Amber H.

“ I am 23 years old and I live in Franklin, TN. I am a part-time college student, majoring in Creative Writing through an online program. I have experience with children in and out of a professional setting. When I was 15, my cousin gave birth to a son who turned out to have Autism Spectrum Disorder. Then when I was 19, she delivered a baby girl and became a single mother of two. I was there the day the baby was...

I am 23 years old and I live in Franklin, TN. I am a part-time college student, majoring in Creative Writing through an online program. I have experience with children in and out of a professional setting. When I was 15, my cousin gave birth to a son who turned out to have Autism Spectrum Disorder. Then when I was 19, she delivered a baby girl and became a single mother of two. I was there the day the baby was born and spent a year living with her in Michigan to help her and her son adjust to the changes that come with having a new baby. He is such a good big brother and I would not trade him or his sister for the world. Unfortunately, I could not stay with them forever and I returned home to Franklin, TN.

After a few odd jobs, I found a job in a preschool where I stayed for nine months until I was left with no choice but to leave to deal with the passing of my mother, and all the responsibilities that fell to me with it. While I was there, I noticed that it is far easier to give the children the specialized attention that they need in smaller groups. All of the children were smart and sweet and all of the teachers would have done anything for their kids. Still, it was not uncommon for a child to start making trouble just to get a little extra attention, because it is simply not possible to be fully aware of each individual child's emotional needs in a group of 15 or so.

I firmly believe that individual or small group care is a much healthier lifestyle for a child and I love being able to offer such a service. It saddens me to see children everyday getting lost in the system of public school and daycare centers and knowing that most of those children spend their whole lives trying to make up for it. There is nothing better in this world than being able to bring joy and stability into a child's life where otherwise there would be chaos.

I also babysat my best friend's little brother when I was 13 and volunteered at my church's Sunday school during my senior year.

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