Kate P

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Ottawa, Ontario

Active over a week ago

Nanny in Ottawa, Ontario

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Individual

Kate Preston-Thomas 1 min I have been a caregiver/nanny since 1985. A long time yes, but luckily it is the kind of job that keeps one young in many ways. I have also worked as a PA, which is a program assistant ,in daycare centres and nursery schools, and as a supply cook, replacing daycare centre chefs..... a nutshel,l I call myself the day shift for my families and we balance a unique home daycare model in an open minded way, with me being the facilitator for fun and care.Our day to day can vary somewhat as well. We like to go on outings to the Experimental Farm(which is very, very close by), museums,parks, playgroups(The GlebeCC dropin, Cambridge Public school, and Old Ottawa South). In the months where the weather is pleasant,we spend a lot of time outside. In fact the kids have already napped outside in the tent quite a few times this year already. For the past 5 years, 2 and 3 year old's in my care have also gone to nursery school. Lately we have been taking in the sights and sound of Dundonald Park in Centretown. I believe it is the most dynamic park in the city! We play,play, play. Sing songs,listen to music, dance, read stories, draw, count, build, manipulate play dough, see what we can make out of vegetables(ArtAttack style),eat good foods (beans are a staple and we love them),we climb, and go to parks, picnic, and fresh air nap on days when there are only two or three kids to push in the stroller. And we visit with friends. The quirk in our routine is that we rotate through our daycare families' homes. That's right! So we play and party at everyone's homes and for the families that embrace it, it works really, really well. At the end of the day we hope to leave the house looking as good or better than we found it. My daycare families are great. The kids who are going off to school this year, I will miss so much. So see if you want to take the plunge with us. We have spcae for three new friends. One of whom could be under 2 years. We would really like a family with two children if possible. Contact me asap. Kate - the day shift.

Availability

I can work:

Full-time

Long term

Occasional

Part-time

Short term

Experience

Ages include:

Early school

Toddler

I have advanced experience with:

Physical disability

Twins/multiples

Job details

Transportation:

Has own vehicle

Qualifications

I can provide:

CPR

First aid

I can speak

English

Services

Responsibilities include:

Errands

Gardening

Meal prep

Training

I have been trained as:

Early childhood educator (ECE)

Foodsafe

Recommendations

Laura M

Kate Preston-Thomas has provided care for our 18-month old daughter (and occasionally our 3 year old son) since September 2017. Kate is one of the most caring, generous and capable people I have ever met and I recommend her services whole-heartedly. Kate has been extremely attentive to our daughter’s development (she never crawled and was a late walker so we were all somewhat concerned) and needs more generally, thinking about ways to get her to drink liquids (she has never been all that inclined), try a variety of foods and get sufficient rest. Kate organizes all kinds of activities for the kids in her care and our daughter returns to us at the end of the day absolutely radiant from all that she has experience. I should add that although we hired Kate to provide care for our daughter, she proved equally loving and capable towards our three-year old son whom she has cared for occasionally. Kate loves the kids so much that she actually offers to take our son every once and a while just because she is happiest caring for the little ones. I have never met anyone so capable at taking care of children – our daughter has benefited enormously from her expertise. Indeed, she has provided stimulating and safe environments for both kids. The only reason that our daughter’s time with Kate will be s relatively short is that we knew from the outset that our daughter would be joining her older brother at his daycare the moment she met the facility’s age and mobility threshold. This was planned for late in the fall of 2017. It is with very heavy hearts that we will be leaving Kate's care. She is truly an incredible caregiver. All this to say that Kate is an amazing, capable person and someone whom I recommend whole-heartedly and unreservedly. Writing this reference has been an opportunity to realize in a very real way how grateful we are to her for the wonderful care she has provided. Kate is a generous, capable, honest, super fun person. I recommend her services enthusiastically.