Aloha! My name is Mary. I am 27yrs old. I recently moved to East Honolulu (up in the mountains) from Washington State. I received my degree in Interdisciplinary Studies, Social Sciences with a Psychology minor from Central Washington University in August of 2011.I am planning to go back to school for a PhD in Clinical Psychology and to eventually do therapy for adolescents. I have been working with children since I was 18 years old. I have worked as a Gymboree Play and Music Manager where I taught Play, Art and Music classes for children/parents ages birth-5yrs and as a personal nanny for many different families with everything from special needs to behavior issues to you-name-it! I am a former foster parent for two boys ages 6 and 9, who I then continued working with while they went through family reunification processes, as an in-home care provider. I spent the last year before moving here as the director of a before and after school program for the YMCA. During that time (to avoid doing split-shifts) I worked in the middle of the day for the YMCA Early Learning Center on the same site as their cook and did assisting work in the preschool and pre-k rooms.
In my free time I love to garden, cook, paddle board (I am really excited to take up surfing soon!), ride bikes, hike, swim, read and listen to music. I live with my long-term boyfriend and 100lb American Bull-dog. We like to live an active lifestyle, volunteering at local Surfrider events, cleaning up beaches, and playing whenever we can!
As a nanny I feel like it is my job to do the things that the parents would do if they were there. I am the type of nanny that teaches children WHY they need to do something. That helps me to both enforce the rules of the house/meet the needs of the parents, as well as to form a lasting bond with the children, and encourage them to make correct choices so they can be safe and we can all have fun! I have been lucky to have worked with several families that I have developed lasting relationships with. I enjoy working with children of all ages. I like babies because they’re cute, cuddly and you get to watch them grow and meet milestones, I like kids because they’re sweet and inquisitive and I like teenagers because they are growing so much and need guidance and friendship as well as someone to talk to…and oh, the things they will tell you if you take the time to listen! I enjoy working one-on-one with kids or doing events with many children. I am CPR and Infant/Child/Adult CPR Certified through the American Red Cross.
Mahalo for taking the time to read about me! I look forward to meeting your family soon 🙂 ~Mary