"Making the decision to have a child... it's momentous. It is to decide, forever, to have your heart go walking around outside your body"
~by Elizabeth Stone, appeared in Reader's Digest~
About Miss Olina
I am an Icelandic American, and the youngest of 3 sisters. I was born in New York and raised near the New Jersey shore. My parents and older sisters moved from Iceland to the United States in the mid 60's. Twenty years later, when I was 16, our family moved back to Reykjavik. I spent some time in Iceland, going to school and working, but eventually found myself back in the states. Today, except for one of my sisters and her children, my parents and the rest of my family still live in Iceland.
In 1993 I moved to Boulder Colorado to attend The Boulder School of Massage Therapy. I practiced massage therapy for 10 years until I became a mom and eventually found it difficult to continue my practice full time.
I purchased my home here in Longmont in April 2003 after living the mountain life in Nederland (17 miles west of Boulder) for 5 years. I chose this house for the great location, huge yard, and the wonderful potential it had for setting up a home based childcare center.
I am the proud mother of two young men, ages 23 and 16.
My oldest, Miles, recently moved to Vancouver Washington and is sorely missed. He is a talented multi instrumental musician who loves to create new music.
Noa is my youngest and is a junior at Longmont High School. Like his brother he plays several instruments, including the trumpet, in the Longmont High School marching band. He also plays ultimate frisbee and has maintained over a 4.0 since freshman year.
My Childcare Experience
My first experience working with children was in 1988 while living in Iceland. For 6 months I worked with children ages 1-3 years old in a beautiful center in downtown Reykjavik.
My next experience was in Red Bank New Jersey, working with infants and toddlers in a hospital based childcare center for hospital employees. I was there for approximately a year.
Even though my first two professional experiences working with children were brief, I knew I had a passion for early childhood education.
After I graduated from massage school, not only did I practice massage therapy, but I found myself working with children once again. I was lucky to meet a woman who runs an excellent home-based preschool program in Louisville Colorado called The Hakuna Matata Development Center. I worked with her for a total of 6 years. First from 1995- 1997 and then came back in June 2000 with my 5-month-old son and worked with her until 2003 when we moved to Longmont. During my years at Hakuna Matata I was given the opportunity to not only provide daily care for children, but also to prepare and teach both toddler and preschool curriculum.
From April 2004 – 2006, I worked for Creative Years Childrens Center in Longmont. I was the 3-year-old classroom group leader, in charge of a much bigger group. I was responsible for creating weekly lesson plans and expected to keep the classroom fresh and engaging. While at CYCC I received my Child Development Associate (CDA) as well as training in “Incredible Years” and “Dinosaur School”, which is an excellent program that teaches children social and problem-solving skills through puppetry and scripted scenarios. Once a week I would bring out “Dina the Dinosaur” and usually we would have visits from Dinas friends, played by my fellow caregivers. The children were always excited to see her and the magic in their eyes while she was there was amazing, consequently, I still use puppets today.
I, however, found it difficult to work in a large center setting where there was a constant turnover of children and staff. I strongly believe that continuity of care with a reliable, loving caregiver helps children to establish a strong foundation of trust and security. This is one reason why I love having my own program at home where I can develop long term relationships with the children and their families that I serve.
I opened my center in 2007 shortly after my second son was born. I ran my center for 15 years and due to COVID I ended up closing in the summer of 2021. After closing, I spent 3 weeks visiting my family in Iceland, and upon returning I accepted a full-time position working as a nanny for a family in Boulder. After my contract was up, I decided to start up my program once again. Not only did I miss working with a group but there is a huge need for childcare in this area. Not everyone can afford a nanny.
I am beyond excited to be open once again and I’m looking forward to the friendships yet to be made. I have sent several groups of preschoolers off to kindergarten in the last decade and a half. It is always bittersweet, however the close bond we have all developed is fostered in the knowledge that we have become lifelong friends. I have been blessed to witness many milestones throughout the years such as drivers' licenses, graduations, marriage and even becoming parents themselves.
My Fur, Finned and feathered family members
I am an animal lover, and have had them in my life for as long as I can remember. I am the proud Kahu (guardian) of 3 dogs, 1 cat, 2 parakeets (birds), 2 Sugar Gliders and several aquariums with an assortment of fish, snails and aquatic frogs.
