About Safe Beginnings First Aid

Holly and Jill

holly + jill

Safe Beginnings First Aid is the leading provider of infant and toddler-focused safety workshops and courses for parents in North America.

Safe Beginnings First Aid is owned and operated by two sisters, Holly and Jill. Since late 2016, we’ve trained over 60,000 parents, caregivers and professionals across North America with essential lifesaving skills, in addition to our rapidly growing online community of over 125,000 parents (Instagram, TikTok, Facebook).

Our focus on the infant and toddler years is what sets us apart: our unique classes include our signature discussion on preventing injuries around the home for babies and toddlers. We’ll give you the confidence to handle an emergency with your family, and the know-how to prevent injuries from happening in the first place.

After becoming a first-time mom in 2009, Jill saw a gap in parent education when it came to essential lifesaving skills. As a trained first aid instructor of many years, Jill began teaching CPR and choking workshops for parents in 2010.

Jill’s sister, Holly, discovered her passion for teaching and mentoring while working in the medical software field for over 5 years

In 2015, following the birth of her first child, Holly found herself uncertain if her career in software was the right fit for her family. Jill invited Holly to form a business together, and Safe Beginnings First Aid was born. Safe Beginnings First Aid is a proudly family-run, women-led small business operating out of North Vancouver, BC, Canada.

Holly Choi

Co-Owner + Instructor

qualifications

First Aid Instructor
Lifesaving Society BC/Yukon Branch
2015-present

Canadian Red Cross
2020-present

Vice President
Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada (CPSAC)
2022-present

Child Passenger Safety Technician-Instructor (CPST-I)
Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada (CPSAC)
2017-present

Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST)
Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada (CPSAC)
2015-present

Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST)
Safe Kids Worldwide
2022-present

Child Passenger Safety Educator
BCAA
2019-present

Member, Board of Directors
Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada (CPSAC)
2019-present

Child Passenger Safety Restraint Systems on School Buses
National Highway Traffic Safety Administration (NHTSA)
2022-present

Too Hot for Tots Educator Certificate
BC Professional Fire Fighter’s Burn Fund
2020-present

Member, International Association for Child Safety (IACFS)
Holly Choi has successfully completed the Home Hazards Test (HHT)
2020-present

Member, Prevent Child Injury
Prevent Child Injury brings together a coalition of stakeholders to speak with one voice and share specific injury prevention messaging on a national level.
2020-present

Holly in the media

Forbes Magazine

Good Morning America

Television
Other publications

Podcasts

Jill Colpitts

Co-Owner + Instructor

qualifications

First Aid Instructor
Lifesaving Society BC/Yukon Branch
2003-present

Canadian Red Cross
2018-present

Neonatal Resuscitation Program
American Heart and Stroke Foundation
2014

Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST)
Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada (CPSAC)
2023-present
2015-2018

Member, International Association for Child Safety (IACFS)
Jill Colpitts has successfully completed the Home Hazards Test (HHT)
2020-present

additional education

Birth and Postpartum

  • DONA Birth and Postpartum Training – 2007, 2016
  • Matrona Doula Certification- 2020 and 2021
  • Motherwit Postpartum Training – 2020
  • Water Birth Credentialing – 2009
  • Hypnobabies Hypno-doula training – 2011
  • Rebozo Training with Gena Kirby – 2013

Lactation support

  • La Leche League Leader (Peer to Peer Breastfeeding Support) – 2012-2019
  • 20 hour Breastfeeding Course for Professionals – 2013

Babywearing

  • Babywearing Training for Professionals – (Canadian Babywearing School 2013, Adjoyn 2023)

Industry

  • Public Committee Member with the BC College of Nurses and Midwives
  • Past board of directors for the Shanti Uganda Birth House Project
  • Previously the Canadian distributor for BabyCare TENS machines and La Bassine Birth Pools and owner of Canadian Birth Products Inc. (2009-2020).

Janna Bakla

Instructor

spark

qualifications

First Aid Instructor
Canadian Red Cross
2020-present

Child Passenger Safety Technician-Instructor (CPST-I)
Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada (CPSAC)
2019-present

Child Passenger Safety Technician (CPST)
Child Passenger Safety Association of Canada (CPSAC)
2016-present

Child Passenger Safety Educator

BCAA
2019

Too Hot for Tots Educator Certificate
BC Professional Fire Fighter’s Burn Fund
2022-present

Member, International Association for Child Safety (IACFS)
Janna Bakla has successfully completed the Home Hazards Test (HHT)
2022-present

Sierra Penner

Instructor

sunshine

qualifications

First Aid Instructor
Canadian Red Cross
2014-present

First Aid Instructor-Trainer
Canadian Red Cross
2021-present

Basic Life Support Instructor (Healthcare)
Canadian Red Cross
2019-present 

Psychological First Aid Instructor
Canadian Red Cross
2017-Present

Teaching Experience Supervisor
Canadian Red Cross
2018-Present

National Lifeguard Instructor- (All 4 Instructor modalities)
Lifesaving Society BC/Yukon Branch
2019-Present

Lifesaving Instructor
Lifesaving Society BC/Yukon Branch
2008-Present

Water Safety Instructor Trainer Canadian Red Cross
2017-Present

Airway Management and Oxygen Therapy Instructor
Lifesaving Society
2020-Present