About Marie B.
My name is Marie, I am mature and experienced childcare professional, and I just love the precious times I can spend with any child whose company I can enjoy!
I have loads of experience in ad-hoc babysitting as well as with working as a professional long-term nanny with children of all ages. However, mostly I love to work with small babies and toddlers :)).
From 2001 to 2019 I lived in London, working mainly as a nanny for numerous families. I have over fifteen years of experience as a nanny with babies from two months old and children up to ten years old.
I planned and executed interesting, fun, and educational activities and outings for the children, taking them to museums, theatres, and clubs. My duties included organizing children-related chores, shopping for clothes, supervising homework, scheduling doctor's appointments, planning birthday parties, visiting playgroups, and planning playdates.
In addition, I ran my own cooking service (self-employed), cooked vegetarian and vegan meals for a group of dancers in London, and made healthy meals for the families.
About the way I work:
I think it's important to write a bit about myself to give you a sense of my nannying style and the way I work with children.
Based on my own experience, it is essential that the nanny style matches the family parenting style. I believe that being a nanny is a great responsibility and a commitment.
When I work with children, I ask myself the following questions:
- How do my actions, my behavior, the words I use when I speak, the way I interact with childcare shape their lives and influences them?
- How do I help a child develop confidence?
I am aware that the way I communicate with children and how I address their needs has a direct influence on them. I understand the importance of the way I speak and engage with a child using the right vocabulary and positive language.
My approach to babies and children is gentle, loving and nurturing. I give a lot of affection and loving touch.
I believe that every child is a unique individual with their own emotional, physical, social, cognitive needs and personal rhythm; therefore it is important to be in tune with children and listen to them so their needs can be met and satisfied.
My aim as a nanny is to create a safe and loving environment where consistency, routine and structure are part of daily life and to create a space where children can express their emotions and feelings unconditionally, without judgment.
I promote self-expression through movement, dance, arts and crafts, and imaginary play. I offer children learning opportunities to learn, experiment, explore and encourage them to become creative problem solvers. I also believe that a good communication and trusting partnership with parents is the foundation for achieving a harmonious and balanced place for everyone involved.
I bring the following qualities into the role as a nanny:
- Respond consistently with sensitivity and empathy to children's needs. What I mean by that is that when I work with babies, I pay attention to body movements, facial expressions, crying and the different sounds that babies make and follow their signals. For older children, I monitor their body language, emotional state and listen carefully to their verbal expressions. My care consists not only in constantly meeting children's physical needs, but also in meeting their emotional needs and spending pleasant time interacting with them. In addition, I leave time and room for unstructured free play.
- Interact with children in a playful, engaging, empathic and gentle manner with established healthy boundaries. In addition to having nurturing qualities, I am able to put boundaries in place when necessary, strengthen them and guide children through their difficult and emotional times. I believe this is important during the years when children's curiosity and sense of self is explored. I teach children to have healthy boundaries with others from an early age and help them articulate their needs and develop the ability to express their feelings.
- Be respectful of the children's body and feelings and acknowledge their free speech. I listen to what the children have to say without judging to make them feel understood, acknowledged and seen. I respect children's bodies and personal space in terms of them having physical contact with others (receiving and giving hugs etc.). They have the full right to choose how much involved physically they want to be. I respond to emotional overwhelm and intense emotions in a calm, loving and understanding way. I do my best to understand the needs behind the behaviour when a child experiences a crisis or strong emotions. Toddlers feelings and emotions are real and powerful and they don't have the capacity to deal with them at that stage. I use positive language, never punish a child or use bribery to manipulate.
- Use positive discipline and be a good role model. In my opinion it is more correct to replace the word discipline with a guidance. My rule is to treat others the way I would like to be treated which is in a loving and respectful way.
My goal is to help children develop self-control and self-discipline. Children learn by example so I strive to model positive actions and relationships in interactions with others.
Thank you for taking the time to read my letter.
Marie B.
Jmenuji se Marie a vystudovala jsem střední školu hotelnictví a turismu v Plzni. Od roku 2001 do 2019 jsem žila v Londýně, kde jsem pracovala především jako chůva pro mnoho rodin. Mám více než patnáctiletou praxi jako chůva s miminkami od dvou měsíců a s dětmi do deseti let. Pro děti jsem plánovala zajímavé a vzdělávací aktivity, návštěvy muzeí, divadel a kroužků. Součástí mé práce bylo organizování věcí týkajících se dětí, nákupy oblečení, dohled nad domácími úkoly, návštěvy u lékařů, plánování narozeninových oslav, návštěvy v dětských hernách a setkání s kamarády dětí, o které jsem pečovala.