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Testimonials

Amy White Salibindla (she/her)

Teaching children is much more than a career path, it's my passion! I don't dread Mondays or live for TGIF. One year, I did look forward to Fro-yo Fri-yay...but that was more about the standing frozen yogurt date with my nanny kid than the day of the week. 

When I was 3 years old, I declared, "When I grow up I'm going to have 100 babies!" My mom was amused and asked what I would do once those babies grew up. I replied, "No, they'll stay babies forever". She asked, "What will your husband think of having so many babies in the house?" I replied, "I'm not going to have a husband; I'm going to live with you forever". It's been over 18 years since I began caring for children, and although I no longer live with my parents, I have cared for over 100 children (sole-responsibility)...all before acquiring a husband. Not all of these children have been babies during our time together - And a few of my first babysitting kids are now old enough to drive, have married, or are off to college! However, they all have a special place in my heart and I will always remember them as little. I am eternally grateful to the dozens of parents who have invited me into their families' lives (especially in those first few years when I still had practically everything to learn) and gifted me with over one hundred reasons to love my career. 

CHILDCARE EXPERIENCE

I began babysitting in middle school and quickly became a "go-to" for families at church. Throughout undergrad, I nannied as many hours as my course schedule would allow. Grad school was busy, busy so to give proper attention towards my studies I took a year off from nannying, and instead found regular and occasional babysitting work. Towards the end of my graduate studies, two of my prior babysitting families approached me and offered positions if I decided to move back home; their two schedules fit together perfectly and it was a wonderful year with two amazing families! After that year, all of the children were in school, which meant they no longer needed full-time care. In the spring of 2018, I relocated across the country to Portland, Oregon, where I began working with a handful of families and occasionally took on travel nanny positions, both domestically and internationally.

UNDERGRADUATE STUDIES

My undergraduate experience was fairly typical: I began with the intention of earning a BSN, but then took an Intro to Psychology course my second semester and was hooked!  I'm fascinated by how people think and the reasons behind various  behaviors - it's like cracking a secret code (that's not so secret). I took courses that related to children and family, such as Family Communication and Parenting and Child Guidance. During my junior and senior years, I had multiple opportunities for personalized work, including extra projects for Honors College credit. I took advantage of these to research child development, discipline methods, and parenting philosophies. In May 2015, I graduated with Honors earning a Bachelor’s Degree in Psychology and minor in Communication Studies.

WHY MONTESSORI?

I’ve always known I wanted to work with children – though, in which capacity, I wasn’t quite sure. That is until one fateful afternoon, in my Junior year of undergrad, when I was chatting with my uncle. We were having one of those philosophical "solve the world's problems" conversations. I repeatedly brought up examples of working with children - as I often do - and my uncle asked if I was familiar with Montessori Education. I was not, so he suggested I research it later. I did that same afternoon and was amazed at how much it reflected the views I already had from my years of experience caring for children. Montessori is rooted in respect for the child and supports natural exploration to build knowledge. In the fall of 2015, I began my graduate studies and graduated the following summer earning a Master’s of Education in Montessori Education. In June 2018, I returned to Montessori Northwest to complete the Assistants to Infancy training to more fully support children under the age of three years. 

Since completing my graduate studies, I have continued to expand my understanding of child development and psychology by reading - including authors such as Maria Montessori, Brené Brown, Malcolm Gladwell, Magda Gerber, Janet Lansbury, and Daniel J. Siegel. I enjoy putting into practice what I learn and observing the positive changes that result.

HOBBIES & INTERESTS: 

I enjoy reading and people-watching, as well as playing board and card games. I have a deep appreciation for watching musicals and ballet performances. To stay active, I engage in yoga, hiking, and snowboarding. Additionally, I love working on jigsaw puzzles; though I consider it "cheating" to look at the picture on the box during assembly, I do encourage children to use the it as a reference.