Janet Boutilier

Registrar/Faculty

Janet has been active in the role of Registrar at NSCECE since 1991.  She has seen over seven hundred students graduate from the early childhood educator’s program.  As Registrar, she maintains student records and oversees the recruitment, admissions, and registration process.  She has also developed courses in Communications, Research Issues and Interpersonal Skills.  She is a certified facilitator for Personality Dimensions and Instructor at NSCECE.

In addition to teaching courses she also offers professional development workshops in team building and working well with families.  Janet’s outside interests include: Zumba, Book Club and Dress for Success Halifax.

Phone: 902-423-7114 Ext. 226

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Kathleen Biggs

Admissions and Recruitment

Kathleen has been with the college since 2007 and brings 30+ years’ work experience in the private and public sector. As Admissions Officer Kathleen provides a high standard of service in a friendly and welcoming manner and is a valuable team member. Her educational background includes Accounting Certificate, DRVS; Executive Secretarial Diploma, MSVU; Certified Professional Secretary®, International Association of Administrative Professionals; First Aid Instructor, St. John’s Ambulance.

Tel: 902 423-7114 Ext. 225

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Emily Martinello

Faculty Coordinator

Emily Martinello has been working with NSCECE since the fall of 2012, first as a practicum advisor and now as an instructor. She brings with her a background in Early Intervention, supporting families with young children with special needs. She came from Ontario to pursue a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Study at Mount Saint Vincent University, and recently completed her Master of Arts in Child and Youth Study.

She has been published in the Journal of Sexuality and Disability and provides workshops in the Early Learning and Care community about children’s healthy sexual development. She is passionate about lifelong learning and is thrilled to be part of a team that values education and collaboration.

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Shannon Harrison

Practicum Coordinator

Shannon has been in Early Childhood Education since 1989. She has had many wonderful and varied opportunities to work with young children and their families as a toddler educator, a centre director and a consultant. Shannon has a Diploma in Early Childhood Education, a Certificate in Adult Education and a Degree in Business Administration.

Shannon coordinates Practicum and Guided Workplace Experiences for NSCECE students. Child Care centres that are interested in hosting a practicum student and Early Childhood Educators interested in exploring the possibility of becoming a practicum advisor are also invited to contact Shannon.

Shannon also is the coordinator for our online learning platform. This is an exciting new venture that will help to meet the needs of our diverse workforce of current and future educators.

If you have any inquiries about practicum or online learning, you can reach Shannon at [email protected] or 902-423-7114 ext. 232.

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Jessica Landry

Lab School Designate (Leeds Street)

Jessica Landry is an Early Childhood Educator with over ten years’ experience working with young children. Jessica has been working with NSCECE since May 2010, first as an Educator at Leeds Street Child Care Centre and more recently continuing her passion with lifelong learning with education and mentoring as a Practicum Advisor to students and educators. Still working at Leeds Street Child Care Centre Jessica was recognized for her innovation and excellence in the field and was the 2019 Prime Minister Award Recipient of Excellence in Early Childhood Education. Jessica is gaining experience and knowledge in leadership and mentoring through many administrative roles and responsibilities. Jessica is pursuing her Early Childhood Administrator – Continuing Education Course at Mount Saint Vincent University.

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Sheri Evans

Lab School Designate (Mawio'mi)

Sheri received her Early Childhood Education diploma from St. Joseph’s College in 1998. Since graduation she had the privilege of working along side many great mentors and ECE’s. In 2003 she joined NSCECE, Akerley Child Care Centre as an educator, but then pursued a role as practicum advisor, contact teacher and most recently designate. In 2018, she attended MSVU for the ECE administration course and since then has been putting these skills into her daily work. In August 2020 she accepted a transferred and is now working at one of our sister locations Mawio’mi Child Care Center.

Sheri enjoys spending her downtime with her husband and 3 children. If she isn’t at the rink you can find her at the ballfield always cheering on her children and their teams.

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Susan Baker

Faculty

Hello, I’m Susan I live in Dartmouth with my cat Callum. I have a grown son, Justin who lives in Dartmouth as well. In my spare time I love to paint, knit and sew. I work at Tallahassee Children’s Centre as Assistant Director and teach Preschool and in the School Age Program. I’ve worked with children professionally since 1992 after graduating from St. Joseph’s College, now known as Nova Scotia College of Early Childhood Education. I’ve done many courses and workshops since graduating trying to keep on top of what’s current in the field, including completing my Certification in Early Childhood. I have attended the Management in Early Childhood Setting course at Mount Saint Vincent and obtained my Adult Education Certification from Dalhousie University. I’ve taught Music for Young Children at Jane Norman College and I also work for N.S.C.E.C.E teaching Play as Curriculum. I’m looking forward to meeting students and giving them support on their journey to becoming an Early childhood Educator!

I love to learn which motivates me to teach.

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Jennifer Brown

Faculty

Jennifer has been an Early Childhood Educator for more than 20 years and has co-learned in play-based environments with children of various ages.  Since completing her Early Childhood Education Diploma at Seneca College and her Bachelor of Arts in Psychology at York University, Jennifer continues to learn and grow, and is fascinated by how relationships shape learning.  Most of Jennifer’s experience as an Early Childhood Educator has taken place at a large childcare centre in Toronto where she had the opportunity to create meaningful learning communities with children and families, as well as mentor Early Childhood Education students from a variety of colleges.  After some time spent in supervisory roles at two child care centres, Jennifer worked within the public sector as a Child Care Consultant providing support and guidance to early learning staff within licensed child care centres.  Currently, Jennifer is enjoying her work within the Public Libraries system, as she creates warm and supportive learning environments for children and their families.  Jennifer is passionate about building joyful communities where children can thrive.

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Shannon Brown

Faculty

Shannon graduated as an Early Childhood Educator 25+ years ago, following the completion of a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Sociology/Psychology. After receiving her ECE diploma, Shannon worked in before/after school child care programs, kindergarten child care programs and operated a home child care program. In 2002, Shannon was hired by the Municipal Government as a Resource Consultant in an Ontario Early Years Centre and then moved to the role of regional Early Literacy Specialist. In 2007 Shannon accepted the position of Supervisor responsible for the operations of four regional Ontario Early Years Centres, the Data Analysis Coordinator Program, Infant Hearing Screening, Child Care Fee Subsidy, Early Literacy Consultation and Child Care Quality Improvement supports. In 2017, Shannon was appointed to the position of Children’s Services Department Manager and continues to work in this role where she is responsible for the planning and service management of a child care and early years system serving thirteen municipalities with a total population of 100,000 people. 

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Jane Cawley

Faculty

Jane Cawley is an early childhood/adult educator with 45 years of experience working with children, families, and educators. After retiring as the Executive Director of NSCECE in 2016 Jane joined the Lawson Foundation funded Physical Literacy in the Early Years (PLEY) Project at Dalhousie University. She can also be found teaching a course or two at MSVU and at NSCECE. Jane is committed to excellence in the education of young children and in the education and professional development of those who teach them.

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Taylor Chinenere

Faculty

Taylor has been working with NSCECE since Autumn 2020. She brings with her a background in supporting infants, young children, and their families holistically as a birth and postpartum doula, infant massage instructor, program facilitator, and director of a play space in a family resource centre.
Her guiding philosophy is that nurturing, centering, and uplifting families is our role as members of “the village” that raise our next generation. Taylor completed her degree in Child and Youth Studies at Mount Saint Vincent University in Halifax, and her thesis research explored the historical emergence and patterns of child rearing advice to mothers from the early 20th century to present.

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Erin Harvey

Faculty

Erin has been working with young children for over 15 years. She specializes in working with children with disabilities, both locally and internationally. She received a Master of Arts in Early Childhood Studies from Ryerson University where she completed a thesis researching alternative therapies for young children with mental health concerns.

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Maggie MacNevin

Faculty

Maggie began working in the field of early childhood education in 2007. She has worked in childcare and family resource, and taught pre-primary at Armbrae Academy and the Shambhala School. More recently, she was involved in two research projects at Ryerson University, exploring social inclusion of children with disabilities, and ‘race’ and racism in early childhood education. She also worked as an instructor in the undergraduate Early Childhood Studies program at Ryerson, supervising practicum students.

In 2019, Maggie returned to Halifax after six years in Toronto. She joined the NSCECE team in the summer of 2020.

Maggie holds an MA in Early Childhood Studies from Ryerson and a BA in Child and Youth Studies from MSVU. 
 
She doesn’t have much spare time these days, but if she did, she would love to run, cycle, swim, bake, and read a book. She is usually found chasing after her two young sons.  

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Cathy Ramos

Faculty

Cathy Ramos is an early childhood educator who began her work in the sector more than 20 years ago.  Her experiences include working with children of all ages; supporting children and families in inclusive childcare programs; team building and supporting ECEs in an administrative role; and currently supporting childcare programs as an Early Childhood Development Consultant.  Cathy is also an adult educator and has been NSCECE faculty as well as a facilitator for a variety of professional development opportunities.  Being active in the field of early childhood is also very important to Cathy as she has had voluntary roles on the boards of directors of the NSCCA and the Canadian Child Care Federation.

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Valerija Reljić

Faculty

Valerija has over 25 years of professional experience working with children, youth and families in various roles such as: Early Childhood Educator, Child Mental Health Worker, Youth Care Worker and Educational Support Worker. She is originally from Bosnia and Herzegovina and immigrated to Canada during a war in her homeland.

Valerija obtained a Diploma in Early Childhood Education from a Teacher’s College in her country, then continued her education in Canada. She graduated from Mount Saint Vincent University with a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology/Sociology (2000) and Masters in Child and Youth Study (2004). In her research thesis, she focused on immigrant youth from the Former Yugoslavia and their experiences as newcomers in Canada.

Valerija has been working at the IWK Health Centre with the Mental Health and Addictions Program supporting children, youth and families within the Adolescent Intensive Services. She also presented several workshops at the NSCECE, offered as professional development for Early Childhood Educators.

Valerija recently completed the Adult Education Certificate program at Dalhousie University (2021).

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Sarah Silver

Faculty

Sarah Silver has worked in Early Childhood Education since 1998. She has had the opportunity to work in varying settings with children and families across Nova Scotia.

She has a Diploma in Early Childhood Studies, Degree in Child and Youth Study and Certificate in Management in Early Childhood.

Sarah has worked as an ECE in Family Resource Centres, Child Care Centres, and Respite Care with children of all ages. Her passion for supporting children and families in inclusive early learning programs led her to support and mentor ECEs in administrative roles as a Program Coordinator as well as Executive Director.

Sarah has a passion for learning, facilitation, and resource development. Currently Sarah supports Early Learning Programs as an Early Childhood Development Consultant.

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Susan Stacey

Faculty

Susan has been in the ECE profession for over 30 years in various roles, such as: Early Childhood Educator, Director, Practicum Advisor, College Instructor and Consultant. She has worked in both Canada and the U.S., and is particularly interested in curriculum approaches, literacy, and art. She presents and writes regularly on these topics, and is inspired by approaches from Reggio Emilia and inquiry-based practices.

Susan studied at MSVU here in Halifax and at Pacific Oaks College in Pasadena, CA.

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Courteny White

Faculty

Courteny is from a small village located in Guysborough County, she now resides just outside of HRM. She graduated from Mount Saint Vincent University and has experience working in childcare settings as well as experience as a Behavioural Interventionist in British Columbia working primarily with children who have Autism, she is currently the lead ECE for a Pre-Primary program within HRCE and absolutely loves it. 

In her spare time Courteny can be found with her family, camping and swimming are some of their favourite activities. She also enjoys crafting especially with her Cricut.

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Michelle Williams

Student Counsellor

My name is Michelle Williams and I am excited to be joining the NSCECE team as your Student Counsellor.  Last year, I graduated from the University of Manitoba with my Bachelor of Social Work degree.  I started and ended my degree while working for the Early Intensive Behaviour Intervention Program (EIBI) through the IWK and NSH and while raising my three children.  In my current position as a Community Outreach Worker in Mental Health and Addictions, I spend time with clients developing plans and helping them to implement strategies to meet their goals.  While working in the community, I take great pleasure in linking people to Nova Scotia Health’s Mental Health and Addictions services and linking services to community partners.  As a student counsellor, I can support you with creating realistic and measurable change in order to better manage stressors during challenging times.  Brief intervention sessions can include solution focused approaches for wellbeing, managing mood, sleep hygiene, skills for problem solving and mindfulness. 

In my spare time, I enjoy spending time with my family and our dog, renovating my century home and playing my ukulele.

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Susan Willis

Faculty

Sue Willis is the Executive Director of Point Pleasant Child Care Centre, a non-profit organization with three locations in Halifax.  She is also the President of Willis & Associates, Early Learning and Care Consultants, part time faculty at the Nova Scotia College of Early Childhood Education and a long-time advocate for quality early learning and care programs for young children.

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