About Graciela

There are no words to adequately capture what an integral part of our family Graciela has been. I honestly cannot imagine what my life as a new parent would’ve been like without her, and who my son would be if he wasn’t under her care for the last 3 amazing years. He’s grown in ways I could never have imagined, socially, emotionally and intellectually, and I trace so much of that to Graciela. I trust her with every ounce of my being. Her track record really demonstrates just how loved and treasured she’s been: she’s had several 7+ year stretches with families, including the other family in our share. For us, the only reason we’re transitioning out is because we’re moving out of state. It’s with a heavy heart because we are all going to miss her so so much. For us, the most powerful thing Graciela brings to the table is love. It’s been clear from day one that she not only loves her job, she genuinely loves our son. She treats him like she would her own. Even on her vacations she’d FaceTime us to see him because she missed him so much. Knowing that love was there was an invaluable foundation and everything else grew from that. Of course she also has all the things one would want to see in a nanny: a clean record, experience to boot (26+ years), an impressive list of certifications (First Aid/CPR, PBS Arts & Crafts Certificate, 15 units of Childhood Development at Chabot College), experience across lots of settings (nanny shares of 2-4 kids, with twins, siblings, and everything in between). For us, the fact that she spoke only Spanish with our son was also super important. She’s a great communicator, always punctual (usually early!), and consistently upheld the highest level of professionalism. That’s just scratching the surface really. Beyond the long list of her qualifications and her deep experience, Graciela is at her core one of the most creative and patient educators I’ve ever met. Every day the kiddos worked on some engaging and educational project or puzzle or challenge. She’s been far more than a nanny; she’s been a dedicated teacher. She’s lovingly invited my son to learn and grow so much more than I thought possible. He’d come home knowing so many letters and numbers in Spanish, and that lit a fire under me to teach him in English. I feel like she inspired me to be a better parent. Now that I’m looking into daycares for my son in a new state, I have a new appreciation for just how dynamic and fun his life has been the last three years with Graciela. What I have observed in the nanny share scene here in the Bay Area is that so many nannies take their kiddos to the same park every day. While some parents might prefer that, I deeply appreciated that Graciela looked for fun new activities to do every single week. She regularly took my son to the zoo, Fairyland, museum, baby yoga, different storytimes, even the beach when the weather was nice. I always joked with my husband that my son had WAY more fun on any given week than we did. Anyways, I could write an entire novel of praise for our beloved Graciela. She's truly a gem, the kind of person you will be very sad to say goodbye to when the time comes.