Since 1982, British Columbia has recognized May as Child Care Month. It is a time to recognize this vital community service that supports healthy families and a strong economy. We also celebrate our child care providers and Early Childhood Educators who are essential to providing quality and safe child care and necessary support for parents. Quality early care and learning programs honour and celebrate children’s identity and abilities and contribute to children’s healthy development and learning.
At YWCA Metro Vancouver, we have four child care centres, with our Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) caring for up to 120 children annually. Our ECEs offer babies and toddlers safe, high-quality care in environments where they can learn and thrive through play. To provide the best care they can, all our ECEs have obtained education in their fields and continue their training through numerous professional development courses pertinent to early learning and child care programs.
The love and care our ECEs offer daily to both children and their parents go above and beyond basic care. The children in their care are provided with mentorship and guidance to help them understand their emotions and feel secure in their development, and this wouldn’t be possible without the daily dedication of our ECEs.
As part of our celebration of Child Care Month, we wanted to recognize our child care staff that have work milestones approaching. These milestones occur at five-year increments and some of our child care staff have been with us for 25 years! Please read on to hear about what our staff love most about their jobs, their biggest accomplishments, and what they want people to know about the amazing work they do!
Yvonne Yu, Senior Supervisor, Crabtree Corner Early Learning and Child Care Centre
How long have you been at the Y?
25 years
What is your proudest accomplishment?
My proudest accomplishment is when I became the Senior Supervisor at Crabtree Corner and being able to work with the Downtown Eastside families.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
Being able to play with the children through the day and learn from them. It’s also great when they come back for a visit after they leave our program.
What is something that people may not know about your job?
Working as an Early Childhood Educator is rewarding but it’s also challenging.
Clementine Ge, Infant/Toddler Special Needs Educator, Leslie Diamond Early Learning and Child Care Centre
How long have you been at the Y?
Coming up on 20 years!
What is your proudest accomplishment?
Just being here this long and building relationships with staff and the great friendships I’ve made over the years.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
Working with the children and meeting new families. Children are so genuine. They will either like something or not. I started off working with infants and toddlers and about seven years ago I moved to working with ages 3 to 5, and it is so exciting seeing new things through their eyes.
What is something that people may not know about your job?
It’s very demanding! You need to be alert at all times to keep the children safe.
Holta Hado-Cuci, Infant Toddler Educator, Leslie Diamond Early Learning and Child Care
How long have you been at the Y?
15 years.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
I started as a part-timer, and eventually, I got a full-time position. What I enjoy the most is the everyday tasks. Being with families, getting to know new families and new children, helping everybody and being a good team member. Every day is a highlight for me.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
Getting to know the children and seeing them grow from tiny to three years old and still keeping in touch with them when they transition the older care. It is great to see the families that come here with basically newborn babies and watching them grow.
What is something that people may not know about your job?
It’s a very busy job full of various tasks. Sometimes people might not know that we are always on the floor with the children and must be present, even if we have other tasks to do. We multitask all the time. We have to be very focused at all times. It is a very rewarding job. I love working with the people that I work with. I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t have such an amazing group of people. Everyone here is passionate about the job, you have to be.
Joyce Hung, Infant Toddler Educator, Emma’s Early Learning and Child Care Centre
How long have you been at the Y?
Almost 10 years.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
I’m proud of myself as an Early Childhood Educator because I can help shape and mold tiny humans for a successful future. I am also proud that I can play a vital role in shaping the future of society, by providing quality early learning and education. Educators can contribute to the overall wellbeing and success of children.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
I enjoy witnessing the incredible growth and development of children during their early years and I know I am making a positive impact on their lives. My job is filled with joy, love and affection. It is rewarding and meaningful like no other I could find.
What is something that people may not know about your job?
People think ECEs are like nannies, but we educate them and help them develop social and emotional skills and instill good values in them. We prioritize creating a nurturing environment where children can thrive. We also have training to help children with special needs and offer support and connect them with therapy where needed.
Maharun Neesa, Early Childhood Educator, Citygate Early Learning and Child Care Centre
How long have you been at the Y?
Almost 10 years.
What is your proudest accomplishment?
I’m proud to work with my coworkers who are very helpful and supportive. After a hard time in 2016 with a personal health problem, my coworkers all supported me and offered mental and emotional support. It’s a great place to work.
What do you enjoy the most about your job?
I enjoy working and playing with the children and teaching them new things. I like to see how they learn from me and apply new things when I learn them.
What is something that people may not know about your job?
I have spoken to my friends who thought that my job was to be a nanny, but I explained to them that it is different. It is fun and challenging and you learn how to interact with special needs children. They then took the ECE course and realized it was more extensive than they thought. They realized there is opportunity in this career, that it can be rewarding and fun and that we can help other women through our work. YWCA is a great organization. I am so proud to work here. Citygate is like a family to me. I want to mention Andrea specifically because she is so generous and helpful. My entire team is amazing.
The people we spoke to have milestones coming up, but we want to thank all of our Early Childhood Educators and the work they do daily to offer love and care to the families and children they serve. Thank you!
To learn more about our four amazing Child Care Centres, visit ywcavan.org/child-care.
