I'm a career nanny and mother of two little boys. I started my caregiving career with seniors in 2009, and switched to working with children in 2015.
For most of the last decade, I have been working with multiple families simultaneously in nanny shares with up to 5 kids at a time.
After my second child's birth in 2025, I decided to transition to a home childcare model - very similar to a nanny share with only a few kids at a time, but based in my home.
When not caring for small children... oh wait, I'm always doing that. While caring for small children, I also love baking, crafting, spending time outside, reading, and learning new skills.
ABOUT LAUREL
WELCOME - I'M SO GLAD YOU'RE HERE
I am also a Family and Newborn Photographer - my photo business is Mountain Laurel Photo. All children in my care receive free monthly portraits, and all of my childcare clients get 20% off family photo sessions!
- Red Cross First Aid/CPR certified for Infants, Children, and Adults. My current certification is valid through 2026 and will always be kept current.
- Infant Safety, First Aid, and CPR class
- Children's Health, Nutrition, and Safety class
- I am on the Central Background Registry – this is the same FBI background check that all Oregon teachers undergo. My current registration is valid through 2028 and will always be kept current.
- I have also been background checked by the Oregon State Sheriff Department in order to obtain my business license.
- Food Handler's License. My current license is valid through 2028 and will always be kept current.
- In addition to my degree in English, I have taken several classes in Early Childhood Education.
- I am constantly reading and educating myself independently on child development and best practices. Childcare and child development are some of my favorite subjects.
EDUCATION & CERTIFICATIONS
- My beliefs and practices in childcare are strongly informed by the concepts of free play, anti-fragility, and respect for the whole child. While I don't follow any one philosophy or childcare style avidly, I find value in and appreciate many aspects of a variety of approaches. A couple books that have been especially influential are Daniel Siegel's The Whole Brain Child and Janet Lansbury's Elevated Child Care: A Guide to Respectful Parenting.
- Children have rights and deserve the same level of respect as any human, and that includes providing opportunities for them to explore the world on their own terms, in their own time.
- Mixed-age groups are great for kids. The little ones look up to and learn from the older kids, and the older ones tend to take on some responsibility for their little friends. It's wonderful for everyone.
- Recognizing and honoring each child’s individual developmental stage at all times, and finding ways to scaffold their learning and development, is a constant and vital process that I am dedicated to.
- Competence is built through trying to do hard things. Kids learn important life skills by getting themselves into difficult situations and figuring out how to resolve them. I am always ready to help as needed, but give children the space and autonomy they need (and crave!) to come up with their own solutions and enact them.
- We spend time outside every day (unless the weather is particularly abysmal or dangerous).
- We read books every day as a group, and there is always a well-stocked bookcase for children to explore as they desire.
- There are no screens on in the home during childcare hours (except perhaps in special circumstances, which will be discussed beforehand with parents).