Amanda B.

“ During high school, I regularly worked as a babysitter for children ages 12 months to 9 years. In 2004, I became a direct care specialist working with minors and adults alike with developmental disabilities. I cared for young children primarily with autism. In 2006, I gave birth to my first child and also worked as a nanny for a family with three children, ages 15, 11, and 10. I did housework, cooking, and caring...

During high school, I regularly worked as a babysitter for children ages 12 months to 9 years. In 2004, I became a direct care specialist working with minors and adults alike with developmental disabilities. I cared for young children primarily with autism. In 2006, I gave birth to my first child and also worked as a nanny for a family with three children, ages 15, 11, and 10. I did housework, cooking, and caring for the children outside of school and on weekends. I returned to school in 2008 to major in Psychology and Nursing with an emphasis on child development and pediatrics. I am currently a junior, however I am taking this spring and summer off coursework to be more available to my daughter who is now almost 5. I am passionate about caring for young children because it is the primary caregivers that children have early in life that help develop who they will be for the rest of their lives. I enjoy spending time with children, now more so that I have my own, because I am able to truly understand what an incredibly tremendous impact everyday interactions can have on our little ones. I believe in a holistic approach to caring for children. It cannot just be supervision, nor can it be only entertaining them, but rather it needs to be interactive, productive learning and guiding, where the child feels free to be themselves and learn and explore at their own pace, knowing every step of the way that a caregiver is there to offer help and support when necessary (according to their developmental level). I find this job more rewarding than others because you are able to form close relationships with others and also see the positive outcomes of your work more directly, such as when you help a child master a new task or help them discover knew facts there were not aware existed.

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