Ashleigh H. › SmartSitting

Family Application

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I recently moved to New York to pursue my love for theatre, music, and dance. Currently I work for Once Upon A Time, Inc., a performance company based out of Queens that focuses on bringing theatre to children and elderly who do not have the opportunity to see shows. I have been lucky to work over and over with children in some capacity through theme parks, dance teaching, substitute teaching, camps, children’s theatre, and babysitting.

Originally from Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, I hold a degree in Musical Theatre from Catawba College, a very small private college in North Carolina. Although I began babysitting at a young age, I did not babysit during college. Instead, I worked as a tutor for my college and began teaching dance to middle and high school students. Including my first teaching job in college, I have taught at six dance studios and two performing art programs. Through performance I have had the opportunity to share what I love with children all over the country! I toured with Theatre IV’s National Touring Children’s theatre for three tours and worked at Tweetsie Railroad, a theme park geared for children eight and under. I also worked as a substitute teacher in two school districts in Connecticut. Throughout my post and pre-college years, I have continued to babysit for various families, and I often sit for the children that I teach.

Although my primary loves are performance related I also love reading- both for myself and to children, crocheting, practicing yoga, and making jewelry.

Education

Catawba College, graduated 2008

BA Musical Theatre
Dance and Music minors
Honors Program
Alpha Chi Honors Society
Alpha Psi Omega Drama Honors Society

Childcare experience:

6 years occasional/ summer babysitter
5 years dance/acting instructor
year substitute teacher (preschool to high school)
year performer at a children's theme park
1 year touring actor with children's theatre
2 years Spanish tutor

Availability:

Mon-Fri 2pm-midnight
Occasional weekends and mornings

Long-term availability:

Available until June 2011

I will be SmartSitting while...

Auditioning for theatre and performing with Once Upon A Time, Inc., a children's theatre company based out of Queens, NY. I also serve as a substitute dance teacher for a studio in Flushing.

My childcare expertise lies in working with…

Pre-schoolers and up- but I absolutely love toddlers!

Activities and skills I love to teach and share with children:

Dance (ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, hip hop, etc), Acting and Improv, Music Theory, reading to children, jewelry making, basic Spanish

Most memorable childcare experience:

I have so many moments, it's very hard to share just one. With my students the best moments are always seeing my students perform on their own. I also have numerous funny potty training moments, and I was able to take one child to her first Broadway show! However, the one that sticks out in my mind involves a sister and brother (9 and 7), who I babysat over a summer period. I am an avid reader, and love to encourage others to read. This summer I had convinced both children to enroll in a summer reading program at our local library. We worked hard all summer to log their reading hours and work towards goals that the library had set. For the 9 year old girl this was no problem, but it was a bit of a challenge for the seven year old boy.