Danielle L. Babysitter in Ellicott City, MD 21043. Looking for work as a babysitter or mother's helper.

Hello, my name is Danielle. I studied social justice and criminal justice at James Madison University and would describe myself as responsible, professional, caring, creative, and proactive. I have years of experience babysitting for parent's date nights out and have held a several long-term after-school and summer babysitting positions for many families with children of a wide range of ages. I love engaging children with hands-on play and interactive activities, (such as role play, games, arts and crafts, cooking and nature activities) to spark their creativity and imagination.

I have served as a mentor to a pre-teen girl through Big Brothers Big Sisters and was a camp counselor at Trinity Summer Camp. I also have experience working with children with disabilities. On and off since January 2010, I have worked with two brothers with disabilities. One has Down Syndrome and the other has Autism and Attention Deficit Disorder. Previously they were homeschooled and I taught home school lessons to them. More recently, they both attend school and I tutor both of them after school and drive them a great deal to various activities. I support the child with Down Syndrome at his work release position, his after-school store position, swimming practice, at his YMCA mentorship program, and around the house. I work with him on developing and improving a wide range of life skills and self-sufficiency skills, including appropriate conversational skills, listening skills, money handling, budgeting, problem solving, step-by-step planning, positive thinking, and self-advocacy. One focus I have is helping him gain confidence in his ability to find solutions and answers on his own. I write progress reports for his Behavior Specialists detailing the status of each of his targeted goals, noting potential new goals, and attend wonderful trainings on inclusion facilitation. I really enjoy identifying and addressing his needs and challenges.

Additionally, for over a year and a half I was a live-in nanny, caring for an energetic five-year-old. I played with him, prepared meals, ran errands, drove him to and from school daily (a 30 minute drive), and maintained a clean and organized house. On weekends I planned day trips to parks, museums, libraries, and special events, and actively engaged the child in hands-on learning. I taught him self-sufficiency skills and independence with daily tasks including dressing himself, tying shoes, homework, and tiding room and play area. I strived to praise the child, nurture his self-esteem, and encourage a positive self-concept, as well as set boundaries, provide appropriate behavioral reinforces and coach good decision making.