Grace

Gorman
Manager Juniper Early Learning Center

juniperearlylearningcenter.com
202 2049 Highland Place Juniper Ridge, Kamloops BC V2E 0A8
My name is Heather Russell. I am an early childhood educator and special needs educator. I have been
working in the field as an ECE for 26 years, 17 of those years as an inclusion/ special needs consultant for
childcare settings with children. Grace Gorman asked me to write a letter to support her challenging her
third-year practicum of Bachelor of Child and Youth Care. Grace is the Manager at Juniper Early Learning
Center, as well as the Head Teacher of the 3-5 Full Day Program. I met Grace in fall of 2019 when I
consulted with her for a family and child in the 3-5 childcare room in which she was the lead educator.

In the years I have worked with Grace since then, I saw how she observed the children in the program
and planned and implemented activities that engaged children. For children on my caseload, she has
provided me with specific non-biased observations about the child, areas of strength and areas that are
being worked on currently. Grace has gone out of her way to attend family meetings with multi-
discipline therapists and consultant to review goals set up in individual family service plans and to create
new goals and action plans.

I have experienced her openness and eagerness to work together as a team to help children and
families. Her communication skills are excellent, and she always makes me feel welcome when I arrive
for a visit at the center, regardless of the busy environment. She supports the ‘team’, which I was made
to feel a part of very well. She has managed the center while working as lead educator in the 3-5
program and welcomed extra staffing support. The child-care assistants who are assigned to provide
support to specific child/ren and work with all the children become her shared responsibility to direct
and work as a team with. She does this well. Everyone feels like a valued team member due to her
acknowledgement of people’s strengths and giving all an opportunity for input. At group times she
allows guest speakers, sometimes staff or families, to present information about their home countries,
foods, and different ways of living.

Grace adapts and modifies activities to help children reach success. When a new activity has been set up
for children to use in the room, Grace introduced the activity and would sometimes present a
demonstration of “how to” using the required items. She demonstrates knowledge of reaching children
in multi modal methods, visually and spoken words and hands on sensory activities. She posted visual
representation of childcare day on the wall to reduce anxiety in children by helping them know ‘where’
they are in the day, and to help with learning transitions.

With a family who was unaware that their child’s development was delayed, Grace first started building
a relationship with parents, then documented concerns and wrote observations. The family was referred
to the suitable community resource and Grace maintained a good relationship with family. When
working together for a family, Grace has contacted me to set up phone consults to discuss how best to
support family and child. This seems to always be her top priority. Grace has been able to identify when
an additional agreement to care plan is needed, for parents to be called when behaviours escalate, and
the child needs to be picked up early. This is never the first plan of action and is used rarely when
circumstances necessitate showing she has good boundaries and awareness of her role.
Grace is employed at a Montessori based program. The tray activities presented are interesting, and the
children learn Montessori lesson plans and practices. She accommodates for children developing social
emotional skills who need time to practice learning play skills and to build language by allowing play-
based activities to happen. Other adaptations and modifications for children who require them are
present in the program. Tools available for children are a tent, weighted blanket, fidgets for group time,
“first and then” boards, a to offering choices of ‘tools’ to use to paint with to help specific children.

Grace understands the value of having a smaller group of children and splits the group in two to create
smaller group size of eight. In doing so decreasing room noise and creating more opportunities for
children to talk.

I highly recommend Grace be considered for challenging her third practicum of the Bachelor and Youth
Care program she is taking.

If you have any questions, you are welcome to contact me.

Heather Russell ECE

250-371-4100 work
250-377-0792 home

250-574-2279 cell