Mckenzie W.

Meet Mckenzie

• Speaks English
• Comfortable with pets
• Has a car

I am a Pacific Northwest native, though new to Portland. I grew up in a small town about 50 miles north of Seattle before moving to Boise, Idaho for college. I earned my Bachelor of Science in Psychology with a minor in Family Studies before going on to complete my Master of Health Science with an emphasis in Health Promotion, both from Boise State University. Overall, I am a fairly laid back person. I enjoy nature and being outside, which is why I have found Portland to be such a great place to live. My passions include cooking, baking, yoga, meditation, painting, drawing, music, travel, reading and comedy. My childcare philosophy is to foster an environment in which children are able to flourish and grow as the unique individuals they are. Each child has special traits and needs that are crucial to understand in order to have an effective and Read more beneficial relationship with them. In my experience, I have found that children require a delicate and evolving balance between structure and freedom. I believe it is important to provide children with choice relative to their decision-making capacity as a means to promote autonomy, responsibility and accountability. I strive to build respectful, fun, educational and compassionate relationships with the children I care for. I do this by modeling behavior that parents would like their children to exhibit while providing direct feedback to children in a way that encourages them to be the best version of themselves they can. I have more than 15 years of childcare experience ranging from babysitting to working professionally as a Psychosocial Rehabilitation Specialist (PSR) and Case Manager. Most considerable experience: 3 years as a nanny / babysitter for 4 children ages 2, 6 and 8 at the start of services (the youngest were twins). Activities included facilitating games and activities, playing outside, preparing meals, cleaning the home and helping with homework. 2.5 years as a PSR / Case Manager, working one-on-one with children ages 3 to 14. These children received mental health counseling services and were referred to me for additional, community-based support. Depending on the unique needs of the child, the goal of services was to promote emotion recognition and expression, social skills, classroom skills, and positive behavior within the family environment. 1 year as a live-in nanny for a one-year-old child. Activities included feeding, bathing, changing, nap / bedtime

Trust & safety

Experience

References

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