Our team believes in open communication between staff and management to foster a safe place to grow, shine and prosper. Everyone is a part of the team and has the opportunity to make a difference in the lives of the next generation. Each member of our team brings unique strengths to make the environment the best is can be. Strong Foundations is a fun place to come to work and provides each member of the team the chance to mentor and learn from one another.
Miss Zehra
Miss Zehra is the founder of Strong Foundations Learning and has been operating childcare centres for the last 25 years. She has worked with numerous children and can say that she has learned so much from each one. Over the years, she has developed a unique curriculum by exploring and learning about other philosophies. With a background in Information Technology Miss Zehra has always prided herself with being tech savvy and hope to use those skills in the childcare centre, but as she has surrounded herself with young children, she realized that the potential of learning in children under 5 was far greater if we used our senses.
She has been married to the love of her life for over 20 years and has three children together: Ziyana (age 16), Armaan (age 14) and Aila (age 10). They have been her inspiration, and biggest fans and she would not be where she is today without these four.
She believes that today’s children are tomorrow’s adults and if we can give them the tools that they need in their formative years, they will prosper in their entire lifetime.
Miss Michelle
Miss Michelle has worked with our organization since 2013. She has grown up around children and began babysitting when she was 11. She is outgoing and bubbly and loves coming to work. She has one sister who also works in the same field and loves sharing stories of her successes with her family. She believes that nurturing a child in a safe environment and teaching independence and routines is important for their growth as a person.
Miss Prabhleen
Prabhleen Kaur has been in the child care field since 2018. She completed her secondary education in India and then came to Canada to complete her Early Childhood Education at Sheridan College in Ontario
She loves spending time with children, watching them be amazed at the little things and creating their own meaning of the world. She believes every child is unique, competent, curious and rich in potential and their early development sets the foundation for their lifelong learning, behaviour and health. By being a key element in providing quality education, care and support in a positive and responsive environment, children will feel secure, a sense of belonging and the ability to reach their full potential.
She enjoys that no day is the same, and with each new day comes a new experience that provides an opportunity to grow both professionally and personally.
Miss Meena
Meena has graduated from Stenberg College as an Early Childhood Educator. She previously worked as a substitute at two locations. She has a lot of experience with children. She raised seven of her nieces and nephews all living in one house. She is a mother of two children herself, a daughter, and a son. As she sees her children growing up, she misses them being little babies. She became an Early Childhood Educator because she enjoys being with younger children. She enjoys playing with them and listening to their stories. She finds children to be very entertaining and sweet.
Miss Kiran
Kiran has been in childcare since 2012. Her background as a professional teacher back home in India and her passion to work with children motivated her to pursue a career in the early childhood education field. She has more than 3 years of experience working in childcare environment utilizing her skills and abilities. She has significant and rewarding experience working with various age groups in early childhood setting from infant to school age. She believes in building strong partnerships with the children and families and gets involved in any way she can. She loves what she does, and it can be seen in the smiles of all her children.
Miss Bhawan
Bhawan started working here with children in 2022. She completed her secondary education in India then came to Canada to pursue Early Childhood Education degree from Canadore college Toronto (Mississauga). She loves working with young children and she gets a chance to work and play with little ones to develop the social and emotional skills. She also loves to help children in learning new activities which would be help them in their future. Her goal is to provide them safe and creative environment. She believes that building a strong relationship with each child becomes the child’s success. She looks forward to seeing them, spending time with them. She feels that children give us so much joy and makes us laugh. She is always happy to provide them with a stable and secure environment, showing affection and respecting their individual personalities.
Miss Rosa
Miss Rosa graduated in the Philippines with her Bachelor of Elementary education. She immigrated to Canada in 1993 and worked as a live in caregiver for 3 years. She then pursued her studies as an Early Childhood Educator. She graduated in 2002 from Burnaby College. She has been working with young children for over 20 years. She believes that building relationships with each child depending on how they laugh, play, show emotions, and learn is the key to the child’s success. She uses her knowledge, skills, and ability to teach them and guide them. She believes that each child is unique and different and as a teacher she finds pleasure when working with each child.
Miss Addison
Ji-Young (Addison) Yeo has been working as an educator for over 25 years. She obtained a Master's degree in Sociology of sport, Bachelor's degree in Education, and a Minor in Japanese from a university in Korea. While she was working as a public middle school teacher in Korea, she happened to have a new experience by accompanying her husband to study abroad. When she was living in New Jersey, USA for 3 years, had worked with very young children and felt something fresh because of the different working environment. After that, she wanted to try a different life in Canada with her family, so she studied Early Childhood Education again and obtained the Canadian BC ECE certificate.
Currently, she is enjoying every day at the SFL center with her lovely students.
Although she has her own children who are grown up now, she is working as a day care teacher with a mother's heart because she knows the feelings of parents that their young children should be left at daycare without them. She believes that children can have positive changes and stability when teachers are patient and genuinely care for them with love. She thinks that this job is very precious because she receives new energy every day from children with clear souls. Today, she acknowledges the individual differences of each child and is having happy moments with them and making every day worthwhile
Miss Arpan
Miss Arpan completed her secondary education in medical field from India. She then came to Canada and completed her degree in Early Childhood Education from Canadore College in Ontario. As a teacher, she believe it's her duty to develop children into kind, thoughtful, and productive members of society.
Miss Dorcas
Miss Dorcas has always had a love and passion for children. She went from working with children at church to babysitting family friends' kids. She is patient and motivating toward the little ones. Her passion to work with children motivated her to pursue a career in the Early Childhood Education field. She has been in the field since 2018 working in a childcare environment utilizing her skills and abilities. Dorcas’ passion became apparent when she gave birth to her daughter. Now she is working as an early childhood educator with a mother's heart, and she is learning more and more every day. She believes if you “Direct your children onto the right path, and when they are older, they will not leave it.”
Miss Ria
Ria is a passionate early childhood education assistant who radiates love for kids and believes in instilling core values from a young age to help kids grow in Kind and humble being. Her journey began watching her brothers grow, nurturing them with affection, which sparked her devotion to childcare. Her ultimate source of inspiration were her parents, grandmother, and sister—who showered her with love and care and taught her the joy of giving.
Ria found her calling in creating nurturing environments where every child is cherished and empowered to thrive uniquely. Her elementary teacher made her strongly believe in the impact of emotional connections, knowing that children may forget lessons but will always remember how their teachers made them feel. She finds immense fulfillment in fostering a nurturing space where children can thrive emotionally, socially, and intellectually, paving their way to becoming better human beings.
Miss Jyoti
Miss Jyoti is a graduate of the Future Teachers Program at Douglas College where she obtained her Associate of Arts Degree. She has been working with children ages 2 to 5 since 2022. She received her training as an Early Childhood Educator Assistant through the YMCA and have always enjoyed working with kids. She believes the early years of a child are fundamental to their growth and development and take great joy in partaking in providing a safe, engaging, playful environment for them to truly thrive. She is very dedicated and happy to be a part of a child's learning journey, and very proud of each of their achievements no matter how big or small.
Miss Sunny
Miss Sunny graduated from Stenberg College in 2016 studying Early Childhood Education and has been in this field since 2017. She is originally from Africa, Tanzania and moved to Canada in 2016 after getting married. She has 2 children. Her goal is to provide children with unconditional love and to let them develop through play. She has a passion for working with children and being able to create a rich growing environment. She is excited to start this chapter with Strong Foundations Learning centre. She looks forward to meeting all the families and building connection with the children.
Miss Naznin
Naznin graduated from Langara College as an Early Childhood Educator and Infant-Toddler Educator. Naznin completed her Administration in Early Childhood at Vancouver Community College. Naznin has been in the field of early childhood over 20 years. She enjoys working with children and families. Naznin has worked with refugee children. Naznin believes all children deserve a high quality and love environment that supports their development and well-being. She is passionate about teaching children to have empathy and compassion and become citizens of the world.
Miss Mani
I have been working with children since 2022. I graduated Sprott Shaw College in 2021 and started working here at Strong Foundations Learning in 2022. Throughout my life I have worked with children including my niece and nephew which I have been with for over 7 years. We are living in one house I have seen them grow up right in front of my eyes and I feel fortunate that I am able to see that. I truly enjoy spending my time with children and seeing them grow. Personally, I make it my goal to make sure to the best of my ability that every child is treated with love and care. I have a young son at home so when I come to work to take care of children, I think of them as my own. Watching all the little ones grow up so fast makes me enlighten with joy just knowing that one day they are going to become amazing people in the future. I appreciate that I am these amazing children’s teacher and am given the opportunity to see them grow.
Miss Kristen
Kristen has been in the childcare industry since 2016, where she obtained her Early childhood and Infant toddler certificate from Pacific Rim Early Childhood Institute. She spent most of her teen years babysitting her younger cousins and eventually becoming an after-school nanny for a family with three young boys in her neighbourhood. She is very outgoing, and loves being surrounded by children. She enjoys watching children reach new milestones and being able to help create a safe and nurturing environment, whilst encouraging independence through simple life skills and exploration of play.
Miss Iqra
Iqra has a natural rapport with children and has the ability to make children at ease. She thoroughly enjoys the company of children and finds that teaching them comes naturally and easily to her. She has completed her Master of Philosophy in English Literature & Master of Education from Pakistan.
She says, I love my position in Early Childhood Education where I can help children learn and grow in a safe and friendly environment. I feel excitement in helping young kids develop the skills they need to have a happy & healthy future.
She has a real desire to work with children and the ability to make a connection with them and their families. She is enthusiastic and has the ability and patience to work with all children. Above all else, she has the ability to help create a secure environment where the kids feel safe, and the parents can rest easy knowing their children are in good hands.
“We could not be happier at Strong Foundations! Each day I go to work I feel confident that my son is in a safe place. I know that his teachers care for him immensely, and that he thoroughly enjoys his time at SF. I would strongly recommend this centre to any prospective parents looking for childcare.”
Life Skills: this focus helps children develop routines, self-help and independence skills that they will use throughout their early years, through their school years and beyond.
Emergent Learning: this focus helps children learn and incorporate math, science, reading, writing, art and helps them use areas of interest to expand their knowledge and skill base.
Attitude & Behaviour: is one of the most crucial and important areas of learning and, if mastered in their early years, will be a goldmine of wealth as they grow and interact with groups of other children. This focuses on the social behaviour of taking turns, negotiations, and waiting their turn as well as attitudes of trying again, being a good sport and having a positive outlook on life.
Respect: respect is singled out from our attitudes and behaviours because it is a skill that is significant in all areas of life. Children learn early on what respect looks like and how to respect others. This then fosters feelings of empathy and kindness towards themselves and others, a skill that is proven to be one of the most influential building blocks in success in academics and life.
Natural Environment: as humans, we are naturally attracted to and grounded by (known as the bio philia effect) a natural environment. Our furniture has been locally sourced from Victoria with trees from the island to minimize our carbon footprint. Our playground, which is in design mode, is being developed with all natural materials and experiences for the children.
“Since joining Strong Foundations, we notice or 17 month old daughter is thriving! She’s happy to be dropped off and excited at pick up. We can tell she’s being stimulated and cared for! A happy baby makes for a happy parents 😀.”