My name is Michelle, but the children all call me Mama Shelley. Why? Well, children tend to call their caretaker Mama at their earliest ages, so I decided to adopt that. Then, since Michelle is a bit difficult for little ones to pronounce, I decided to make it easy and call myself Shelley, the name my father always called me. Thus I became Mama Shelley!
I have always loved children and wanted to be able to work with them in their earliest stages of life. Growing up, I was the neighborhood babysitter and then live-in babysitter to my nephew. As I got older, I entered the "real" working world, with positions in retail - from entry-level through management - and then into the high-stress position of Product Manager in the printing industry, moving onto Purchasing and Logistics Manager in a San Francisco based gallery and framing business, until just before my son's first birthday. At that point, I really wanted to be able to be home with him and spend as much time as possible with him! I was miserable leaving him each day to go to a job that was no longer fulfilling me. Thus my decision to leave that position and look at what I could do to be home with him and still make a living. People kept telling me I should open my own childcare, knowing how much I loved children to begin with! I decided to look into it. I took classes, became certified in CPR and First Aid, had my background clearance, got my home ready and inspected, and then my true calling began! I became licensed, opened Mama Shelley's Daycare in January of 2004 and well, here I am!
Now, with over 7 years of experience as a licensed childcare provider, I open my heart and my home to nurture your children when you can't be there. I encourage children to learn and grow in a creative, play-based environment where they have plenty of time to explore their environment and exercise their imaginations as well as their bodies!