Darcy

About Me

I am 22 years old and have been working with children ranging from ages 13 weeks - 6 years old for the last 4 years.
I am Level 3 qualified in Childcare and am completing a part time Degree in Early Childhood with Stranmillis currently.
I am trained in Food Catering and Food Safety, Paediatric First Aid, Makaton Signing and have other relevant skills. I also have experience writing IEPs and Lesson Plans and will provide specialised care to your individual child’s needs - this will be a care plan written together with the parent so that I am giving your child all the care, learning and love that you would give them at home. I want you to feel as happy and comfortable with your little ones being cared for by me, so if there’s anything I can do, I would love to be as collaborative as possible, as you know your little ones best!
I have worked with neurotypical children and SEN children in the last few years and have been honoured to be apart of their learning and care. I have worked 1 on 1 with SEN children, specialising in Autism. I have also had experience working with Newborn babies, understanding their routines and working collaboratively with parents, as they know their child best, on how to give them the best care possible. I believe that play based, fun and stimulating learning is the best method of education for children, and have a passion for caring for them. I work on a basis of loving the child first, showing them care, and building their self-esteem, as I would do for my hopefully future children.

I am extremely passionate about making learning approachable, gentle and inclusive for children as it can be an intimidating idea for some. A gentle, open spaced and natural approach is what I think works incredibly for children, keeping creativity and practical life skill learning at the centre and to encourage their self-esteem through child-led practices. My goal is to implement the theorists Reggio Emilia and Maria Montessori – The open spaced, nature focused and listening to a child’s ideas approach of Reggio Emilia and the approach that Maria Montessori created of aiding a child to be independent, exploring ideas and information and the freedom of play with learning. I love the idea of child-led learning as I truly believe that children,, have the most creative, intelligent and fully rounded ideas, and I have always felt passionate about listening and help them to guide their way through learning. It is such an honour to see this with children. Most importantly, my goal is for children to grow into their best self and the best way to do that is to care for them as I would my own future children. I have a high standard of gentle and loving care for children, and genuinely have a passion seeing them grow.