Staff

The staff at CENTENNIAL brings a vast array of experience and diversity to their work. Many have been associated with the CENTENNIAL community for many years as parents, volunteers and students.

CENTENNIAL is overseen by a Board of Directors and run on a daily basis by an Executive Director. The staff consists of an office administrator, five preschool teachers, a gross motor coordinator, occupational therapist, two volunteer coordinators, a team of early childhood interventionists, a housekeeper and building manager.

Executive Director
responsible for the overall operations of the Centre. She consults with a variety of professionals about the challenges faced by children with special needs and their families, networks to keep updated on new developments in the field and deals with the ongoing changes in government structure and funding. She is supported in her work by an office administrator and numerous unsung, seldom-seen heroes balancing the books, communicating with government officials and helping to run the non profit organization.

Centre Operations Manager
is responsible for the management of the Preschool and Kindergarten Programs, as well as the property at 1580 Yonge St.

Preschool and Kindergarten Staff
consists of five teachers with backgrounds in child development, early childhood education, elementary school education, special education and has extensive experience both personally and professionally working with children and their families. They work in collaboration with a team of professionals which include: a gross motor coordinator, occupational therapists and speech and language pathologists to plan the specific individual programs for the children and supervise the volunteers working with them to ensure that the children develop to their fullest potential.

Early Childhood Interventionists
have backgrounds in child development, early childhood education, nursing, developmental service work and occupational therapy. Each year they provide in-home service to over 300 children birth to five years of age. They are often the first contact parents have with professional educators after the birth of their child with special needs. They bring great sensitivity and empathy to their work.

Special Needs Resource Consultants
support a cluster of over 20 childcare centres in Toronto that include children with special needs. Staff training is also an integral part of the program support provided by the Consultants.

Gross Motor Coordinator
works directly with the preschool staff contributing to the children’s individual programs, supervising their gross motor program and assisting with the children’s feeding requirements. She helps families access specialized equipment and assistive devices for their children.

Occupational Therapist
works in the early intervention program and consults to the preschool program on a part-time basis. She supports the children, families and staff to effectively meet the children’s fine motor, sensory and feeding needs.

Speech/Language Pathologist
available on a consultative basis to the teachers and volunteers in the preschool program and the infant workers. She supports the children’s communication needs and collaborates on the implementation of augmentative communication systems. Staff members teach community college courses, give workshops and supervise university, college, high school and medical students who come to CENTENNIAL for placements. The staff members are committed to ongoing professional development and have certification in CPR and First Aid.