and be emotional if they are hurt or upset about something. In these cases, I encourage them to feel those feelings, I validate their emotions or frustrations, and then I work with them to employ self-soothing techniques to feel better (such as taking deep breaths, hugging a stuffy or pillow, or taking some time to themselves).
However, when children are crying or yelling with the intent of getting me to change a decision I have made, I set clear expectations that their tantrum-behavior will not change my decision and they must instead work to calm their body and emotions and then communicate their frustrations. By waiting until they are calm (and respectful) to talk through a decision or circumstance, I avoid reinforcing the tantrum behavior and instead teach them appropriate ways of handling their emotions.
Beyond this, I encourage play, imagination and creativity. I actively avoid reinforcing gender norms, allowing children to express themselves however they like (and teaching different ways of thinking about the world) and embed values of racial justice and kindness towards difference. I positively reinforce good behavior with praise and attention and give stern feedback (with reasoning) for problematic behavior. My main goal when is to help children feel safe, happy and confident whenever they are in my care.