Hello, I'm Kate C.
I am mother to six year old Hugo and three year old Martha and have worked with children across Ireland, France, Brazil and the US. I can adapt easily to any situation and believe engaged, active and stimulated children are happy children.
My Family
I grew up the eldest of five children and the fourth grandchild out of nearly thirty so looking after little ones was a part of my everyday existence from a very early age. I live in Skerries, outside Dublin where my parents are both from and am lucky enough that most of my Aunts, Uncles and Cousins still live in the town.
My Favourite Memory
My favourite memory of working with kids (other than my own) is from a time I worked in an orphanage in Brazil. There was one little boy who had been abandoned on the street and taken into the home. Nothing was known about him so the team at the orphanage gave him a birthdate and managed to get his a birth cert. When I was working at the orphanage he was 8 years old (they guessed) and he was carrying around a lot of anger that would bubble up regularly. One day he lashed out again in response to something minor in the home. I managed to get him to come and sit with me on some outdoor steps and talk through what was going on. The details were pretty mundane in terms of what had upset him and his feelings which manifested into an angry lashing out. But later that day, the management team at the home said he had told one of them that it felt really nice to be listened to. I was able to work much more closely with him one-on-one after that until a few months later a lovely couple adopted him. I didn't have any contact with him after he was adopted but I have never forgotten how much of an impact it had on me to know that something as simple as a quiet chat on some steps had meant a lot to a little boy who'd had the toughest of starts in life.
My Education
I studied history in TCD, Dublin with a year abroad at La Sorbonne, Paris. As a mature student I was lucky enough to return to university to study Global Conflict Analysis at the London School of Economics.
My Interests
I love to travel and seem to have permanently itchy feet. I also love photography, reading, films and surfing (mostly watching it as I'm still no good).
My Motivation
I am happy to have a profile up on öogo as I founded this company to help parents find great childcare and this is one of the best ways to keep my finger on the pulse of what parents want and Minders need.