A MESSAGE FROM OUR FOUNDER

My Passion has always been to teach, guide and nuture young children. Early in my career I had the exceptional opportunity to work at Good Shepard Early Childhood Education Center, in Allentown. They were one of the few preschools in the area who offered specialized services to children with disabilities. Not only did I learn how vast the spectrum for early childhood learning can be, I also learned how to work with pediatric therapists, assist in developing Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) and goals and integrate these specialized programs into a group learning environment.

Over the next 12 years I developed preschool lessons and programs for both elite private educational environments, traditional preschools and day cares. I prided myself in building databases full of activities to keep students engaged and on track to meet their educational goals. In 2009 however, I met a family who was really struggling. They were parents of twins at the day care center where I supervised the infant room. Being around all the germs and other children was too much for the immune system of their young son and in addition to juggling the day to day parenting responsibilities and their careers I could tell they were exhausted. As an alternative to daycare I accepted their offer to work for them privately as a nanny.

From the beginning I could tell that this would be a good fit. I spent five years with their family, bringing the same fun educational lessons I used in my previous positions as a preschool director to our everyday activities. In addition to the kids being happy and healthy each day was jam packed with music, education, arts & crafts, baking, field trips, and books. My experience preparing developing minds for a public school education allowed the twins to realize their full potential, develop a thirst for knowledge and begin their public school careers fully prepared.

At SmartFish we believe that parents shouldn’t have to choose between a high quality pre-school education and hiring a professional to safely care for their children in their own home. Using the same tools I’ve used to shape the futures of thousands of students over my more than 20 year career, we’ve developed programs, learning kits, games and tools for parents and caregivers to prepare children with all types of learning abilities for a lifetime of learning.

Cara Harris

Owner / Founder