Help with childcare at a beautiful summer island retreat outside Vancouver, Canada

Details

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  Description

  We are a family of 4 from Vancouver who spend July at our summer cabin on an island in Howe Sound (about 1 hour from the city). Professionally we are an environmental consultant and a designer, and we have 2 children: a 10 year old daughter and an 8 year old son. The cabin has been in our family for 3 generations, and the island has 30 cabins on it in total - mostly families from Vancouver who spend summers there. The cabin is shared by our extended family, and we would be joined there by our parents - an active, fun 80-year-old couple.
  
  We have a boat that we use to travel from the city to the island, and the island is also accessible by ferry and water taxi. Our place is on the ocean beside an apple orchard. There is a sandy beach for swimming and a wooden dock. Besides a tractor and gator used by the caretaker, there are no vehicles on the island, only walking trails. There are shared tennis, pickleball and basketball courts on the island.
  
  The island is "off grid", and individual cabins are powered by propane and solar energy. We have an outhouse/privy as well as indoor plumbing, and we are mindful of our water usage as our water is pumped from a well. We have a water filter for drinking water, and we bring supplemental water from the city.

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  Types of help and learning opportunities

  Babysitting and creative play
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  Cultural exchange and learning opportunities

  You would gain specialized childcare experience working with a child with a rare genetic disorder. You would learn about AAC - augmentative and alternative communication (that's the iPad our daughter is learning to use to communicate).
  
  You would eat beautiful meals of freshly caught seafood (we catch wild salmon, Dungeness crabs, and prawns), ethically raised local meat from a friend's farm, and mostly organic grains and greens. We love gathering on the patio overlooking the ocean at the end of the day for cocktail (or mocktail) hour, which you would be welcome to join. We love cooking, eating and drinking!
  
  You would spend several weeks in an idyllic coastal setting, feeling like you've stepped back in time to a slow and simple way of living - in a good way! You would see lots of wildlife - bald eagles, herons, seals and most likely orca whales (there have even been humpback whales around in the past few years).

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  Projects involving children

  This project could involve children. For more information see our guidelines and tips here.

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  Help

  Childcare for special needs child: we are looking for weekday care for our 10-year-old daughter.
  
  She has an intellectual disability and needs care and supervision as if she were a typical 2-year-old child. She is non-verbal (but learning to communicate with an iPad). She has some trouble with fine and gross motor coordination (so needs support on uneven ground and going up and down stairs). She has epilepsy (but is on medication that controls seizures very effectively). And she is very loving and playful!
  
  Ideally workawayers would have experience in childcare, and specifically experience working with children with special needs. They will be gentle, patient and physically fit.
  
  4-5 hours of childcare per day could involve: going for walks on forest trails, playing at the playground or tennis courts, playing at the beach, (supported) swimming, snack and lunchtime, and some work on our daughter's communication goals (helping her practice using her iPad to request certain things).

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  Languages spoken

  English: Fluent
  Spanish: Beginner
  French: Beginner

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  Accommodation

  Either:
  
  - A "glamping" tent to yourself with a raised cot bed, set in a grassy clearing. You would have access to a shared washroom hut close by with hot running water - sink, shower and toilet. You would share the main kitchen where you could make yourself coffee and breakfast in the morning, and join us for lunch and dinner.
  
  OR
  
  - A cabin that you would occasionally share with visiting family members. The cabin has an open loft bedroom with a double bed upstairs (yours) and a pull-out couch downstairs. It has its own kitchen with a fridge, sink (cold water only) and stove, and an indoor toilet. You would use the shared washroom hut mentioned above for showers. You could keep some food items and prepare your own coffee and breakfast here, and join us at the main cabin for lunch and dinner.

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  What else ...

  On your time off you could
  - walk, run or hike the forest trails
  - swim in the ocean, relax in the sun at the beach or on the dock
  - read, make art, nap in the hammock
  - explore a larger neighbouring island that receives a lot of tourists
  - go fishing for salmon and crab
  - borrow paddle boards and kayaks from our neighbours to go for adventures around the island

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  A little more information

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    Internet access

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    Limited internet access

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    We have pets

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    We are smokers

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    Can host families

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  How many Workawayers can stay?

  One

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  Hours expected

  Maximum 4-5 hours a day, 5 days a week