Early Childhood Educator in St. Catharines, Ontario

I have experience working with various cultures, a broad range of socio-economic statuses, and varying abilities. I have worked as a Camp Programmer and Counsellor and an educational birthday party facilitator with the Children's Discovery Centre of Niagara. I have completed over 1600 hours of professional experience within a broad range of placements in college and university. These experiences took place in child care centres, elementary school classrooms, public health programs, and a resource library. I worked with JK/SK children in a before and after school program where I planned and implemented full-day curriculum for children ages 4-6. I planned and implemented a series of activities for 3-5 year old children in various child care classrooms within a regional facility. I planned and implemented activities in each of the learning areas & developmental domains in an elementary JK/SK classroom. In this same classroom I assisted the certified teacher in assessment as learning through observations and documentation. I worked with the Infant and Child Development Centre within the public health building where I worked with my preceptors. I was assigned my own child client whom I developed an individualized program to foster their speech and language development. In High School I volunteered in a JK classroom where I assisted a certified teacher with daily tasks; eventually I led activities with the children on my own. In each of these experiences I had opportunities to assess children’s developmental needs and stages in all developmental domains. I was also able to design curriculum to address children’s needs and interests. During both college and university practicums, I gained experience working with children with special needs. I worked closely with an Educational Assistant and a child with autism. I learned about different strategies to implement in order to include children with special needs into the daily curriculum. I worked with children with other developmental delays as well. I have engaged in a great deal of critical reflection on the decisions that I make as an educator, in order to ensure a fair and equitable environment and practice.I understand the concept of inclusion, and have experienced that teaching requires the ability to involve all children in all aspects of planning.