Catherine Gagnon
Oliver,Canada
Summary
Passionate about art and nurturing growth in others, I have always combined these two passions. Through my education and life experience, I seamlessly intertwined my love for art with a dedication to learning and adapting new theories, perspectives, and ideas. With over 30 years of experience in child and youth development, behavior management, and counseling, I believe my skills and expertise would make me a valuable asset in the field of art therapy. Grateful for your consideration of my application to attend the Kutenai Art Therapy Institute.
Overview
30
30
years of professional experience
Work History
Director
Little Wonders Childcare
10.2023 - Current
- Licensing requirements are met
- Scheduling and organizational tasks
- Offer support for families, including accessing community resources for hearing, medical, dental, speech, or other issues that are addressed as a concern through my assessment of each child
- Behavioral assessments, team meetings, and building tools
- Conduct full yearly evaluations on children's development
- Ensure staff have all requirements up to date
- Utilize community resources and support when required event planner
- Create and implement facility safety goals, visions, and mission statements
- Facilitate meetings, workshops, and team meetings
- Ensure staff understands and meets licensing requirements as well as follow the daycare handbook
- Revamp Parent Handbook
Behavior Intervention-Child and Youth Support
Independent
06.2020 - 10.2023
- My job consists of working with at-risk youth to support behavior plans and goals that support life skills, social integration and adaptation as well as community inclusion
- Entailed job details consist of documentation, and working aside other team members to support collaboration and focused goals and support
- Assessments
- Behavioral Assessments
- Individual Service Plan
- Sessions promoting community inclusion
- Parent education sessions
- Counselling
- Community networking
- Cultural Safety work and support
RSW Registered Support Worker
Axis Family Resources
12.2018 - 05.2020
- 24-hour shifts supporting children with aggressive behaviours, mental health, disabilities, and/or other challenging behaviours that require support
- Contracts through MCFD
- Daily personal care, cooking, cleaning, appointments, outings, family interactions with support, observing and paperwork, advocating safety and modeling behaviours, offering new activities, and supporting transitions that benefit the client
Support Worker - Registered Care Assistant /HCA
Bills Place Support
05.2017 - 03.2018
- 24 hr support worker for clients attending appointments, errands, or jobs
- Medication dispensing
- Nurture ideas and goals
- Respite care for client and daily routines done or supported
- SIVA training complete - SIVA certified
Registered Care Assistant /HCA
Sterling Lodge
10.2015 - 02.2018
- Support care for aging seniors, dementia, or other medical concerns
- Work safely providing transfers, lifts, and other supports to residents to help with care in all aspects of the resident's daily life
- Offering compassion, respect, and careful care to each resident
- Being a companion, a voice, or an ear
- Giving that extra attention and time to each resident in my care
Director
Self-Employed
09.2011 - 12.2013
- Accreditation support and Director at several centers
- Scheduling and organizational tasks
- Oversee the whole center which includes preschool, young preschool, baby room, toddler room, kinders, and OSCC
- Offer support for families, including accessing community supports for behaviours, hearing, medical, dental, speech, or other issues that are addressed as a concern through my assessment of each child
- Conduct full yearly evaluations on children's development
- Ensure staff have all requirements up to date
- Utilize community resources and support
- Create and implement facility safety goals, visions, and mission statements
- Facilitate meetings, workshops, and team meetings
- Work Centre through the steps of being accredited
- Create a safe environment for each child within the center that offers growth, learning, and developmentally appropriate equipment and activities
- Offer communication and respect to families and staff and keep communication open in all age groups throughout the center
Early Childhood Educator/ Preschool Teacher /Centre Owner / Operator
Teddy Bears Playhouse
01.1995 - 06.2011
- Received honor award from 100 Mile House Mayor and Government of BC for preschool at a ceremony Conducted a fun and structured Group Centre that thrived on creative and tangible learning through problem-solving, and artistic expression through several mediums
- Interviewed and hired staff
- Facilitated meetings that created team development, successful parenting in a creative and rewarding way, positive balance and challenging behaviours, and successful ways to support healthy eating
- Prepared weekly menus following the guidelines in Canada
- Communicate with parents to ensure all aspects of their child were being met as a whole and offering community resources and support where needed
- Recognized as the first Amelia Reggio program in our community
- Creating a safe, clean environment for all children, a true mission statement, a resource, and a sign-up book that offered all aspects of the center as a whole and what we offer
- Managed daily tasks such as shopping, accounting, bill paying, program changes, meetings, etc
Consultant
CCRR
01.2006 - 01.2007
- Prepared for outreach programs
- Helped with playgroups and Mother /Baby play groups
- CCRR playgroups were created to support single mothers, offering support, education, facilitating craft time, snacks and a social, loving environment Offer information, community resources, and compassion
- Teach about the development of children and their mental well-being
- Toy lending library update, monitor, clean
- Book library lending, cataloging
Education
Bachelor's degree - Child and Youth Care
University of Victoria online
Oliver, BC01.2022
Diploma - Child, Youth, and Family Studies
College of the Rockies
04.2019
Certificate - RCA-HCA for BC license
St. Elizabeth
01-2017
Certificate - HCA-RCA
Robertson College
Edmonton, AB12-2016
Certificate - Early Childhood Educator
Northern Lights College
Fort St. John, BC01.2003
Skills
- Compassionate
- Learn fast
- Flexible
- Reliable
- Artistic
- Marketing skills
- Creative thinking
- Time management
- Professional communication
- Facilitator
- Confident
- Positive support
- Reflective
- Art and play therapy
- Trauma-based approaches
- Applied Behavior Analysis
- Crisis Intervention
- Client-focused counseling and support
Awards
- Received Honours in the Registered Health Assistant program.
- 16 years as a Group Daycare Owner who received several awards for creating an Amelia Reggio center.
- Preschool and daycare and working with a lot of community resources.
- Awarded by the Mayor and Government of BC for outstanding daycare center/preschool.
- Awarded for growing a needed community business with a developed curriculum that allowed.
- Supported children in the community to learn through art experiences.
- Advocate for 'United for a Paws'.
- Facilitated several programs for parents, staff, and college students with success and offered to continually present on children's development, behaviours, communication, creative learning, team development, and professional behavior in the workplace.
- Developed a program for parents and ECE staff to support creativity through art and science.
- Photography was used on Global News and won the Ladysmith Tourism photo contest.
- Several large pieces were sold through Ladysmith Art Gallery.
Languages
English
Full Professional
Timeline
Director
Little Wonders Childcare
10.2023 - Current
Behavior Intervention-Child and Youth Support
Independent
06.2020 - 10.2023
RSW Registered Support Worker
Axis Family Resources
12.2018 - 05.2020
Support Worker - Registered Care Assistant /HCA
Bills Place Support
05.2017 - 03.2018
Registered Care Assistant /HCA
Sterling Lodge
10.2015 - 02.2018
Director
Self-Employed
09.2011 - 12.2013
Consultant
CCRR
01.2006 - 01.2007
Early Childhood Educator/ Preschool Teacher /Centre Owner / Operator
Teddy Bears Playhouse
01.1995 - 06.2011
Diploma - Child, Youth, and Family Studies
College of the Rockies
Certificate - Early Childhood Educator
Northern Lights College
Bachelor's degree - Child and Youth Care
University of Victoria online
Certificate - RCA-HCA for BC license
St. Elizabeth
Certificate - HCA-RCA
Robertson College
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