Hi, My name is Michelle & I am a mother of 2 independent, older children 💙💗 & also 1 husband 💚& 1 (very kid-friendly) chocolate labrador dog.🤎
I am also a qualified Early Childhood Educator & have worked as a Childcare Assistant, then Preschool Teacher (at 2 x local Preschools for 13 years) along with minding children as a Nanny/Babysitter, on a permanent basis (during the day &/or before & after pre/school & during school holidays) in my &/or their homes for over 25 years.
I really enjoy interacting with & joining children in their play - whether it be dressups, digging in the sand, building lego or something from recycled or natural materials, playing with dolls/cars, games/puzzles, drawing, painting, making slime/playdoh, reading stories, sliding down the slippery dip &/or baking cookies (real or imaginary) together.
I am artistic and very creative, with lots of innovative ideas that I love to share, to spark their imaginations & ignite creative thinking in a fun, safe, stimulating environment, providing guidance & choice by offering a wide variety of materials, mediums & open ended activities, with time to explore & encourage, inspire & provoke questions & wonder, by following & extending their own ideas & interests, while they "accidentally" learn & develop new skills, through our art experiences, play & interaction. I have a light filled art & craft playroom, specifically set up to cater for our creativeness (aka creative mess !!) at my home, with a large open plan loungeroom/kitchen, covered balcony & shady backyard, where we can also make, create, bake & play together. I live in walking distance to 2 x parks & also Manly Dam, where we can also play &/or go for a bush/nature walk & am also happy to take them on outings elsewhere (like zoo, beach, library, swimming lessons, etc) too.
I am a non smoker/drinker with a clean driving record & own a modern, reliable car, which can fit 3 childseats across the back. I am very patient, caring & chatty, but also a very hard worker, who is happy to help out with basic chores as needed (eg: dishes/clothes washing/bins, etc) & automatically tidy up after we play (if at your home).
I hold a Certificate 111 in Childcare, a current Working with Children Check & am also a registered carer. I have also completed (& continue to attend) many personal Creative/Artistic courses & MANY Professional & Personal Childcare Development Courses /Workshops (including First Aid, Allergy/Anaphylaxis, Infection Control-Covid 19, Guiding Children's Behaviour, Autism/ADHD, Speech Pathology, Fine & Gross Motor skills, Music & Movement, Yoga, Nutrition, Cultural Games, Sustainability, Visual Arts, Connecting Children to Nature through Art) & can provide these (& more) Original Certificates, along with many excellent References & a long list of Contacts from both my work at Preschool & with the many families I have cared for & still keep in touch with.
Obviously, as a Preschool teacher I am already very aware of health/hygeine/cleanliness & it's importance & continue to put this into practice daily in my &/or your home, during this crazy time in all our lives, while Covid-19 is still ongoing. I am also fully vaccinated, with both doses & booster.
I look forward to hopefully hearing from you,
Kind regards, Michelle