Our Story

Juniper Tree Learning began with a shared belief.

Children and educators are not empty vessels to be filled. They arrive carrying inherent gifts waiting to be noticed, named, and nurtured.

In the classrooms and communities we were part of, we could not find the resources we were searching for. We needed materials rooted in Indigenous worldview, grounded in language, aligned with the First Peoples Principles of Learning and provincial curriculum, and designed with multiple entry points so every child could be included as part of the whole.

So we built what did not yet exist.

Juniper Tree Learning designs structured, curriculum-aligned learning collections that bring language, land, and relational pedagogy into daily classroom life. Our work supports educators in teaching with integrity and supports Nations in seeing their language visible, handled, and repeated in real learning spaces.

Children remain at the heart of this work.

Juniper Tree Learning was founded by Rachel Marchand and Andrea Strang.

Rachel Marchand is a member of Okanagan Indian Band and the Okanagan Nation. A two time elected Band Councillor and educator rooted in community, she piloted the first dual credit Indigenous Early Childhood Education program in British Columbia, delivered on reserve within OKIB in partnership with School District 22. She continues to teach Indigenous Early Childhood Education through NVIT, supporting the next generation of educators. Holding her ECE and Master of Education and currently pursuing her Doctor of Education, Rachel’s leadership is grounded in lived community practice.

Andrea Strang is an Early Childhood Educator and teacher whose work spans classroom practice and collaborative systems design. Holding both a Bachelor and Master of Education, she focuses on translating big ideas into real classroom life. She approaches this work as a non Indigenous educator in relationship and in continual learning.

What began in community now supports classrooms, districts, and Nations across British Columbia and beyond.

What began in community now supports classrooms, schools, and Nations across British Columbia and beyond. Each collection is designed with integrity, aligned with curriculum, and built to live in daily use.