My name is Lauren Simone, my nephew and young children like to call me "Lolo". I’m 33 years old, born and raised in Cape Town, South Africa. I would love to teach your children about my hometown and culture.

I’ve lived in Seattle for almost 9 years with my husband and 4 year old daughter, Isabelle. We live in the Lake City Way neighborhood, in North East Seattle.

We love the Pacific North West, the outdoors and travel. Our daughter just started riding a bicycle without training wheels!

On weekends, we hike, bike ride and enjoy short walks through green spaces. We love to cook, bake, entertain, read and spend time together as a family.

I received a Bachelors in Media, Writing and English Literature from the University of Cape Town (UCT). After graduating I worked in Health Communications at UCT for 3 years before immigrating to the United States and moving to Seattle at 24.

I have 12 years of experience working with children, 3 years of nanny experience and 7 years working with Preschoolers. I have a passion for the preschool ages and believe they are the foundation for a healthy and joy-filled childhood and adulthood.

I want every child to play, enjoy their childhood and to be respected and loved. I am fascinated with how capable children are - if given a nurturing and prepared environment, they can really thrive. I am currently employed as a Teachers Assistant at a Montessori preschool in North East Seattle. Prior to that, I worked as a Professional Nanny and have done volunteer work with children and adolescents.

For three years, I thoroughly enjoyed being a stay at home Mom (2015-2018) while staying actively involved in my daughter’s Co-operative Preschool in Seattle for two years. There I worked as a teacher’s aid and communications coordinator. I participated in Parent Education classes in early childhood development offered by North Seattle Community College. There, I learned about positive discipline and gentle parenting. I am fascinated with the social-emotional intelligence of children. In my daughter’s final year at Co-op, I was also on the School Board and served as the Communications coordinator.

Recently I was inspired to start my own playgroup. I thoroughly enjoyed working in a Montessori classroom with an amazing Lead Teacher for the last year and a half. Based on the knowledge and experience I have gained by observing and interacting with preschoolers over the last 7 years, I feel confident leading a small group of my own!