I am shy, funny and stand firm in what I believe in! I work at Holly in the 3-5 program and my qualifications include my ECCE certificate; I also did 3 years of economics and statistic calculus prior to my ECCE!

A little bit about me: I was born and raised in Vancouver, I moved to Ladner in 1999, my husband Paul and our three daughters Kalena, Leilani, and Malia have lived here ever since, we love this community. Our dog Caesar keeps life interesting as well! I have always been shy and it usually takes me a couple of years to warm up to new situations. On the weekends we have many different activities to keep us busy like swimming lessons, dance lessons and other things around the community for the children to do. There is a never a dull moment in our household with the three girls and our dog!

Me and Childcare: When I first went to school for economics and statistic calculus I realized three years into it that working in an office would not be the right decision for me. I have always had an interest in children so that for me was the next logical step. I graduated in 1995 from college and worked at a preschool in Vancouver from that point on. I decided to come to Bright Eyes because it was close to home and I was able to be in a center that had my children in it!

Working with the 3-5 group is interesting because they all have stories that they love to share. In the morning when they first come into the class they are full of excitement to be here with all of their friends which is so refreshing to see. Another thing that I love about this age group is their art work, their ability to create masterpieces with a piece of paper and glue never ceases to amaze me. Using the Reggio approach to teaching is a reciprocal process, the children have so much to teach each other and the teachers when they are given the chance to explore and critically think about their environment. I see the benefit of having a warm and loving environment for the children to explore, it appears that they are more willing to take chances and challenge themselves because they know that we will be there to help them if needed.

One of my favourite projects that we have done with the children was the “Mud Puddle”. This topic came about during the damp and wet spring break that we had this year. There were some small puddles in the backyard that the children always flocked to when we would go outside to play. We then went for a walk one day and found the biggest mud puddles ever! The children had their rain boots and muddy buddies on and were really interested in running through them, so we thought why not? It was amazing to see their imagination come to life; they used a regular mud puddle in so many ways. When we got back to the classroom we created our own mud puddle with paint and a large piece of paper, the children then added many other things to their mud puddle such as worms, carrots, grass, gravel, etc. This puddle was displayed in the classroom for a long time because the children loved looking at it and the pictures of themselves playing in the real puddle.

Conclusion: I am very glad that I made the move to work in Ladner. It is a great community! I am also able to be with my children and close to home. I also think that the Reggio philosophy is a wonderful way to let the children lead the way!