Working in ECEC

Michele Button, Centre Supervisor
City of Toronto Directly Operated Child Care Programs
Toronto, Ontario

Crisis intervention and helping parents deal with social service agencies are parts of Michele Button’s job.

Michele is responsible for supervising three different programs located in inner city neighbourhoods: a child care centre, an infant therapeutic centre and a nursery school/parenting program at a shelter for homeless mothers and pregnant women. She supervises staff, manages budgets, maintains enrolments, evaluates the programs and supports staff.

Michele has a BA in ECE and a B.Ed. She was a child care worker for seven years before becoming a supervisor in the City of Toronto system.

As a supervisor, she is excluded from the union that represents staff in the child care programs. Supervisors earn between $65,000 and $71,000. Michele’s benefits include sick leave, extended health care, short- and long-term disability, and a pension. She gets four weeks vacation a year.

The city’s directly-operated child care system provides her with good peer support, a well-defined infrastructure, and many training and development opportunities.

Michele says it’s great to help families parent. She thrives on successful crisis intervention and not knowing what each workday will bring.