Ms. Vanessa
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Birthday: June 2nd
Hometown: Crestview, FL
Other language: ASL (American Sign Language)
Favorite Crayola color: Cerise
Background: I am a student at FSU finishing my prerequisites to apply for nursing school with a minor in child development. I started babysitting with my older sister at age 12, which sparked my interest in working with kids. I loved how she acted around them and the relationships she grew with the different families. I started babysitting on my own at age 16 and jumped right into sitting for two different families that both had two sons under 4. I have worked for other families for date nights as well. I volunteer in my church's childcare program in different rooms, varying from infant to Pre-K. All the families that I have worked for hold a special place in my heart and I think of them often.
I have received training on how to support children and teens with ASD from the FSU Center for Autism and Related Disabilities (CARD).
She’s cared for children as young as: 10 months old
Future plans: After I graduate I would like to continue my education and become a Certified Registered Nurse Anesthetist (CRNA). After that I want to travel for a few years and have a family of my own!
When she's not babysitting: Being in a difficult program requires me to set up a schedule for my day to day activities to incorporate studying time. However, I also make time for my church, volunteering, school clubs, cooking, working out, and reading.
Defining quote: "It is during our darkest moments that we must focus to see the light." - Aristotle
“I have been meaning to reach out and just say how impressed we have been with Vanessa. I was in a pinch in January adding new work hours that my current babysitter couldn’t cover, and Vanessa has far and away been the most professional, kind, positive presence in our home. [My daughter] (9 mo) gets so excited to see her, and even my older kids (who haven’t actually spent much time with her, since they are always at school when she is babysitting) talk about how nice she is because she is just so friendly and kind to them during the few minutes they see her when we get home from school.”
“Vanessa was my full time sitter for 1.5 years. She carried out a multitude of tasks as my sitter. She handled meals, nap time, school pickup, diapers, as well as structured play time. Vanessa is extremely engaged with the children and truly cares for their comfort and well being. She was always prompt and was considerate of my time as well as her own. She was very active with my children and was sure to maintain the schedule given to her. I know with certainty I can rely on Vanessa and that my children are in capable, caring hands. She was always responsive to questions or feedback. She was very flexible with my schedule.”
“Vanessa sat for me weekly and was with my children at least 4 hours a week. My children praised her for always being fun and interactive. She was always attentive to the kids and informed me immediately of any concerns and even asked permission if she could do homework ONLY WHEN children were asleep. I appreciate this so much. She is very adaptive and resilient to changes with a smile on her face. She conversed with me past the time we had set for sitting hours which showed me she truly cared for my family even though I know she had a busy schedule. She always responded quickly and efficiently to my messages for schedule changes or confirmation for sitting hours. She is the absolute best babysitter I have had the honor to work with and I hate that we moved away and could no longer use her. She was able to offer us transitional care while we moved and found a new sitter, which was above and beyond kind of her as we are an hour away and she still drove to help us out. She is absolutely the model character of everything a babysitter should be and more. She meets all the traits and I can not recommend her enough. To work with her is a privilege.”
“Vanessa serves on our team for nursery-preschool at our church. I am the leader of this group. She has worked with infants, toddlers, and preschoolers. Vanessa is sweet and bubbly. Always has a smile, has a great disposition and is wonderful with the kids. Vanessa is willing to do whatever we need her to do or go wherever we need her to go.”