Sitter in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania

Hi! I'm Erika and I am currently serving this year as a farmer and sustainability educator in Hawaii. I work with kids from third grade and up teaching them about the earth and our part within it. Also, I am designing, implementing, and maintaining an educational garden and a farm to table experience here. I will be returning to Philly in May and am looking for the right family for whom to nanny when I come home to Philly. I began as a nanny during the summer of 2008. During my first experience as a nanny, I gained a great deal of experience and learned quite a bit about how to care for small children--the youngest was nine months--and how their needs were much different than that of older children--her brother was nine at the time. After that, I babysat for several years and in January 2011, I became part of the Bredenkamp family. I loved absolutely every minute of it. I cared for twin four year old girls and their seven year old brother. I drove them to their dance and karate classes, made dinner, checked their homework, crafted, and read with them before bed. In the summer of 2012, I nannied for another family of three kids, all of them under six years old. We loved to ride bikes, play games, and swim. Beyond that, I fed, bathed, and put them to bed all while helping the youngest, age one, with her separation anxiety from her mother. My other child care experience consists of babysitting since I was twelve and working with several organizations that revolve around the education of children. Of most note is my work with Girls, Inc. and Riverbend Environmental Education Center. At Girls, Inc, I spent the summer between my junior and senior years of college teaching nine year old girls about natural resources and conservation. Then, this past summer, I worked at Riverbend where I engaged kids from age four to eight with nature. Through this organization, I gained a certification in First Aid and CPR. I love playing dress-up, singing along to Disney songs, baking cookies, building blanket forts, exploring nature, and playing hide and seek. Also, as a huge advocate for reading, I often spend a lot of time reading with the kids for whom I sit. I can provide excellent references. I am looking forward to hearing from you!