Meet our staff

At Happy Campers, we’re proud to have a team of over 60 passionate childcare professionals, who are among the very best our community has to offer! These amazing individuals are dedicated to creating a warm, safe, and enriching environment for every child in our care. We invite you to take a moment to get to know a few of our wonderful team members. Their hard work, heart, and commitment are what make Happy Campers such a special place.

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.

Bree

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

I’ve been an Early Childhood Educator at Happy Campers since 2017, and it’s been one of the most fulfilling experiences of my life! I love taking the children out to explore our local trails or getting creative (and a little messy) with arts and crafts. It’s in those moments that I’m reminded why I love what I do, and am so lucky to have this career!

Darnell

My name is Darnell and i am the manager of the 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.

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.❤️

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!

Lauren

"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

My name is Maria and I am site manager of the Happy Campers Otter Point. 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.

Dan

Hello I'm Daniel and ive been working on and off in childcare for 10 years. My mother once ran her own before and after school care site and i got to grow up watching and learning from her. Its safe to say ive found my forever job.

Kaelyn

Hi I'm Kaelyn, a dedicated and nurturing early childhood educator who loves nature based activities, is passionate about the benefits of outdoor play and play based learning. I love getting to know each child and having the privilege to watch them grow, learn, and accomplish new skills! Since becoming an early childhood educator i have found so much joy and love supporting the development of our future generations.

Michiyo

Hi, I’m Michiyo! Originally from Hokkaido, Japan, I’ve been working as an Early Childhood Educator since 2009 in both Japan and New Zealand. In 2021, I found my way to Happy Campers, where I feel right at home in a place rich in nature and cultural diversity. I love learning from the amazing children I work with every day—they inspire me constantly. I honestly feel so lucky to do what I love! I also enjoy driving our school bus and exploring the community with the children—it’s always an adventure!