I first started providing childcare when I was 16 years old, and have been for members of my community since then. I have worked with all ages, from an infant to a 21-year-old with severe autism. I have also babysat up to nine children at a time. After high school, I began working at the North Kitsap School District as a special education para-educator. I have five years experience of working in an emotional/behavioral disorder conduct classroom with kids who have special needs, including children with autism, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, and Asperger's. Throughout that five year period, I worked one-on-one with two of the most challenging students in the school district. This experience taught me how to be patient, attentive, and mediate conflict well. I graduated from and also worked for a year at a private school, a school based on the Sudbury Valley model of education (democratically run and similar to a free school). At the school, I worked with kids, from ages 4 to 18. Working there taught me how to work in a more freely structured environment, as well as how to just play and be present. I would be a great choice as a child care provider because I am patient, responsible, fun (I love games and outdoor activities!), energetic, and I treat children with the same respect I treat adults.