Tell us a bit about yourself and why you chose RisingOaks Early Learning for your family’s child care needs?
Our daughter was 5 months old as we entered the pandemic. As a result, she didn't get as much of the early activity and social interaction I had hoped for her. Our family was lucky enough to have work from home flexibility and we worried about the tradeoffs between the added risk of our child getting exposed to others with the developmental benefits of the play-based learning programs and social interaction that she would get in child care. The benefits she has received in participating in a RisingOaks toddler and pre-school programs have been amazing and more than make up for any limited experiences she had earlier in life. RisingOaks gave us the confidence that our child would have fun, be safe, and could develop to her potential so we could take care of other aspects of life at that time.

Directors, and parents who have a child in care for whom monthly fees are paid to RisingOaks Early Learning are eligible to become members of the organization. What does it mean to be a member?
Being a member means a chance to be more connected to the organization that supports our child and our family. It is a chance to better understand some of the key factors that child care providers need to navigate in order to provide quality care for our children and an opportunity to voice our opinions through events like the Annual General meeting.

Why did you decide to get involved with RisingOaks’ Board of Directors?
I have had an opportunity through my day job as a leader in Program Delivery to interact with my organization's Board and was looking to build on that experience to better understand the Director's perspective. My focus at work is to support the Education sector and celebrate the great work that educators do every day and I see RisingOaks Early learning as a natural extension of that. My family's experience with RisingOaks and the benefits it provided to our daughter's development was so positive in a time that was so filled with chaos and uncertainty. I was thrilled when the opportunity came up to give back to this organization and honoured to be elected as a member of the Board of Directors..

How would you describe the RisingOaks' board of directors?
High functioning, productive, fun. The interactions between the CEO, Board Chair and Board Members are positive, productive, well-coordinated, and respectful.