Deer Lake Child Care
(Formerly Deer Lake Preschool)
Our Educators
Elizabeth
Lead ducator
Elizabeth Svetic graduated from the Burnaby School District Community and Continuing Education, Early Childcare Education program in June of 2016. Her experience with children commenced while growing up, as the oldest of three children she helped take care of her younger siblings. Currently married with three children of her own, she provided at home before/after school care for several years, while raising her children. She also enjoyed a year as a Behaviour Interventionist and has worked in the childcare field for 6 plus years. She has been part of the Deer Lake Childcare team since 2015 and enjoys learning something new every day.
In her spare time, she enjoys watching and cheering for her children in their sporting events and all their adventures. She also enjoys scrapbooking, reading and spending any time with my family.
She believes in creating an environment that invites all children to explore. She also promotes building relationships with children, as this is the foundation for all types of learning. Being able to learn along with the children makes each day a rewarding experience.
Neeru
Educator
Samantha
Manager
Samantha started to work with families and children in Burnaby since 2005, as she operated her own registered-licensed-not-required family day care. She has discovered her passion in the field and was inspired by her local community vocational program that she took the step further to study and learn and become an early childhood educator. She is grateful to work along side the amazing team at Deer Lake Preschool and feel fortunate to be part of the team. Her hope is the families and children who joining at the Deer Lake community would establish a sense of belonging, which would nurture the growth for each of the children and support them to thrive confidently around their worlds.
Heather
Educator
Heather grew up on Vancouver Island but have called Vancouver home for almost 20 years. Outside of the classroom, I love being outdoors, fiber arts, and surrounding myself with creativity, whether that is through music, dancing, theatre, or any kind of live performance and art. At home, I share life with my partner Andrew, our 14yr old son Fox, our dog Luna, and a very sweet guinea pig, Pizza.
For over five years she has been an Early Childhood Educator, a role that continues to inspire her every day. Children have a magical way of reminding her to slow down, to notice and celebrate life’s little moments, and to rediscover joy in the simplest things. Their natural wonder keeps her grounded, present, and endlessly inspired.”
Jana
Lead Educator
Jana joined Deer Lake Childcare in 2017 after graduating from Langara College as an Early Childhood Educator. She loves spending time outdoors with the children and believes that connecting with nature is important for their growth, curiosity, and sense of belonging. Jana also enjoys watercolour painting and inspires creativity by introducing children to different techniques and fostering a love for this art medium. She values hands-on learning and guides children in cooking, gardening, and other practical life skills.
With her Infant-Toddler and Inclusive Practice qualifications, Jana is dedicated to building strong, caring relationships and helping every child thrive, recognizing the “hundred languages of children” and honoring each child’s individuality and uniqueness.
Karen
Educator
Karen started in the field of education over 10 years ago when she went to Japan to teach English to elementary school age and kindergarten children. Even though this was a big change from the tourism field in which she started, she quickly realized that working with young children was invigorating and such a rewarding field to be in. After teaching in Japan and travelling around, Karen returned to Vancouver in 2018 and began her studies in Early Childhood Education. Having grown up and playing outdoors as a child, Karen values the time that is spent outdoors because children learn so much from playing.