Working in ECEC

ECE & Admin Job Profiles

This information was last updated on February 1, 2013 prior to the CCHRSC’s dissolution. For more information, please see the message from the Board. 

Video Profiles 

CCHRSC developed a series of video profiles that provide an overview of what it’s like to work in Canada’s early childhood education and care sector. We travelled across Canada interviewing individuals in the sector to find out more about their careers: their roles and responsibilities, educational requirements, challenges and benefits, and what they love about their jobs.

The videos are a great resource for anyone looking for more information about a career in child care. Post-secondary instructors can also use the videos in their classrooms to help demonstrate to students the variety of jobs available in the field.

Gina Gasparrini

Executive Director CPE St. Mary, Montreal, QC
HR is the biggest challenge Gina is faced with as Executive Director of a child care centre. She believes in making the ECEs her focus by providing them with the resources they need to do their job. Here she talks about what HR tools and resources she provides and why they are so important.

Pauline McKay

Cultural Teacher and Part-Time ECE Student Makonsag Aboriginal Head Start Inc., Ottawa, ON
Pauline has a busy schedule, working full-time in a child care centre while also going to school part-time in the evenings. Here she talks about some of her courses and how they apply to her day-to-day work. She also discusses the importance of building culture into the programming offered at Makonsag.

Darcelle Cottons

Director UBC Child Care Services, Vancouver, BC
Darcelle is responsible for running a large multi-centre child care operation. Here she talks about some of the specific skills required of Directors, as well as the critical importance of having sound HR practices in the workplace.

Debbie Thompson

Senior Supervisor UBC Child Care Services, Vancouver, BC
Debbie works in a multi-age program: an environment that combines a toddler program and a 3-5 program. Debbie explains how this new idea provides some unique challenges for the ECEs who are continuing to learn and gain new skills through this experience.

Giovanna Mascaro

Early Childhood Educator CPE St. Mary, Montreal, QC
Not only does Giovanna love working with children, she is also passionate about their growth and development. Giovanna talks about what it's like to work in a hospital workplace setting with preschool age children on a daily basis.

Ina Zakal

Cultural Teacher Ottawa Inuit Children's Centre, Ottawa, ON
Ina has been teaching Inuit culture and language to children for over 30 years. In this video - in both English and Inuktitut - she explains how she brings her Inuit background, knowledge and skills to the program.

Ward Nakata

Senior Infant/Toddler Supervisor UBC Child Care Services, Vancouver, BC
Working with infants and toddlers has it's own challenges and benefits. Ward outlines them here, while also focusing on what he considers to be essential aspects of his job, such as building relationships with parents and mentoring his staff.

Alexandra Baird

Family Child Care Provider St. John's, NL
Alexandra provides licensed family child care out of her home for 6 children between the ages of 1-4. Here she discusses the benefits of operating a home daycare and how it differs from working in a centre with multiple staff and resources. She also talks about the challenges of planning for a mixed-age group.

Trudy Cuza

Home Visitor Family and Child Care Connections, St. Johns, NL
Trudy has been working in the child care sector for 17 years. Her current position involves visiting the homes of regulated home child care providers to ensure the highest quality of care is being provided. Trudy talks about some of the benefits of family child care and why it's important to affiliated with a supervising agency.

Lisa Pinhorn

Board Chair The Children's Centre, St. John's, NL
The Children's Centre is a preschool lead by a parent-run Board of Directors. As Chair, Lisa discusses the roles and responsibilities of the Board, including the relationship with the centre Director. She also discusses how human resources and communication are essential in making sure staff feel valued and appreciated in the workplace.