Hello, my name is Melissa. I'm the mom and grandma to 3 adults and 4 children. I've worked with children and adults with various challenges and abilities. The challenges I'm most familiar with and have either professionally or family-related experience with are: failure to thrive, scoliosis, epilepsy, Down's syndrome, Asperger's syndrome, ADD/ADHD, bi-polar, disthymia, schizo-affective disorder, and dementia. I've worked for 3 school districts in the past 25 years. I'm a dog enthusiast with some cat experience as well. I spent several years working with dog rescue groups. I've assisted in saving, socializing, and re-homing over 100 dogs and 3 cats. I have a clean driving record and have been driving for 28 years. I feel comfortable transporting people and pets. I own a van and have plenty of room for 6 people and/or pets. I've run a household in every aspect: shopping, running errands, cooking, sending out laundry, picking up dry cleaning, hiring maintenance staff, delegating responsibilities necessary to keep home running smoothly, paying bills, etc. I enjoy helping others and am on Care.com for that reason. I have 3 adult children (ages 23 to 26), 4 grandchildren (9 months to 6 years), and 1 Schnoodle (Schnauzer/Poodle mix.)