"Brittany keeps my children involved, active and happy every day. And, the results are thrilling..." Dr. Michele Carlon Read More >> | Success StoriesParents & Teachers Speak...TeacherCare has been fortunate enough to work with wonderful families. Many parents and TeacherCaregivers have sent us letters and words of appreciation. We welcome your letters and comments!
| "Courtney is the greatest! Every night, we come home and marvel at how happy Anna is and how much progress she has made with Courtney. Courtney takes such wonderful care of our little girl and I will forever be grateful. Every day, I come home and they have done something fun and new and exciting and educational. Moreover, I know that Courtney is giving Anna all the love and attention that she needs...I can tell because Anna is tremendously happy when I get home. For the 13 months before we met Courtney, I would come home from work and Anna would be in a "funk". She would just be really fussy. However, since day 1 with Courtney, when I come home, Anna is dancing around with excitement and smiling and playing. She takes one glance at "mama" and then continues to paly and wants me to join in whay they are doing.. It makes me feel so good because I know my little girl is happy. Morevover, we just love how open Courtney is with us and how much information she gives us about Anna. I honestly feel like I am spending the whole day WITH them because she tells me so much detail - I LOVE IT!" Erin | | "Anna is tremendously happy now." |
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| "I provide children with confidence as they learn about the world. Each child's strengths and natural abilities are windows to their learning. I help children build a strong foundation for the future. How? I find out how the child learns (i.e. through auditory, visual, tactical, etc.) and then shape instruction through a combination of these elements. When I work one-on-one with a child and with a parents support, the young child develops a broader perspective on life and learning than he or she might in a group setting. Together, the benefits are exponential." | | Sarah,TeacherCaregiver |
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| "Having provided childcare in a center-based setting; I have come to realize that in a child's mind, there is no place like home. TeacherCare allows greater individual attention and awareness of a child's needs and characteristics. I can create a truly individualized learning environment!" | | Leila Eways,TeacherCaregiver |
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| "Leila has brought so much knowledge to our son, not just on a basic level, but a deeper level. Nova really sees the world with wide open eyes. He loves nature and animals, books and crafts - largely due to Leila. His speech is unbelievable for a twenty-month old! He almost knows too much! Nova's typical day includes: the park or a class, lunch, nap and afternoons learning fun activities or enjoying an outing to a zoo, museum or other engaging neighborhood location. I am so grateful to have her part of my family." | | Jay & Yupin, Parents |
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"Leila was with our family from the time my twins were one until they turned six, at which point we moved to Europe from NY. Leila was a big reason we delayed our move. We wanted our children to have the benefit of her care for as long as possible.
Leila was extremely good at structuring the children's days. She never turned on the television. Instead she would get our instruments out, and they would sing and make music, or do arts and crafts, run or skate, read and much more. Nothing was ever forced: everything was fun. The result is that our girls love learning!" | | Ron & Laura, Parents |
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I have been teaching with the Morgan family for nearly one year. From our very first meeting - the interview - I knew that this family was the one I wanted to work with. Both parents sought the best education and care possible for their newborn boy and truly valued both my work experience and the Master’s level education in Developmental Psychology I had worked so hard to achieve.
Working with Jake from the age of 3 months to just over 1 year has been undeniably rewarding. Jake has progressed rapidly and I too have evolved and grown as an educator and caregiver. It is an ongoing and ever-changing, learning-laden experience for both of us.
Facilitating Jake’s development, helping his interests, capabilities and personality to emerge, demand concentrated and thoughtful effort. We have moved from head lifts to first steps, from gaze following to reciprocal interaction and game playing, from recognizing one’s name to recognizing the difference between "trees" and "leaves", from following direction to initiating his own. Each step is a new and important one; each milestone as momentous as the last. And I take part in each step, always overestimating Jake’s abilities, moving forward by developing a personalized daily curriculum molded precisely around his interests, his mood, his facility on that day. And the benefit is this, the education and care so lovingly given is helping Jake advance to his fullest potential as a student and as a human being. Like most infants he is happy, unafraid, and full of life. And as he grows his personality begins to define itself in behaviors and verbalizations that are charming and cleverly his. We enjoy a bond that is mutually dependent, unwaveringly loyal and unconditional in love. But Jake and I have a relationship that is unique; I support and challenge him in a qualitatively different way than a mother or father would, and so he is challenged to appreciate and rely upon my care in a different way. Each of our days together is a dance of dependency and autonomy, fun and education, living and learning, all focused on the objective of making sure Jake is not only educated to his fullest potential and lovingly cared for, but that he lives a happy and joyous young life.
The Morgan Family and I look forward to the adoption of an infant girl from Guatemala soon. I anticipate her arrival with hope and joy, and know her introduction to our family will bring an entirely new, different, and positive chapter both in my career as a TeacherCaregiver, and in my life. | | Elizabeth,TeacherCaregiver |
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"Becoming a TeacherCaregiver has been more rewarding than I ever could have imagined. The relationship that forms between teacher and family is an unbelievable kinship that expands further than work expectations. I have been working with Madelyn for a month now, and upon arriving everyday I know two things: the new day will be even more interesting than the previous day, and her eagerness to learn and explore the world will inspire me to be a better catalyst as each day turns into anew.
Madelyn and I have daily routines that are broken up by weekly lesson plans which vary in themes that all focus on social & emotional, language & literacy, creative & cognitive, and physical skills. We begin our days with warm acquainting where Madelyn is allowed time to warm up to me again and adjust to the new day, after this half hour time slot we begin the days activities which are all broken down into 20 minute increments so that we can maximize on our total days time with enrichment activities. Throughout the course of the day we read several books to expand her vocabulary and imagination as well as incorporate new arts & crafts activities, sensory exploration games, dance & sing song, toddler exercises, and an outdoor activity consisting of a nature walk, or visit to a park. My TeacherCaregiver experience has been amazing and I’m learning skills now that will ensure me becoming an excellent parent in the future. I would suggest TeacherCare to anyone looking for a quality individualized education in the home for their child." | | LaToya Jones, TeacherCaregiver |
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| "After having a personal childcare teacher replace my nanny, I will only use a teacher. Here's why: My nanny prepared meals. My teacher uses lunchtime as a playful hand-on lesson in pre-science, manners, and working cooperatively. My nanny kept my son clean by keeping him indoors. My teacher explores with my son. They enjoy children's museums, libraries, nature settings and play dates. My nanny kept my home clean, but Michael was uninspired and bored. My teacher sets up creative projects, and cleans them up with Michael. And, he beams from ear-to-ear as he presents them to me. Overall, while my nanny cared for Michael's physical welfare, she didnt have the knowledge to inspire his full development. I couldn't be happier!" | | Anne Stein, PhD, Parent |
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"Our family has for the last two and one-half years utilized TeacherCaregivers supplied by the company TeacherCare. Our oldest child, Marc, is a 14 year old with Downs Syndrome. He is classified as moderately mentally handicapped, is hypnotic, and has limited expressive communication function.
Our goal for Marc as an adult is to be able to function in the least restrictive environment that he is capable of. Hopefully, this means living on his own with minimal supervision and perhaps even holding down a job. He may or may not be able to accomplish this, but it is our responsibility as his parents to try to prepare him to the best of our ability to attain his maximum potential, both for his own good and the benefit of society and its taxpayers in general.
The caregivers we have employed were selected for their past experience and knowledge of teaching techniques, particularly relating to handicapped individuals. When we first decided to hire a TeacherCaregiver from TeacherCare, Marc was capable of dressing himself, but he required a great deal of supervision to get ready for school. At the end of six months of working with the TeacherCaregiver, Marc was getting up, getting dressed and performing toileting and personal care functions independently with minimal supervision. During this time, Marc made the transition from taking a special bus to school to riding the regular high bus (in addition to greatly improving Marc's self-esteem, the saving of local school district transportation costs and tax dollars is a very real benefit of improving Marc's independent functioning in this area). In addition, we personally learned a great deal from the TeacherCaregiver about how to raise our expectations to reasonable but higher levels which Marc has readily responded to.
Another area that our TeacherCaregiver worked with Marc on was cooking skills. Marc is now capable of preparing his own simple snacks and also regularly provides significant help in the kitchen for family meals. One of the biggest benefits we have received from this high quality TeacherCare program was the realization that Marc was capable of doing so much more than what we were demanding of him. I still recall one Saturday morning watching in amazement was Marc went to the kitchen and fixed his own breakfast. When I mentioned the incident to our TeacherCaregiver, she smiled and said gently, "He's been doing that for me for several weeks now."
Raising a child with special needs is a tremendous responsibility and, as in all other things, some families are much more successful at it than other families. We for sure would not have been able to accomplish what we have with Marc without the support of high quality TeacherCaregivers. Our TeacherCaregivers have been so much more than just babysitters. They have been members of a team dedicated to the growth and development of an individual. We are extremely grateful to TeacherCare for meeting our needs in this area and we highly recommend them for others with similar arrangements." | | M. J. Naro, Parent |
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| "Thank you for listening to exactly the type of person I wanted for my family. You totally understood my daughter's special developmental needs and found the perfect TeacherCaregiver for us!" | | Christine Valauri, Parent |
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"We can't say enough about Shannon. That our 20-month old, Emma, knows her ABCs is completely Shannon's doing. Thanks to Shannon, Emma also has a strong vocabulary and knows how to share. Although it is true that developmental milestones vary from child to child, Shannon is mostly responsible for such rapid progress. No matter what age your child is, Shannon will take him or her to the next developmental level in a patient, caring and imaginative way. After a long search for the right caregiver, we consider ourselves very lucky to have had her as a TeacherCaregiver for our daughter, and to have known her, period.
Shannon is extremely intelligent, creative and proactive. She became very attuned to Emma and knew when to play with the basics, like bubbles or blocks, and when to challenge her with puzzles and other toys requiring more thought and coordination. Among many other things, Shannon also incorporated every day household objects into homemade toys, and showed Emma how to plan and develop creativity. Shannon regularly takes Emma to a playgroup, helping her in learning how to share with other children. Importantly, Shannon spends hours reading to Emma, thus furthering her language development and undoubtedly instilling an early love of reading.
Shannon is also patient, caring and affectionate. Emma is excited to see her every day, showers her with hugs and kisses, and loves to sit on her lap for long stretches of time to drink her milk, talk, or just cuddle. But, most importantly, Shannon reciprocates this affection. In addition, Shannon is a gentle, but firm disciplinarian. When Emma acts out by hitting or having a temper tantrum, Shannon is able to nip it in the bud without "time outs" or even raising her voice.
Shannon has bonded with Emma in a remarkable way. In part, this is probably due to the fact that we value Shannon's input as much as she does our. Raising Emma has been a conversation rather than a monologue, so that Emma has not received conflicting messages on, for example food, behavior, or learning. In an understated way, she has taught us a great deal about parenting. Her daily journal entries, especially, have been instrumental in helping two working parents understand their child's emotional, mental, and physical progress. Shannon is a rare combination of warmth and wonderful teaching ability."
| | Irene and Jeremy Donavan, Parents |
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"We were extremely frustrated before we found TeacherCare...I felt horrible that I couldn't give my children the level of care I wanted for them. In contrast, the quality of each candidate through your agency was above and beyond anyone I've ever seen. And TeacherCare's follow-up, helpful materials and professionalism gave me complete confidence that I was giving my children the best.
Brittany keeps my children involved, active and happy every day. And, the results are thrilling...My toddler and preschooler are talking up a storm, and just love being with Brittany. The TVs never on and the children are always happily engaged and learning in creative hands on activity or a valuable experience. I believe Brittany's college education gives her a special level of reasoning. She thinks and problem solves the litany of issues which arise with children at a depth I've never experienced in others. Even the little things she does thrill me... like the way she maintains a structured organization in my home and says 'Thank you for playing with me' to Thomas and Eleanor each day as she hugs them good bye. I think your service is phenomenal and more than worth every penny. I will never go anywhere else." | | Dr. Michele Carlon, Parent |
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| "After working as a TeacherCaregiver for 3 years, I could sing the praises of my career all day. Through tailoring an educational plan for each child, I know that the children I work with will be reached & given every opportunity to grow cognitively, socially, emotionally, physically and creatively." | | Cheree Zarbock, TeacherCaregiver |
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| "I think this is best job in the world for me. Now I know this is the best job in the world. I'm so lucky." | | Linda Ramtahal, TeacherCaregiver |
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| "I love knowing the day is little Annie's and mine. Best of all, I feel great knowing how much I am bringing to her world. We have so much fun together sharing special moments. I know of no other professional position where I could make such a deep impact on a child's life." | | Kimberly Hartwig, TeacherCaregiver |
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| "After spending years in the classroom constantly pulled in so many directions, I was thrilled to find a position where I could do what I really wanted - truly connect with children." | | Kelly Singer, TeacherCaregiver |
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