About Marcela

Reviewed on 10/8/2015

We are pleased to recommend Marcela for any position involving the care of infants and young children. We first met Marcela in 2009 when we began searching for a nanny. During her four+ years with us, she became a family member. We began our day care search in combination with friends who lived nearby and were having a baby close to when ours was due, and ultimately decided to share a nanny. After four parents with full time jobs interviewed many care givers, Marcela was the unanimous choice. As our first children were born and both sets of parents went through the transition of returning to work, Marcela s confidence and experience in caring for the babies was evident from day one and put our anxious minds at ease. As new parents we were all astonished at how she managed the short feeding, napping and diaper schedules of two children, while we were each struggling with just one. The schedules of the two babies at first never aligned, but after a short period under her care, she was able to synchronize their nap and feeding schedules and introduce consistency that both the babies and parents appreciated. We had her alternating households weekly, but that had no impact on her ability to adhere to routines and adjust to appointments and whatever curves and twists that the needs of two families can create. One of Marcela's best qualities is that she has always offered care advice when asked; tactfully and proactively made suggestions if she had an idea when we hadn't solicited her input; but willingly accommodated and adjusted her style and methods to our desires and requests. This was not only immensely helpful to inexperienced parents, but more often than not her suggestions and instincts proved to be effective for whatever care challenge our growing children were presenting. Whether experience or instinct, she always seemed to know when they were ready for the next milestone, such as trying a new food texture, starting to use utensils, potty training, etc. We thought potty training was something that happened over a weekend. For our stubborn children it took a lot longer and Marcela's persistence was paramount in getting them through this transition. As the two boys became toddlers, the intensity of the care for infants shifted to needing to learn as well as be cared for. Listening, talking, playing, motor skills, socialization and sharing were all skills that Marcela, or Ti-Tia as the boys began to call her, reinforced with our children. Marcela began driving our toddlers to story times at the library, playgrounds, appointments and taking walks with them. By this point Marcela had earned our confidence to keep them safe outside the home to the point where we never experienced any significant issue during the 4+ years she worked for us. As our second child was born, the other family's child was transitioning to preschool, so we began employing Marcela full time ourselves. Again she was able to quickly find a schedule and routine that accommodated both of our children, working in learning time, outside play, playgroups, and activities around the different needs of an infant and toddler. Although our job for her was specifically for the care of the children, she often took the initiative with household chores beyond the children s needs and would surprise us with dinner for the whole family. When Marcela wasn't caring for our children, she was busy raising her own daughter. She was almost 3 years old when Marcela first began working for us and we've had the pleasure of watching her grow up and seeing how Marcela is an excellent mother. Quickly after meeting her precocious, curious, intelligent and well mannered daughter, you can tell how well she is being raised and cared for. Marcela provided the same care, love and dedication to our children that she does raising her own. It was with a heavy heart that our children grew to the preschool age and we could no longer give Marcela employment. However, she and her family are still close and will always be a part of ours. Any family would be lucky to have caring for their children.