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Catherine Gagnon
Oliver,Canada
Work Preference
Summary
Dedicated educator with strong foundation in curriculum development and student engagement. Proven ability to collaborate effectively within teams and adapt to evolving educational needs. Equipped with expertise in instructional strategies, classroom management, and fostering positive learning environment. Consistently focused on achieving tangible results and supporting student success.
Overview
31
31
years of professional experience
Work History
Early Childhood Education Instructor
Train Alberta
01.2024 - Current
- Instructing certificate and diploma courses in Early Childhood Education
- Support students in their learning
- Follow school regulations and policies
- Developed instructional materials aligned with industry standards and best practices.
- Evaluated student performance through assessments, providing constructive feedback for improvement.
- Designed and implemented engaging curriculum for diverse learner needs.
- Facilitated training sessions to enhance practical skills and knowledge retention.
Director
Little Wonders Childcare
10.2023 - Current
- Conducted thorough reviews to confirm that all licensing requirements were consistently met.
- Achieved seamless project execution through effective scheduling and organizational management. Enhanced team collaboration by implementing structured task coordination. Drove improvements in operational efficiency through strategic organizational practices.
- 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
- Achieved improved team collaboration through effective behavioral assessments in meetings. Created tools that enhanced team productivity and communication. Drove impactful discussions that led to actionable insights and project advancements.
- Analyzed and documented children's developmental milestones through detailed annual evaluations.
- Conducted regular reviews to verify that staff requirements were consistently updated and met.
- 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
- Monitored staff understanding of licensing obligations and daycare handbook guidelines to promote a compliant and effective work environment.
Behavior Intervention-Child and Youth Support
Independent
06.2020 - 10.2023
- 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
- Counseling
- Community networking
- Cultural Safety work and support
- Skilled at working independently and collaboratively in a team environment.
- Demonstrated respect, friendliness, and willingness to help wherever needed.
- Excellent communication skills, both verbal and written.
RSW Registered Support Worker
Axis Family Resources
12.2018 - 05.2020
- 24-hour shifts supporting children with aggressive behaviors, mental health, disabilities, and/or other challenging behaviors that require support
- Contracts through MCFD
- Daily personal care, cooking, cleaning, appointments, outings, family interactions with support, observing and paperwork, advocating safety and modeling behaviors, offering new activities, and supporting transitions that benefit the client
- Improved processes for client intake, streamlining documentation procedures and reducing turnaround time.
- Conducted training sessions on safety protocols, enhancing workplace compliance and risk management strategies.
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
- Assisted with medication management, adhering to protocols for safety and accuracy.
- Implemented individualized care plans, collaborating with healthcare teams to meet resident needs.
- Trained new staff on best practices for resident support and facility protocols.
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, kindergarteners, and OSCC
- Offer support for families, including accessing community resources for behaviors, 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 statement.
- Worked 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
- Develop and implement educational programs aligned with developmental milestones.
- Lead staff training initiatives to enhance teaching methodologies and childcare practices.
- Oversee daily operations ensuring compliance with state licensing regulations.
Early Childhood Educator/Large Group Daycare Owner
Teddy Bears Playhouse
01.1995 - 06.2011
- Interviewed and hired staff
- Developed engaging lesson plans to foster cognitive and social development in early learners.
- Implemented age-appropriate activities that promoted physical, emotional, and intellectual growth.
- Facilitated meetings that created team development, successful parenting in a creative and rewarding way, positive balance and challenging behaviors, 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
- Reggio theory centre
- 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
Education
Bachelor's degree - Child and Youth Care
University of Victoria
Victoria, BC01-2022
Diploma - Child, Youth, and Family Studies
College of The Rockies
Cranbrook, BC04-2019
Certificate - HCA-RCA
Robertson College
Edmonton, AB12-2016
Certificate - Early Childhood Educator
Northern Lights College
Fort St. John, BC01-2003
Skills
- Professional communication
- Crisis,trauma and inclusive practice
- Expertise in subject matter
- Strong leadership
- Lesson planning
- Reliable
- Team player
- Time management
- Facilitator
- Applied Behavior Analysis
- Strong communication skills
- Artistic
- Organization skills
- Compassionate
Languages
English
Native or Bilingual
Timeline
Early Childhood Education Instructor
Train Alberta
01.2024 - Current
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
Registered Care Assistant /HCA
Sterling Lodge
10.2015 - 02.2018
Director
Self-Employed
09.2011 - 12.2013
Early Childhood Educator/Large Group Daycare Owner
Teddy Bears Playhouse
01.1995 - 06.2011
Diploma - Child, Youth, and Family Studies
College of The Rockies
Certificate - HCA-RCA
Robertson College
Certificate - Early Childhood Educator
Northern Lights College
Bachelor's degree - Child and Youth Care
University of Victoria
AWARDS AND HIGHLIGHTS
- 16 years as a Group Daycare Owner received several awards for creating a Reggio centre that brought child-focused Science and Art theories into a cubiculum based on child guided interests ,
- Awarded by the Mayor and Government of BC for outstanding daycare centre/preschool.
- Awarded for growing a needed community business with a developed curriculum that allowed children in the community to learn through art experiences.
- Advocate for 'United for a Paws'.
- NYC Photography school-Certificates in several photography courses.
- Facilitated programs for parents, staff, and college students with success and offered to continually present on children's development, behaviors, 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 art pieces were sold through Ladysmith Art Gallery.