Anna Freud Centre Student seeks Infant Observation

My name is Katie Kogut, and I am a postgraduate student at the Anna Freud Centre (AFC). The philosophy of the AFC graduate program is that the best way for students to learn about normal infant development is to observe a child in his or her home through the first year of life. I'm therefore looking for an expectant family (due to delivery in November, ideally) or a family with a new baby (under 1 month old) who might be willing, after meeting me, to allow me to visit them in their home for one hour per week, with breaks for holidays and university breaks, until June.

A bit about me: I've relocated to London from the San Francisco Bay Area in the U.S. to study at the AFC this year. I have always loved children, and began babysitting and helping out mums in my neighborhood when I was eleven. I have continued to care for children ever since, babysitting a great deal as a teenager, and volunteering in many child care settings as an adult. I have a particular interest in the needs of abandoned children, and have volunteered in orphanages in Zimbabwe, Ecuador, and Kenya. (I have attached a recent picture of myself with a child in Kenya.) Most recently in the San Francisco Area, I have provided regular childcare at both a family homeless shelter and an adoption and foster care centre while parents receiving services from these programs attend support groups or meetings. So I'm comfortable and familiar with children of all ages, but still have a great deal to learn about how newborns learn to communicate their needs to mum and dad during their first weeks and months of life.

Some more logistics: I have received Criminal Record Bureau (CRB) clearance to work with children and families in the UK. I am living in the Hampstead area, but am willing to travel anywhere in London accessible by Tube or bus to meet with a family. Information about the Anna Freud Centre, where I am studying, is available at http://www.annafreudcentre.org/. Specific information about the Infant Observation program is available through the MSC course administrator, Ms. Katy Vaughan, who can be reached at: 020 7794 2313. I am also lucky to have one of my best friends since childhood, Lauren, living down the road from me in London with her husband and lovely 10-month-old daughter. Lauren is willing to provide a personal reference for me (lauren.good@gmail.com). Finally, interested mums and dads can contact me directly at kkogut8@yahoo.com, or at 077 8794 4583. I will truly appreciate the chance to meet and talk with you!