EvenStart for Children's Society of Calgary is a charitable organization headed by Ilona Boyce, MSW, as Executive Director (Volunteer Position). Ms. Boyce has worked with government and children's services in positions of increasing responsibility for 16 years. She left government in 1995 to start the Heartland Agency and then theEvenStart Society in 1997.
Ms. Boyce is a recognized expert in the field of early childhood programs and is regularly asked to speak at conferences about early intervention initiatives. She has been awarded the Early Childhood Professional Association of Alberta's Children's Service Award for her work. Ms. Boyce is a member of the Board of Directors of the Calgary Drop-in Centre Society, is a member of the Advisory Board for the Faculty of Social Work at Mount Royal College, and chairs the EvenStart for Children Society.
Her organizations
successfully operate Early Childhood Education (ECE), Early Childhood
Services (ECS) and Out-of-School Care programs. EvenStart is an early
intervention program for children three to five years of age. The goal
of the EvenStart Programs is to give children born into hardship, the
same opportunities as those available to their peers.
All programs are based on the most current research in children's services.
The Society's mission statement is that "all children, regardless of
circumstance, need to be supported by their community in order to grow
up healthy, happy and with every opportunity to meet their potential."
Most of our staff have post secondary education.
All of our Teachers hold a minimum Bachelor of Education degree...
Ilona Boyce, MSW
Executive Director
Lynn Millard, BASC (ECE)
Director of Educational Services
Ms. Millard is responsible for the educational component at Heartland. She oversees teachers, educational assistants, and programming.
Ms. Millard has worked in the field of early childhood education for 22 years. She has been involved in all aspects of the field including: infant centres, preschools, parent cooperative preschools, daycare, and kindergarten programs. She brings an extensive knowledge of children, families, and the community to her work at Heartland.
Ms. Millard has a four-year honours degree in Child Studies with a specialty in early childhood education.
Brianna Boyce
Director of Human Resources
Brianna is part of the team responsible for Human Resource functions. As part of the Management Team, she works with the Directors of Clinical Services and Educational Services on the child enrollment process for the EvenStart Program. Ms. Boyce holds a diploma in Business Administration, Management field.
Mandy Goldau
Signal Hill Site Manager &
Director of Transportation Services
Signal
Hill Site Manager, Mandy Goldau
Mandy Goldau is responsible for the coordination of programs at the
Signal Hill and Westside Recreational Centre locations. She manages
the children's registration for the Preschool, ECS and Before and After
School programs as well as summer camp. Together with the Director in
each area, Mandy oversees the school transportation areas as well as
recruitment. She is involved in program development for the Before and
After School Care program as well as summer camp. Mandy has worked at
Heartland Agency since 1995.
Mandy
is a graduate of Southern Alberta Institute of Technology, having completed
her Business Administration Diploma majoring in General Management.
Rebecca Wopnford, BCR
Monterey Park Site Manager &
Program Coordinator
Monterey
Park Site Manager & Program Coordinator, Rebecca Wopnford
Ms. Wopnford is responsible for the coordination of the staff and operations
for the EvenStart programs that operate out of the Monterey Park (NE)
location.Together with the Director in this area, she assists in the
evaluation of the program's effectiveness.Ms.
Wopnford holds a Bachelor of Community Rehabilitation and Disability
Studies degree and has experience working in the community with young
children who have disabilities.
Bobbi-Jo Gaetz,B.Ed., M.Ed., C.Psych.
Clinical Services Director
Ms. Gaetz supervises assessment and therapy services, which include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, and physical therapy. She offers and oversees a play therapy program to assist children in dealing with behavioral issues and/or issues of trauma, abuse and neglect. Ms. Gaetz also acts as a liaison with referring agencies such as Alberta Children's Hospital and Calgary Rockyview Child and Family Services. She has worked in the field of children and youth with special needs for 14 years. Ms. Gaetz is a Chartered Psychologist with her Masters Degree in Applied Psychologist. Previous to working as a Psychologist, she was a teacher.
Tara Janz, R.SLP, M.SLP, S-LP(C)
Speech Pathologist
Ms. Janz is responsible for conducting speech and language assessments and providing subsequent therapy to children in our Even Start programs. Using consultative and direct therapy models, Tara designs and implements treatment programming to support children's communication skills in the classroom. Tara holds a Bachelor of Arts, a Masters degree in Speech-Language Pathology, and a variety of post-graduate certificates. She has experience working in multidisciplinary team settings with preschool and school aged children who have a range of profiles including phonological and articulation delays, oral apraxia, autism, and language disorders.
Judith Kinghorn, B.A., B.Sc. (O.T.)
Occupational Therapist
Judith Kinghorn has been working with children as an Occupational Therapist for 25 years.
She has both a B.A. and a B.Sc. (O.T.). Judith has worked in a variety of settings including the Alberta Children's Hospital, as well as schools, daycares and preschools in both Canada and the United States. Her approach to providing occupational therapy services is play based. She participates in the classroom activities (circle, craft and centre time) and focuses on functional play goals to be achieved within the classroom setting. Judith has a strong interest in showing the effectiveness of occupational therapy. She has conducted a total of four research projects investigating the effectiveness of treatment and published two articles internationally.
Rev. May
2005
Content
Copyright 2001-2005,
EvenStart for Children's; Society of Calgary
www.evenstartsociety.org
Back to McKesson Celebration!