Today’s children are tomorrow’s future.
Back in 2008 Rosemary joined the YMCA as an Early Childhood Educator at the Montclair Child Care Centre. Fast forward 15 years later and Rosemary is a valued Team Leader now at the Y’s Sunningdale Centre and has a warm and compassionate nature.
Before joining the organization as an employee, Rosemary recalls learning how to swim as a child at her local YMCA with her 2 brothers in Windsor. She’s worked with children most of her life, from time spent providing in-home child care alongside looking after her son until he was of school age to work at the Children’s Aid Society with adolescent youth in Ottawa.
“When we moved to Oakville, my son went to school at Sunningdale, so I knew the environment and the teachers long before I started working here. My coworkers: Ryan and Pily are like family.” She beams.
Rosemary has experienced the joy of watching a generation of children grow and flourish at the Before, and After-School Licensed Child Care Programs. On average, a child will stay with the YMCA for 3 or more years and some of the older children who no longer need after-school care often stop by to say “Hi” with smiles on their faces and tales they’re keen to share from their school day.
“Many parents rely on YMCA Licensed Child Care so they can work, and they entrust you with their children – you get to know the parents and it’s a privilege to play a part in a child’s life during those vital first few years. I’ve been invited to hockey games, and celebrated many Grade 8 graduations where I’ve made speeches about their YMCA years… A lot can happen in 3 or 4 years, so I have lots of stories that have made everyone laugh out loud and some kids cry. Happy tears of course!” Rosemary shares.
The team at Sunningdale recently took part in the MEGATHON fundraising event for the Y, collectively all Centres raised over $14,000, which will help many more families in need in our community, to access the YMCA programs, including licensed childcare. The Sunningdale Centre had a blast and that’s in part thanks to Rosemary who got the kids enthused and helped them come up with fun and creative activities throughout their MEGATHON week. This included a themed Pokémon day, a movie night with snacks and many wonderful crafting creations. The kids drew a big colorful thermometer on the whiteboard and took turns coloring it in, so they could keep track of the amount of funds their Centre raised.
During her tenure at the YMCA, Rosemary has gone above and beyond her role, volunteering on various committees and programs, such as Together As Girls (TAG) and Peace Week, and she has made connections with a diverse mix of people across the organization and in our community.
Some of the girls who attended TAG joined after hearing about it through the after-school program at Sunningdale. At TAG girls can come together in a safe environment and talk about things that matter to them, such as self-esteem, body image, peer pressure and how to handle stress, etc. By building relationships and seeing the potential in these young minds Rosemary has been able to make many positive impacts on these young lives. One young girl, now at university was put forward by Rosemary for an Appleby College Scholarship who wouldn’t have dreamed of attending otherwise because of financial barriers. And another has gone on to become a Camp Counsellor for YMCA Summer Day Camp with a glowing reference from Rosemary.
“Today’s children are tomorrow’s future. Children’s’ early experiences and the quality of their care and relationships are crucial during this time. This means your role in child care can have an impact on a child’s entire life” Rosemary reflects. “The Y has grown so much over the years from a small number of child care programs to the largest not-for-profit provider in Oakville. We are a diverse Centre at Sunningdale. There’re kids from single-parent households, 2 dads or 2 moms, and different socioeconomic backgrounds, ethnicity, and religious communities. The diversity of all of us is the one true thing we all have in common.”
Thank you for your dedication, Rosemary and for igniting the potential in young lives.
If a story about the Y has meaning for you and you’re willing to share it, please reach out to Sarah Macdonald at [email protected]. The only thing more important than the words you have to say is the untold lives your story will touch.