My name is Natalee Koudijs. I've been married to my husband Devon, a computer systems technician, since April 2004. We have 2 Children; our son Rylan was born in 2005 and daughter Ashlyn was born in 2009.

As a teenager I was the babysitter of choice for all my parents friends and had standing weekly babysitting obligations. This sparked the decision that I wanted to spend my life working with children. One of the families I worked for had a daughter with severe disabilities, with whom I was trusted enough to be left overnight with her to provide the parents with respite time. Working with this child sparked my second decision to be trained to work with children with special needs. 

When I graduated high school, I began my post secondary education at Niagara College in the Educational Resource and Special Needs program. Not feeling completely fulfilled in the education department upon graduating with honors, I continued my studies at Sheridan College in the Early Childhood Education program.

Still living in Oakville when I graduated with honors in 2001, I began my first full time job working with children at the Ford Child Care Centre operated by the YMCA of Oakville. Here I spent the next 5 years working in the toddler room. When the YMCA's contract with Ford ended the summer of 2005, and they closed our centre I was then pregnant with our son. That was when Devon and I decided to return home to Welland and raise our son surrounded by our family.

In the Fall of 2008 when the College of Early Childhood Educators was formed, I sent in my application. I became an officially registered member of the College of ECEs on February 17, 2009.

It had always been my thought that once I had small children of my own, I wouldn't work in a daycare centre as I didn't see the point in working in one just to put my child in another one. I always dreamed of being able to stay home with my children, so I started the best of both worlds. I am now a stay at home mom, but using my education, knowledge and skills I learned to nurture and educate other children in my own home based child care. This way I could raise and educate my own children as well as others.

We are very laid back and just enjoy being with one another.  We do special activities, “get dirty”, go on trips when able, and overall just enjoy being kids, which is what childhood should be about!