Nanny in Toronto, Ontario

Dear Family, I am so excited to work in your home! I understand that picking the right caregiver for you is very important, and that you would like to know exactly what type of person is coming into your home, so please let me tell you about myself. My name is Justine, and I am a 23 year old college student pursuing my bachelors degree in English Literature. My aim is to one day be a novelist, or perhaps until that happens I will work in publishing as an editor. This is my second year in Ontario, as I moved here for school from Winnipeg, Manitoba where I was born and raised. I am looking for a summer position initially (hoping to start as soon as possible), but I may continue past the summer - as I may be taking evening courses and can work full time, so my hours and whatnot are very flexible to fit what you need. Although my passion is for English, I also thoroughly enjoy sports as well and I have taken part in ballet, jazz, hip hop, and lyrical dance, not to mention softball, soccer, swimming, rock climbing, and in my spare time I have participated in 6 marathons as well as a half marathon. This goes to show that I will have no issues with keeping up with your children, no matter the spunk they may have. I love to laugh and play games, and have no shortage of knowledge in arts and crafts. Disney movies and cartoons are some of my favourite things, and I have no problem with watching or playing/reading about such characters and stories. Any house rules you have you can be sure I will adhere to, and your word trumps all. I have no issues with holding a position of authority with your kids, and I will do my best to do so while maintaining a fun and easygoing persona. I do not mind pets at all, I love animals of all kinds (even spiders, lizards, and snakes) and I will make sure that they are also well taken care of! I have no issues with household chores and tasks such as laundry, cleaning, cooking, or anything else you may need. Drop off/pick up is also no issue for me, so long as this is done walking as I do not have a vehicle accessible to me right now. In short, I am a fun, easygoing person, ready to adapt to whatever situation may arise. I do not take the care of children lightly, and I can guarantee that I will adhere to any and all responsibilities you would entrust me with. I hope that you will take me into consideration when you are looking for the right caregiver for your needs, and if I do not fit your criteria, then I hope you find someone that does and will fit perfectly for you! All the best, Justine - youth drop in center coordinator (paid - summer position, kids ages 11-17) duties included managing the entire community center with one other employee; cleaning up after the kids; taking the kids on outings to places like the library and the movies; planning fun daytime activities both indoors and outdoors including but not limited to sports, arts and crafts, biking, hiking, indoor gym games, and board games; ensuring the kids ate the food brought with them for lunch, monitoring activities as well as being involved in them; maintaining a peaceful space for 10 children at a time. - camp counselor at sleep-away camp and activities coordinator (paid honorarium/mission work volunteer, 2 summers 2 months, kids aged 5-17) duties included living in a cabin with up to 10 girls at a time for 6 days per week, monitoring relationships between the girls, ensuring all children attended and ate at all three meals a day, ensuring teeth were brushed both in the morning and at night, making sure that all clothing was appropriate for the activities that day, individually monitoring each child's personal health daily, being aware and cautious of any allergies, medical conditions, or disabilities any child had and ensuring that they were properly taken care of, planning activities both indoor and outdoor, playing sports, swimming, rock climbing, hiking, during the camp-out cooking for the children, advice and teaching during time allotted for ensuring personal growth (ie. talking about boys, relationships, family issues, the dangers of drinking and things that were becoming more socially apparent depending on the age group), and ultimately ensuring and maintaining the safety and happiness of each camper. - big brother/sister program (unpaid mentor-ship for 5 years, kids ages 5-16) duties involved close mentor-ship, advice, listening to problems and helping solve them, playing games both indoors and outdoors, doing arts and crafts, help with homework, and conflict resolution with another child if there was an issue between the two. - peer counselor for pre-teens (unpaid, 3 years, kids aged 12-15) duties included advice, conflict resolution, intensive listening, help transitioning from middle to high school, and guidance in sensitive issues during puberty. - camp counselor and birthday party planner at Fort Whyte Alive (unpaid, 3 years) counselor duties included monitoring up to 10 children at a time, taking hikes, teaching them about nature and history, playing indoor and outdoor games, doing arts and crafts, story time, swimming, sports, field games, and ensuring all children were playing together peacefully. Birthday party planner duties included set up and take down of all decorations, planning games, crafts, and activities, cooking for up to 15 children, monitoring the activities alongside parent volunteer (if one was present), and putting together goody bags. - kindergarten volunteer (unpaid, 2 years, kids aged 4/5) duties included playing games both indoors and outdoors, participating in gym class, teaching children one on one while the teacher instructs the rest of the class, doing arts and crafts, and monitoring any problems that were ongoing in the classroom. - English tutor (unpaid, kids aged 12-15) duties included teaching English to multiple students at a time, occasionally up to 20 students, monitoring any behavioral issues, and ensuring knowledge retention. - Babysitting (both paid and unpaid from 2003- current, ages 1 1/2 - 13) duties included watching over the children and the house as well as pets, cleaning up after the children, cooking, activities both indoors and outdoors, games, monitoring the movies and/or games that were being played to ensure that they were appropriate, ensuring house rules were adhered to, and maintaining the overall peace of the home.