Meet the Team
Dedicated and Certified
Petra Angpao Durrance
Owner / Directress
Petra is an Early Childhood Educator with ECE, ITE and Montessori Certification and some Waldorf experience. She is also a registered nurse who has worked with infants, toddlers, and children since the age of 12 when she took care of the babies in the orphanage where she grew up in the Northern Philippines.
As co-founder of the Canadian charity International Association for Transformation (IAT), she has overseen the establishment of Montessori-based daycares in several remote mountain villages in the Philippines, has held numerous mother’s classes and seminars and trained ECE teachers in the Philippines for IAT
Gloria Dyer
Starchild Manager, Mill Bay
Gloria moved from Ontario in 2011, where she was welcomed into the Starchild family with only a small number of children then. She is an Early Childhood Educator qualified for special needs with over 30 years of experience. From her time at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto as a play therapist, she brings her passion of using puppetry to help children connect with the world around them, through music and movement, dancing, singing, and behavior where her puppets also show how to share, take turns, use gentle hands, and much more.
Now in her “golden years”, Gloria enjoys interacting with staff (who she often refer to as “the Dream Team”), parents, and most of all, the children. She and her family also sponsor a child in the Philippines through the Durrances’ non-profit, IAT.
Val Rutherford
Teacher, Shawnigan Lake
Val has been looking after children since she was 10 years old, and has raised her 3 children as a single mother. She is a qualified early childhood educator. Val ran an in-home daycare for 4 years, has worked in numerous daycares on the mainland, and was a supervisor in 2 preschools.
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Val's passion has always been to be around young children to nurture and teach them any way she can.
Marites Nuneza
Teacher, Mill Bay
Marites hails from the Philippines and joined Starchild Centres in 2018 as the Montessori Teacher of the nature-based class for children 2 ½ to 5 years old. She completed her Montessori certificate from the Montessori teacher Preparation of the US and has earned her Master’s in Education in Early Childhood Education in the Philippines. She is a certified Early Childhood Educator and has been teaching and living the Montessori life since 2007, which has brought her whole family to Canada.
Marites is passionate in bringing Montessori inside and outside the classroom on nature, which is the child’s ideal sensorial experience and holistic development.
Kristi Vihman
Teacher, Shawnigan Lake
Kristi graduated as a Kindergarten teacher from Estonia and is qualified to work with children ages 0 to 7 years old. She’s an Early Childhood Educator with ECE and ITE qualifications.
She was born when her home country was occupied by Soviet Russia and has always been a hard worker. She gained her Kindergarten Diploma and made her dreams come true traveling the world. She worked her way up to caring for children in New Zealand, UK and is now enjoying all that beautiful Canada and Vancouver Island have to offer.
Kristi is proactive with her teaching methods and with little guidance on behaviour at times to prepare the children for the future.
Wenjun Hao
Teacher, Shawnigan Lake
Wendy is from China. She completed the Early Childhood Education and Care Diploma at Vancouver Island University, along with Infant-Toddler and Special Needs certificates.
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Her previous career was as a mechanical engineer in China, while her husband was a university math teacher.
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They came to Canada nine years ago when their son enrolled at Sunrise Waldorf School in Duncan. He is now in his third year at university in Ontario.
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One of her hobbies is woodworking with hand tools. She enjoys making spoons and toys together with her son. She also loves watercolor painting and creating stories for children.
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She is excited to be part of your children’s learning journey and is committed to providing a safe, caring, and supportive environment for them.
Leah Natanauan
Admin Director & Sub Teacher
Leah graduated as an Elementary teacher and took specialization in Early Childhood Education in the Philippines. She worked with children in her home country for 3 years and continued her passion teaching Kindergarten students in United Arab Emirates for 10 years. She recently accepted the opportunity here in Canada and got her ECE certificate.
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Leah loves to learn different cultures, respects each child's unique abilities and believes in the importance of play, hands-on experiences and interactions in learning. She also believes that incorporating nature in the ECE curriculum fosters their appreciation of the natural world and that it is essential for children's overall well-being.
Sandeep Kaur
Teacher, Mill Bay
Sandeep Kaur has completed her studies in India and Canada and worked as a teacher and tutor in Punjab, India. She joined Starchild in the summer of 2024, holds the BC Registry ECEA certificate and is motivated to obtain her ECE.
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She is passionate about working with kids. She believes in the quote, "Teaching is more than imparting knowledge; it is inspiring change. Learning is more than absorbing facts; it is acquiring understanding."- William Artur Ward
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Inderjeet Kaur
Teacher, Shawnigan Lake
As an Early Childhood Educator (ECE) with a passion for fostering young minds, Inderjeet Kaur has dedicated her career to creating nurturing and engaging environments for children in daycare settings. With one year of experience in early childhood education, she focuses on promoting social, emotional, and cognitive development through play-based learning. Her approach is centered on building strong relationships with both children and their families, ensuring a collaborative and supportive atmosphere.
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In her role, she enjoys designing interactive activities that encourage creativity and exploration, helping children develop a love for learning from an early age. She believes in the importance of patience, empathy, and positivity, and she strives to inspire a sense of curiosity and wonder in every child she works with.
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She is committed to ongoing professional development and is always looking for new ways to enhance her skills and contribute to the well-being of the children in her care.
Christine Dicicco
Teacher, Mill Bay
Christine is from B.C. Canada but has travelled and lived in other countries. Christy loves to travel, especially camping across Vancouver Island.
Christine originally received her ECE certificate in 1991 in Alberta. She obtained her Infant/Toddler diploma at Camosun College in 1996. Christy is fascinated by how fast children grow and learn. She loves to spend time outdoors with the children visiting the goats and chickens as well as gardening with the children in the spring. Her favorite activities at daycare is anything messy, music, art, science, and reading books to children.
Tricia Ruttan
Teacher, Mill Bay
Tricia has been in the field of Early Childhood Education since she was a teenager. She worked for Parks and Recreation for 12 years, teaching gymnastics, art, summer camps, after-school care, and preschool. Over the past 25 years, she has worked in a variety of childcare settings, taking on roles in management, teaching, and support.
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She has recently begun studying more about the Reggio Emilia approach and nature-based school teaching. Tricia loves to teach using loose parts, playscapes, and child-led play. In her spare time, she enjoys creating her own teaching resources, felting, beading, and hand sewing.
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Family is very important to her, and they spend a lot of time together camping, playing games, and going on adventures. Tricia believes in being a lifelong learner. There is always something new to discover, and she believes that children are often the best teachers.
Farah Bagoos
Teacher, Shawnigan Lake
Farah is a certified and passionate Early Childhood Educator Assistant with over four years of experience in preschool teaching and home based childcare. She's currently working towards obtaining her ECE certification in British Columbia to further expand her skills and responsibilities in the field.
She's originally from Sri Lanka, and she brings a nurturing, inclusive approach to early learning. She have worked with children of diverse needs, including those with autism, and is trained in Montessori principles and special education.
She's committed to creating engaging, safe, and developmentally supportive environments where young children can thrive.
She finds joy in watching children grow and believes that early education is the foundation of lifelong learning.
Prabhjot Kaur
Teacher, Shawnigan Lake
Prabhjot Kaur is an energetic Early Childhood Educator who believes learning should be an adventure every day.
Originally from vibrant Punjab, India, and now proud to call BC home after graduating from Centennial College, she brings a colourful blend of languages (English, Punjabi, Hindi) and cultural stories into the classroom.
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Her goal is to spark curiosity, laughter, and kindness as children explore the world together, whether through singing, storytelling, or crafting celebrations of each child’s unique talents.
Manpreet Kaur
Teacher, Shawnigan Lake
Manpreet Kaur is originally from India and came to Canada in 2023. She is excited to join the childcare team at Starchild Centre.
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She has a strong passion for working with children and enjoys helping them learn and grow through play, creativity, and exploration. Manpreet believes in creating a warm, safe, and caring environment where every child feels valued and supported.
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She looks forward to learning from her team and building positive relationships with the children and families.
David Durrance
Owner / Director
David is a retired secondary school teacher, Montessori certified, and the CEO of the International Association for Transformation (IAT), a Victoria-based charitable organization he co-founded 46 years ago. (see: www.iatcan.org) He has been involved in youth education and leadership training, agricultural, reforestation and community development programs for more than 60 years.
David’s focus is upon maintaining the buildings, orchards, and grounds of the two Starchild facilities, as well as assisting the staff members with the children’s gardening, exposure to the animals, nature walks and other outside projects and activities.