This week, we are proud to introduce another one of our Sprott Shaw Heroes and essential workers, Theresa Martyn. While Theresa may not be working in the healthcare industry, she is every bit just as important as our healthcare professionals as she ensures that young children are still learning and cared for in her field as an Early Childhood Educator.
In 2018, Theresa graduated with Honour Roll distinction in the Early Childhood Education (ECE) program at our Kelowna campus. Today, Theresa is both an Early Childhood Educator and the Centre Manager at Our Lady of Lourdes Angels Academy Childcare Centre in West Kelowna. While this is an incredible experience for Theresa, more opportunities will be coming her way as she will be opening her own education centre this coming September 2020 called Adventure Time Early Learning Centre!
Life as an Early Childhood Educator and Centre Manager
As both an Early Childhood Educator and Centre Manager, an average day at work for Theresa includes overseeing and working directly with the other staff members and children simultaneously. Most of the time, you will find Theresa planning and implementing the learning curriculum and designing provocations to stimulate thinking and creativity for the children.
When she’s not busy strategizing the best ideas for the childcare centre, Theresa is observing the children and their ideas, and helping them develop and expand on those ideas. Throughout the learning centre, it’s important that guidance, care, and creating an inclusive environment for the children are upheld.
In addition to this, Theresa also ensures that all the staff, educators, and teachers follow the protocols and principles stated by the Child Care Licensing Regulations under the Community Care and Assisted Living Act. For Theresa, it’s also important that the centre’s staff have a comfortable and enjoyable working environment, so she works diligently with them to follow through on this.
As someone who is passionate about early childhood education, Theresa’s favourite part of the job is seeing the joy in a child’s eyes when they have a new experience for the first time. She is genuinely grateful that as an Early Childhood Educator, she gets to be a part of the learning experience and journey of so many young children – it’s truly a blessing for her.
From Early Childhood Educator to Learning Centre Owner
This coming September, Theresa will be opening her own center called Adventure Time Early Learning Centre in West Kelowna, which will provide 71 new childcare spaces across 3 programs to families in the Okanagan.
At Adventure Time, the early learning programs are deeply inspired by the Reggio Emilia philosophy, where it’s recognized that each child brings with them a unique perspective on the world and that each child has their own individual interests. With a foundation in this philosophy, the curriculum at Adventure Time is built to reflect that of the children’s interests, allowing them to explore and develop their love of learning in an empowering environment. Through this new learning centre, one of Theresa’s main goals is to encourage the children to foster a lifelong love for learning by providing meaningful opportunities that develop their confidence and lay down a strong foundation for their future.
The programs offered at Adventure Time include 18 morning and 18 afternoon pre-school programs, and 10 out of school spaces for children attending the elementary school nearby. By 2021, Theresa hopes to expand her program to offer infant care.
For Theresa, “it’s been a lifelong dream for [her] to open a centre that can provide quality inclusive care to all children. Sprott Shaw was essential in making this happen. Carla Hees, [her] professor, not only inspired [her] to make this dream come true, but gave [her] a new passion for [their] industry.”
It’s incredible to see the inspiring accomplishments our students set out to do! Congratulations, Theresa on achieving your lifelong dream – we are so proud of you and can’t wait to see the lives of young children you’ll change through Adventure Time.
