Mariella currently works for us 2-3 afternoons a week. We have 20 month old boy/girl twins. Our son has broad developmental delay " gross/fine motor, speech etc. and sees a number of therapists/specialists. When we hired Mariella, we were looking for someone who could engage our son and drive his development while also taking care of our daughter, a more typical 20 month old. We had tried a number of nannies and realized a typical nanny wouldn't work for us. We needed someone who had the desire to work with a child who needed more attention, engagement and patience. Mariella is outstanding! We can't sing Mariella's praises enough (and I am not one to give recommendations lightly). Mariella arrives each afternoon with such energy and enthusiasm. From the moment she steps through our door she is on the floor talking to and singing with our children. I have seen a trend that each of the books that becomes a favorite is one which Mariella has read to them repeatedly (she brings such life to each book!). Both children adore her --- and that is really saying something as our son is hesitant to let any new people in. Over the months since she has been with us, my husband and I, as well as all of my son's therapists, have noticed incredible developmental progress in my son. He speaks/babbles more (particularly on the days Mariella is here), his gross motor and fine motor skills have improved and overall he is making great strides. While we all work hard to engage our son, we attribute much of his progress to Mariella. She is a joy to have in our home and we have learned so much from her both with regard to our son as well as our daughter who is at the "testing boundaries" phase. We are relocating to New York this summer and if we could take Mariella with us, we would! We feel so fortunate to have met her. She is a treasure.

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