Samantha B.

About Samantha

A little about myself: my name is, Sam, or Samantha, I don't have a strong preference for either one so feel free to use whichever you prefer (or is easiest for your child to remember/pronounce). I love to laugh almost as much as love making little ones laugh -so I strive to do both often. I am currently studying to earn my AS-T in Early Childhood Development as well as Certifications as a Teacher, Infant/Toddler Specialist and Early Childhood Intervention Assistant at Chabot College. I also work part-time as a Behavioral Interventionist working with children on the autism spectrum. I have been in love with the childcare field since my mother opened her own daycare in our home when I was 11 years old and have been working with kids ever since. I enjoy every minute of it and strive to have as positive of an impact on the children care for, and their families, as they certainly have on me. I especially enjoy working with infants and toddlers and understand the importance of quality responsive caregiving to their cognitive development at such a crucial age. I have experience working with children from 6 weeks to 12 years old and caring for multiples in both single family settings and a daycare setting. I like to be creative in coming up with fun and challenging activities that are developmentally appropriate and engaging and a few things are as rewarding as witnessing the joy and pride of a child that has conquered a challenging task. I am also a firm believer that every child deserves respect and I take care to never invalidate a child's emotions. I know that as a professional caregiver it is important that I can be firm without getting angry and remain calm rather than getting frustrated. Fortunately, that has never been an aspect of the job that I struggle with. In over a decade, I can count the number of times that I have felt angry due to a child/s actions on my hands (getting punched in the nose by a surprisingly strong pre schooler comes to mind), but every one of those times I took a second to breath. Not to say I don't get exasperated, sad, confused etc. - I just don't anger easily and certainly don't yell at children (unless they are reaching for a hot stove or similarly warranted situations). Additionally I am CPR and first aid certified for infants, children and adults and fully vaccinated for COVID, Flu, MMR/Measles and TDAP with a recent negative TB test. Feel free to contact me if you have any other questions and I would love the opportunity to get to know you and your family!