Hello, I am currently a senior at Norwalk High-school and I am enrolled in many classes at DMACC. I plan to major in early childhood education, potentially special education. I’ve worked at daycares for about 2 years now, and I love every minute of it. I believe it is so important that we make every child feel that they are loved and that they matter. I work with ages ranging from 3months to 10yrs, I also work in special education often. I love every minute of it and just being able to make kids feel safe in the time that they aren’t with there parents or caretakers. A normal day for me includes preparing snacks, helping with homework, playing outside with older kids, being down on the ground with babies, changing diapers, cleaning, preparing food(whether that be food or a bottle), organizing activities and so much more. I also have grown up with pets and am a really big animal lover and would be willing to pet sit as well.😊

Hi! I’m Shay. I grew up in Ames, Iowa and spent many years playing competitive club soccer in Ankeny, which helped shape my love for staying active and working with kids. I later became the captain of my college soccer team, which taught me leadership, teamwork, and responsibility—qualities I bring into my caregiving style. I’m an energetic, positive caregiver who enjoys creating a fun, safe environment where kids can be themselves. I love getting kids outside, playing games, going to parks, and finding creative ways to keep them engaged and moving. I also enjoy quieter activities like reading together, crafts, and helping with homework. Families often describe me as dependable, warm, and easy to communicate with. I understand how important trust is when caring for children, and I always communicate clearly with parents so they feel comfortable and informed.

Experienced, patient, and creative caregiver with a background in team leadership and client service. I bring warmth, structure, and fun to every home I support. Skilled with children of all ages, pets, and household coordination. With 6+ years of experience as a trusted dog sitter in San Francisco and now Des Moines, I’ve built a strong reputation for being reliable, loving, and detail-oriented. I bring that same care and attention to working with young children and seniors. Whether I’m creating fun, structured routines for toddlers, providing calm companionship for older adults, or managing pet care and household tasks, families know they can count on me. I’m organized, warm, and safety-focused — always aiming to create a supportive, joyful environment for everyone in the home.

I am a nanny with over 15 years experience, I started in college nannying for a few families long term. After college, I went on to be an au pair with four different families in four different countries, it was an amazing experience to see the world and become part of their families. After my travels as an au pair, I caught the travel bug and backpacked around the world for about 10 years. During these travel times I worked and gained some very valuable skills, like managing a ship in the Antarctic and being an outdoor guide in the Arctic and Antarctic. I also worked on a 120 foot sailboat as the cook and I’ve done chef and cooking rolls other places around the world as well. I did a lot of volunteering in little communities. They were doing Eco projects or building houses. I’m a very good house cleaner, I noticed things that need to get done and do them and truly go out of my way. Take care and support other people. The last four years I’ve been managing high scale events and while I love it, it’s a very full on high stress position. I’ve decided that some of my happiest jobs I’ve ever had was being a nanny for a good family and I would love to just get back to doing that full-time. Of course child care takes a lot of energy and responsibility but it’s also such a fun space to play and be creative. I’m completely comfortable with all age ranges and open to working full-time with one family or part-time with several different families, coming in for a date night is pretty fun as well because the kids and I can also have a fun night playing while the parents go out and have a fun time.

I love taking care of kids and I am excited to care for more. I helped run a Sunday school program for toddler-age children to elementary age kids for two years. For the past two years, I have been one of the leaders for a youth program for middle school and high school children. I have run a few other programs for elementary to high school students with good success. I have also done a few other caregiving opportunities for neighbors both with pets and children.