We Are IH: Child care licensing officer loves keeping kids safe

December 7, 2023

Jennifer Turnbull takes a selfie while hiking the West Coast Trail this summer.

Name: Jennifer Turnbull (she/her/hers)
Job Title: Child Care Licensing Officer
Years of Service: 16
Worksite: Kamloops Public Health Unit
Community: Kamloops
Ancestral Territory: Secwépemc
Favourite Quote / Advice to live by: “Look for something positive in each day, even if some days you have to look a little harder.”

By day, Jennifer Turnbull is helping make sure daycares in the Thompson and Cariboo regions are running smoothly.

“I still really like working with children. I have an ECE [early childhood educator] background and worked in daycares for 10 years before I came here,” noted Jennifer, who has been in her role with Interior Health for 16 years.

In this Story…

Learn more about her journey with IH

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Learn more about her journey with IH

As a child care licensing officer, Jennifer's job is to ensure health and safety measures at child care facilities, whether in a private home or at a public facility, are being met.

I’m working with children and families, making sure facilities are safe and healthy and children are getting good care. That’s really important to me.

-- Jennifer Turnbull

Woman with backpack in the sand. — Jennifer during her hike on the West Coast Trail on Vancouver Island.

By night (and weekend), Jennifer loves to hike. This summer, Jennifer pushed the boundaries and completed 53 kilometres of the West Coast Trail.

“That was pretty incredible,” she said. “It was just amazing to be away from technology for 10 days. There were lots of people on the trail. But you're relying on the people you are with to make good decisions to be healthy and safe out there, while enjoying the beauty and the ruggedness of it.”

A woman in black posing in front of tree root. — Jennifer along the West Coast Trail.

Jennifer also loves being creative. In particular, she enjoys making greeting cards for any occasion, whether birthdays or holidays. In fact, she’s already gotten underway creating this year’s personalized, hand-written Christmas cards for friends and family.

Greeting card with flowers — An example of the greeting cards Jennifer makes in her spare time.

After the Christmas card-making season, Jennifer will turn her attention to running her first marathon in Honolulu.

“It's going to be a challenge, but the beautiful setting will make up for it – I hope,” she adds.

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