Adventure Daycare

Meet the Team

At Adventure Daycare we hire passionate, dedicated and caring teachers who are committed to making a difference in children’s lives. Each teacher brings a unique and creative aspect to our centres.

Dusty-Rose Schmidt

Founder / Outdoor Educator

I began my journey into childcare after becoming a mother and realizing my passion for early childhood education. I strongly believe in developing a connection to the natural world & community. Our family enjoys biking, hiking, swimming, and being outdoors in general. My family consists of my husband Kurtis and two sons Owen and Gabe. We appreciate the close ties we share with our families and hope to provide an authentic and caring environment that feels like a second home.

It is my dream to create a center where everyone is celebrated for exactly who they are. Where we can share, learn, create and build each other up.

Aïda Soldevila

Program Manager Courtenay

Music plays a large role in my life – my name, Aïda, comes from a famous Italian opera and my grandfather was a musician. I love yoga, swimming, cycling and the outdoors. I moved to Canada from Catalonia in 2014 in search of opportunity without ever having crossed the Atlantic. I’m now a Canadian citizen! I hold two Master’s degrees in Psychopedagogy and Pedagogy and have worked with children for 17 years, with four of those years in early childhood education as teacher and childcare management roles in BC. I am passionate about working with the needs of the children and families, guiding teachers to create curriculum that is age-appropriate, engaging, and meaningful.

Chey Petruniak

Program Manager Cumberland

Hey my name is Chey!

I am fairly new to the island and looking forward to building strong roots & making new connections! I have always had an interest in understanding human behaviours & child development, which has lead me down the path of Early Education.

In my free time, I enjoy cooking healthy food, creating art, reading about space/science, and hanging out with my Hamster named Vlad!

In the future I am hopeful that we all continue learning every day, practicing empathy, and being our authentic selves.

Robin Lloyd

ECE and Program Coordinator

I have over 20 years of experience working with children of all ages, from infancy through to teens, in a variety of settings. Along with my experience, I have taken many training courses over the years and continue to upgrade my skills, reflect on my interactions and experiences with others, and learn from them to become a better person. I have a current first aid certificate and a current ECE assistant certificate. I am actively working on completing my full ECE training through the Pacific Rim Early Educational Institute and hope to have it completed soon.

My goal is to bring out the best in children, scaffolding them as they learn and grow and become autonomous, self confident, and self regulated individuals. I believe strongly that children learn through play and should be given the opportunity to have meaningful experiences through play and socialization every day. I am an active person, and enjoy skiing, hiking, mountain biking, swimming, camping, and beach walks. I believe that by being outdoors and active, we stay healthier, and enjoy activities that promote teamwork, creativity, and exercise. The subjects I teach are integrated into experiences rather than topics, I am empathetic of other’s feelings and enjoy teaching children, and this is reflected in the way I interact with my students.

Maca Butcher

ECE & Program Coordinator, Courtenay

I am originally from Chile, South America, where I graduated as a Bachelor of Education and as a Physical Education Teacher. My passion for snowboarding brought me to Canada in 2013, where I volunteered for Whistler Adaptive Sports. A few years later, I decided to change careers to study Early Childhood Education. During my time on the mainland I worked for the Whistler Children’s Centre and for the Whistler-Blackcomb Resort Daycare. In 2019 I moved with my husband to the beautiful Comox Valley and in 2022 I joined the Adventure Daycare team, where I found a really amazing group of educators that inspired me and together we are creating an amazing nurturing place for young children.

Emma Bellrose

Early Childhood Educator

I graduated from NIC in June 2021 as a fully certified Early Childhood Educator. I’ve been so thrilled to work at Adventure Daycare because I can help guide children into the best person they can be. I’m also continuously growing and learning alongside them and my awesome coworkers! I believe every child needs to experience being valued every day. They need to feel important because they are important. Some of my passions include spending time outdoors by going for longboard rides, playing frisbee golf, and skiing and snowshoeing in the winter. I also absolutely love practicing aerial silks and have just recently bought my own set-up! I have an amazing cat companion named Yuki who also loves spending time outdoors and enjoys car rides with me to Campbell River and wherever else we adventure to.

Maddie Woroniak

Program Manager Unlicensed After School Program

Maddie has lived in the Comox Valley for over 13 years. She lives here with her beautiful kids Sunny and Rocky, and her husband Trevor. Maddie has a passionate, holistic, and authentic approach to early childhood education. She has a unique ability to spread her joy and love of learning that is contagious all around her. Maddie thrives on building connections with families and staff alike. Her huge heart is apparent in how she devotes her whole self to the center’s program and children.

Maddie enjoys new adventures, her community, and spending time with family. If you see her in the center make sure to say Hi!

Ricki-Lee Peterson

Early Childhood Educator Assistant

Hi! I’m Ricki-Lee and I’m an early childhood educator’s assistant at Adventure Daycare.

Education and assisting have long been passions of mine. I’ve been lucky enough to combine them and focus my interests solely on helping children discover the fun of learning. I’ve has always known that education was my true calling. I understand that education has the power to play a defining role in a person’s life and that the lasting effects of early education extend well beyond the classroom. Previous to aiding children I have assisted an ex-Premier and assisted on the Bachelor Canada tv show.

When I’m not working you can find me traveling, reading, rock hounding, and having adventures with my husband and five-year-old daughter. I’m currently learning how to longboard and loving it!

The Sloth

The Manager

Don’t be fooled by the innocent perma-smile. The Sloth is how they get the caramel in a Caramilk bar, the secret ingredient in the Triple-O sauce, and basically the glue that holds it all together.