I was fortunate enough to grow up in a happy home just outside the small village of North Rustico, Prince Edward Island, Canada. I am the youngest of 3, and I spend most of my childhood exploring the surrounding country side and swimming at the local beach in the summer, and cross country skiing and snow shoeing in the winter. The natural beauty of where I grew up has instilled a love of the outdoors that stays with me to this day. During my school years I was always involved in a wide variety of extra-curricular activities, ranging from sports such as basketball and soft ball, to drama club, the yearbook committee and Girl Guides. From the age of 10 I was in the intensive French program at my school, where majority of my classes were in French, and I finished High School with a great understanding of the French Language. Throughout school I was involved in the school band, where I played the flute. This helped me learn how to work hard and focus on something in order to be great at it. My involvement with Girl Guides of Canada not only taught me great life skills, such as sewing and cooking, but inspired me to give back as a leader during my University years. I went away to University where I studied psychology, with special interest in child development, and social psychology. Alongside my psychology courses, I also took a broad selection of electives, including such topics as history, performing arts, political science, business and music, all of which helps make me a well-rounded person. After completing University in 2005 I applied to work as a nanny in England for 6 months, once I arrived and settled into the role I realized that I had found my niche in life – being a nanny calls upon me to use my entire range of skills at different times, brings my education in child development into practice, and it allows me to influence and nurture some truly beautiful children.
December 2021 - present Live in nanny, Halifax
The family has 3 children, 1yo, 4yo, and 6yo. Planning fun activities both inside and outside of the house, cooking and preparing snacks, bed time routine, and tidying and basic cleaning.
May – October 2013 Live in Nanny Antalya, Turkey
The Tonbul family had one boy, age 7 months when I arrived. I planned and implemented a feeding and sleeping routine, using a combination of my knowledge and the parenting style that the mother wished to follow. I kept a detailed diary of all daily activities, so that I could track changes in behaviour and development, as well as reassure the nervous first time mother as she returned to work. As the baby grew and developed I would create a developmental plan outlining areas of focus, so that the entire family could help work towards the same goals. The VIP family did a lot of domestic travel, which required coordinating with the mother to ensure that everything was organized for our time away, and I would have the resources needed to entertain the little one in hotel rooms.
January 2012 – May 2013 Nursery Counsellor Disney Cruise Lines
The cruise ships that I worked on were primarily based out of Florida, doing 7 night Caribbean cruises. The nursery is a day care setting where we looked after the youngest cruisers – aged 12 weeks to 3 years. For many of the children it was the first time they had been away from their families, so I used my patience and warmth to help settle the children and get them engaged in arts and crafts, games and playing.
June 2009 – November 2011 Live in Nanny Australia & New Zealand
I arrived in Australia on a working holiday visa, which did have many restrictions on the length of time that I could work. I was fortunate enough to find temporary work with the Arthur Family, who was on summer vacation on the Gold Coast. They had 3 boys, aged 3, 8, & 9, who needed to be entertained and supervised when doing their summer school work. The mother also required help entertaining in the evening, ranging from helping with cooking, serving, and tidying up after dinners. After finishing up with them I relocated to Perth, Western Australia, where I was warmly welcomed by the Liesis Family. This family had 3 young girls, aged 6 months, 18 months, and 3½ years, dad worked full time from home and mom worked part time. This family required help with the day to day routine of the children; I lent an extra set of hands during busy mornings and dinner times, getting the girls ready and to their organized activities, and helping implement and maintain routines for the baby. Sadly I had to leave the Liesis Family because of restrictions on my visa, but I was lucky enough to find a temporary position, also in Perth, with the Connolly Family. The Connolly’s have 2 children, a boy of 9 and girl of 11. They were a very active family, so most of my time was spent getting them to their numerous extra-curricular activities. Both children had a heavy work load from school, and took extra music lessons, so managing their time and ensuring they finished all their work was a daily part of my role. When my visa in Australia ended I received a one year working holiday visa for New Zealand. I headed to Auckland where I quickly became part of the Smith Family, caring for their 2 boys, aged 6 months and 3 years. Both the Smith parents had demanding careers, so I spent long days with the boys. The older boy went to day care a few days per week, while the younger was with me full time. I sought out social and developmental activities for both the boys, helped ensure the younger boy was meeting developmental milestones, as well as working together with the mother to introduce solids and a variety of foods. I stayed with the family till the end of my visa, when I sadly, had to leave the country.
July – November 2008 Temporary Live In Nanny Geneva, Switzerland
I joined the Riley Family as their summer nanny. The father ran his own business and the mother worked for the World Health Organization, which required her to travel frequently. They had 2 lovely boys, aged 6 and 9, who were looking forward to a fun filled summer. I quickly immersed myself in the local community, getting to know all their friends so that the boys had a very social and busy summer. They had their own pool, so we spent a lot of time swimming, where I worked with the younger boy to improve his swimming ability and confidence. The mother had a lot of traveling at the beginning of the school year, so they asked me to stay on for a few more months to help with the boys’ transition back to school. When school started there was more emphasis on their language skills, as they were learning French.
March – July 2008 Live in Nanny Los Angeles, U.S.A.
The McIntyre Family had one baby girl, who was 2 months at the time I started with them. I originally agreed to join them for a minimum of 2 years, as the family was going to be relocating to Switzerland a few months after I started with them. On a daily basis I managed the baby’s feeding and sleeping schedule, always keeping the mom informed about feeding times, as she was breast feeding, and pumping while at work. I worked to ensure that the baby had a well-balanced day, with adequate amounts of sleep, tummy time, and developmentally stimulating play, ensuring that I followed the child rearing philosophies the parents were following. I joined the family on many trips, domestic, as well as to Europe and Mexico, where I was required to help out while in transit, as well as continuing to uphold the baby’s’ routine while staying in hotels. Sadly, the mother changed jobs, which meant the family would no longer be relocating to Switzerland. This meant that I would no longer be able to continue with the family due to working visa issues.
February 2006 – February 2008 Live in Nanny Surrey, UK
The Cooper Family had 3 girls, aged 4, 4, & 6 when I started with them. All three girls were enrolled in a prestigious preparatory school, which meant they had a very taxing workload, even at a young age. I ensured they had everything they needed for their day at school, got them to their after school activities, liaised with their teachers regarding their progress throughout the year, and supervised their homework. I worked with the parents to implement extra practice of their language and maths skills so they stayed at the top of their class. The oldest girl was struggling with her reading skills, so I help to implement fun activities and reward systems to get her excited about doing extra reading. I organized activities during school holidays, including days out, crafts, baking & games, organized play dates with friends, while keeping the girls active, and preparing nutritional snacks and meals.
Trinity CertTESOL – Dec 2013
Child First Aid Certificate – Oct 2011
UK Open Learning – Advanced Diploma in Complete Child Care - 2011
Oxford College - Diploma in Marketing – 2010
Dalhousie University - BSc in Psychology - 2005
Bluefield High School - University Prep Diploma - 2000
Bluefield High School - Intensive French Language program - 1991-2000
Bluefield High School - Sports Leadership course – 1999
