Hi I'm Rae (pronouns they/them)! I just moved to Victoria in January and so excited to be on the island! I am a full spectrum doula and yoga facilitator, with a passion for social justice and education for empowerment. I absolutely love children and bond most easily with infants and young children. I have experience babysitting when I was younger, interacting with many age groups as I have a large family, and working in kids camps, usually focused on infant and young children care. Part of my experience is doing substitute work for Saplings Forestry Kids Camp in the summer, as well as some substitute work at their Forestry School in Lions Bay (children aged 2. 5-5 years during the day, and children aged 5-10 in the after school care program). I really resonate with the forestry schools outlook and training for interaction with the children. I am a strong believer in empathy before discipline, and working with the children to guide themselves instead of solely guiding them as adults. I also lived in California a few years ago with a family that had a 5 year old daughter and loved my time with her. We were always finding new ways to be creative and to explore all ways of play. Activities we did included tie dyeing, fort making, drawing/colouring, counting and spelling exercises, dancing, learning Spanish, playing guitar, baking, cooking, playing dolls, forest walks, slumber parties with all the stuffies and my favorite, weekly self-care nights with her favorite face mask and coloured nail polish. She was a highly sensitive child adjusting to a new home and so I really learned patience and empathy while navigating my time with her. Each moment of challenge led to a deeper connection and to this day I know we both have some really strong memories and love each other a lot. We still stay in touch even years later! Something that’s important to note about myself is my gender identity. I am a nonbinary person and my preferred pronouns are they/them. I don't expect perfection with them, but definitely respect and freedom to share who I am. Queer families are extra welcome to reach out! I would also like to mention my passion for vegan and vegetarian food, as I am more than happy to accommodate healthy meals for children within my services. Through this site, I worked with a family in Ontario doing raw, vegan and sugar free meal preparation. I prefer to focus on childcare at this particular point in my life, but with my love for food creation, I am always happy to use my skills to provide healthy and delicious meals to the children I care for. I am a walker or transit taker (temporarily, planning to buy a car in the next few months), so locations would have to be within consideration of my modes of transportation. I am looking forward to working with children at an individual level and gaining more experience with conscious childcare!

After working for Saplings Forestry kids camp and preschool/after-school program in 2021, I was craving more experience with children and found myself living with a couple and their 5 year old daughter in California last year as an au pair. I absolutely loved our time together, as our typical day consisted of dancing, baking, playing dolls, drawing, doing counting and spelling exercises and practicing yoga. As a full spectrum doula and yoga facilitator, I love bringing my passions into childcare to learn more together! I also have a ton of tools I love using for children, like breath work, EFT tapping and conscious parenting techniques. I am a strong believer in conscious childcare with a focus on empathy and building deeper connections. I always aim to meet children where they’re at, make them feel seen, validated, accepted and then problem solve together. I believe in taking a positive and gentle childcare approach and would love to utilize the tools I’ve learned with your wonderful child, while always respecting your techniques as a parent and learning from you! I am most comfortable with newborns and toddlers, but am open to ages up to 5 years old.

Specialized in communications, with a focus on interpersonal and educational communication development. Exceptional skills in mathematics and writing. Certified full spectrum doula and currently starting my business on the island. 200 hr yoga certification, but not teaching at the moment. Continued education with Yoga Outreach on trauma-informed and inclusive practices. Completed training with Saplings Forestry Outdoors Program and can request their reference if needed. Worked online with an NLP practitioner and learned a lot on the way - about how the brain develops and how to use tools like EFT tapping to sooth and empower children.