The sitters who work for Keiki Sitters know that each child
is different in his or her own way, requiring special care and attention.
One of our sitters, Priscilla McClellan, learned a lot about this
while nannying for the keiki of her childhood friend. The keiki required extra
special care and attention; the boy, 4 years old at the time, is deaf and
blind, and the girl, then 8 years old, is blind.
Priscilla McClellan
“It was a very challenging experience in the fact that I was
constantly alert and that I had to use hands-on to teach the children,”
Priscilla said, adding that it’s important to stay alert at all times when
babysitting, but even more so when sitting for a child with disabilities.
She taught the girl a hula for a luau they were going to by
holding her hands and body to help her understand. “She did well,” Priscilla
said.
Priscilla, who has worked for Keiki Sitters for close to a
year, has been caring for children since she was 6 years old. She helped out
with her brother and sisters, giving her mother time to sew so she could put
food on the table for her family.
“I take it all in stride. I’ve experienced anything and
everything. There is no challenge I will not take,” Priscilla said.
Now a grandmother, Priscilla has years of experience caring
for keiki, and it’s natural for her. She treats keiki as if they are her own.
“They respond in kind and before I’m done, it’s like we’re
grandma and grandchild. I ask them to call me Tutu, which is the respectful
Hawaiian way to address a grandmother,” she said.
