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Meet our staff

At Happy Campers we know one thing for sure, children are our future. Our child care professionals are some of the best these communities has to offer! These amazing people have committed themselves to making sure your child has the best possible care. Please take a moment to learn about 
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these amazing people, because without them we would not be who we are today!
lorne

Lorne

"Hello My name is Lorne, I have been a manager at Happy Campers since 2003. I am the father of 3 wonderful children and grew up here in the western communities. I enjoy outdoor activities with my family and traveling. 
 
My job is my passion and I believe children are our future. I do my best to inspire them to follow their dreams through caring and support. My Hope is that all their days are filled with laughter and great memories. "
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Bree

Bree

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"I have always loved children and knew from an early age I wanted my career to be around them. I was originally going to be an elementary school teacher until I discovered my passion was childcare. I graduated with my ECEC diploma from, then Malaspina College in 1997 and quickly got my license to practice. In my twenty plus years of front line care I have worked in preschool, my own family childcare center and the bulk of my time was spent with infants and toddlers. I have been with Happy Campers since 2015 and I consider them my childcare family. I am married with two grown daughters and I live in Saanich with our house full of pets. "

Maressa

Maressa
"My name is Maressa and I am an Early Childhood Educator at Happy Campers Childcare! I have worked for Lucy-Ann since 2017 and through hands on experience in her various centers I quickly fell in love with the field of early learning. I earned my ECE certificate through pacific rim college in 2018 and have continued my education through various online and in person workshops. I enjoy watching children learn through sensory activities and going on walks to explore our local trails! I am happiest when spending time outside with my husband and daughter, while drinking a good cup of coffee!"
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Darnell

"Hi everyone! My name is Darnell. You can find me at Happy Campers Lake Cowichan Centre! 
 
I always knew I wanted to work with children and started my journey into the Early Childhood Field in early 2008. I quickly discovered my passion working with 0-5 year old's and completed my ECE certification shortly after. I am a forever learner and love how much the children teach me, just as much as I teach them! 
 
When not at Happy Campers I am spending time with my husband, our 2.5 year old son and our dog! I love being out in nature, especially in the rain which may come from growing up on the North Island. I can never pass up a good book and am always open to new recommendations! 
 
I look forward to continuing to build relationships with all our current and future families."
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Kelly

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"My name is Kelly and you’ll find me running the Happy Campers Office and covering in any of our child care programs when needed. I was born and raised in Ontario but I have lived here on Beautiful Vancouver Island since 2000. I have been an ECE/IT for over 22 years and have found that my passion for childcare stemmed from playing an active role in a child’s growth, development and accomplishments. My husband and I have 2 boys and being a Mom of my own children has allowed me to understand childcare from a totally different perspective."

Janelle

Janelle
Hi I’m Janelle and I manage Willway OSC! 

I began working here in 2016 and I instantly fell in love with this job. At Willway we love to play lots of group games, play outside and learn sign language daily. Getting to know all of these children, many of who I’ve had in my care for many years now is so rewarding to me. These kids are the sweetest and make all of my days better. 

In my free time I love to cherish moments with my 2 y/o son, who has as much energy as all of my work kids combined and keeps me very busy.❤️
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Amanda

Amanda
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"My name is Amanda and after being the Metchosin Happy Campers manager for a couple of years, I relocated with my children to Lake Cowichan where I now work. I have been using happy campers child care for my own children for almost 7 years, and I joined the team myself in 2019. I am a caretaker through and through, and thus, I have 2 children of my own and 2 step children as well as 3 cats, 1 dog and 4 aquariums. 
Working with children has been such a rewarding experience. 
I absolutely love learning and growing with the children, they teach us so much about life, love, and understanding. I am so lucky to be a part of the lives of so many young minds, and to watch them grow and help shape them in to the people of tomorrow. 
The bonds I have created with not only the children, but their families too, brings so much meaning to my career. I appreciate every family that has allowed me to be a part of their lives. 
I look forward to many years with Happy Campers."

Lauren

Lauren
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"My name is Lauren I’m 37 and have two amazing  girls 11 and 16 years old.. I really enjoy the ocean and hiking.. I have worked for happy campers eight years and have been a site manager for five of these wonderful years. I like helping kids grow friendships and learn new skills. I also strive to create a fun and safe place to be after school...."

Maria

Maria
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My name is Maria. I am site manager of the Happy Campers Sooke location. I have been involved in childcare for over 30 years now and have been a member of the Happy Campers family since 2012! I always knew I wanted to work with children. I babysat from a young age and when I was a teenager I helped out in my mum’s home based daycare. These jobs sparked an interest and led me to get my ECE at Camosun College.
Some of my favorite things at work include making music and singing with children to help promote learning and appreciation of music and supporting children in learning about this big beautiful world especially connecting with the nature that is all around us! Fostering this by exploring our local beaches, woods and trails is an important weekly activity at our Otter Point location.

Eb

Eb
"My name is Eb. I have been working with happy campers since 2019 and I am a manager at the David Cameron site.  My husband and I have a  daughter who brought love and brightness to our life. In my free time I like to draw and read books for my daughter. 
Working with children provides us such an excellent opportunity to learn many skills. Teaching a child something new and watching the 'twinkle' in their eyes when they understand and seeing how proud they look. Also, listening to them while they play, how their imaginations work makes me smile. There's nothing better than seeing children's faces light up each time they learn something. It brings endless joy."
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Ali

Ali
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Hi my name is Ali. I’ve always known I wanted to grow up to become a teacher, and my goal is to get my ECE and IT. I started working in childcare when I was 14 volunteering in summer camps and doing the odd babysitting job for friends and family. Working with children is more then just a job for me, it’s my dream and my passion to make a difference in the children’s lives who I come across and get the chance to know and care for. 

I love being outdoors and playing sports, and that’s where you’ll most likely find me when I’m not working at Happy Campers. 
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