Provincial Child Care Council

Kim Adamson is an Early Childhood Educator who has worked in a wide range of child care and early childhood development programs over the past 45 years. She has held senior leadership roles with the YMCA of Greater Vancouver, the United Way of the Lower Mainland and Kootenay Kids Society in Nelson. Ms. Adamson currently works as a consultant supporting organizations developing new child care programs. In 2004, Kim completed an MBA in Executive Management from Royal Roads University.

Appointment Date: 22/12/2021

Kirsten Bevelander is the Co-Manager of the Aboriginal Child Care Resource and Referral Program for the BC Aboriginal Child Care Society and an instructor for the Early Childhood Education Program at Burnaby Community and Continuing Education. For over 30 years she has worked in non-profit settings with children, families, and educators including a wide variety of volunteer, front-line and senior leadership positions for agencies such as the Association of Neighbourhood Houses of British Columbia, YWCA Metro Vancouver, the British Columbia Centre for Ability and UBC Child Care Services. Ms. Bevelander holds a Diploma in Early Childhood Education from Vancouver Community College.

Appointment Date: 31/03/2023

Julia is a faculty member and coordinator of the Early Childhood Care and Education program at Capilano University.  She has worked with non-profit, private and Indigenous organizations as an early childhood educator, educator mentor, and in the advocacy for and building of early childhood care and education facilities.  Previously, Ms. Black was the Coordinator of a Children First and Success by 6 community mobilization project in Sea to Sky Corridor. Her current work with future early childhood educators reflects her commitment to leadership and advocacy, the ethics of care and supporting relationships among educators, children and families within early childhood contexts. Ms. Black holds an Masters of Business Administration from Athabasca University. Current graduate work focuses on the relationship worlds of infants and toddlers and the influence of cultural values and beliefs on pedagogical practice.  

Appointment Date: 31/03/2023

Deb Bryant is a consultant in strategy, policy and leadership. She has held several senior leadership roles, including CEO for YWCA Metro Vancouver and for the Association of Neighbourhood Houses of British Columbia.  She is committed to supporting the development of policies and systems that ensure our children get off to the best possible start.  Ms. Bryant has a Masters in Leadership from Royal Roads University.

Appointment Date: 22/07/2022

Rita Chudnovsky is currently retired. Until 2009, Ms. Chudnovsky was a faculty member in Child, Family and Community Studies at Douglas College. Previously, she was a community consultant for projects related to early childhood and community engagement. She was also an acting deputy advocate for the Office of Child, Youth & Family Advocate. Before those ventures, Ms. Chudnovsky was the first Children’s Advocate for the City of Vancouver where she authored Vancouver’s first Civil Child Care Strategy. Active within her community, she is a member of the Board of Directors of the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC where she works to advance a solution to B.C.’s current child care crisis. Ms. Chudnovsky holds her Bachelor of Arts from the University of British Columbia and her Masters of Education from Simon Fraser University.

Appointment Date: 31/12/2021

Darcy Dennis is currently a Cultural Advisor for the Prince George Native Friendship Centre, as well as a Regional Indigenous Engagement Coordinator for the United Way of Northern British Columbia. Previously he was the Family Development Coordinator for Lheidli T'enneh. Active in his community, Mr. Dennis was a Councilor for the Lake Babine Nation and a Board of Directors for the Carney Hill Neighbourhood Centre. He holds a Degree in Early Childhood Education from the College of New Caledonia.

Appointment Date: 10/02/2021

Andrea Duncan is the vice president of community social services at the British Columbia Government and Service Employees' Union. Previously, she was a senior educator for the Sea to Sky Community Services Society; a special needs coordinator for L'Ecole Bilingue; and an early childhood educator for L'Ecole Bilingue. Active in her community, Ms. Duncan serves as a strategic partner for Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC, First Call Coalition, West Coast Leaf, CCPA-10aday research, and Early Childhood Educators BC. In addition, she also serves for the Community Action Initiative on the leadership council; Board Voice as a partner; and Inclusion BC as a strategic partner and sponsor. Ms. Duncan holds her Early Childhood Education Certificate and Special Needs Education Diploma from Langara College.

Appointment Date: 31/12/2021

Jason Gordon is currently a Provincial Advisor for the British Columbia Association for Child Development and Intervention. Preciously he was a Research Coordinator at the University of British Columbia, Okanogan campus, as well as a Pediatric Therapy Recruitment Coordinator for the British Columbia Centre for Ability. Active in his Community, Mr. Gordon is a Minor Basketball Coach in Kelowna. He holds a Bachelors in Physiotherapy from the University of British Columbia and a Masters in Health Studies from the University of Athabasca.

Appointment Date: 10/02/2021

Charlene Gray lives and works on the unceded Traditional Territory of the K'omoks First Nation. She has been an early childhood educator for over 30 years and is currently the Senior Manager for the Comox Valley Children's Day Care Society. She is an ECEBC Best Choices Ethical Journey Guide and a Board member of the Canadian Child Care Federation.

Appointment Date: 22/12/2021

Danielle Sayers-Jimeno, is a qualified Early Childhood Educator and Child and Youth Care professional who has been supporting children and families for over 30 years. She presently works as the Director of Early Years, within the Ministry of Education, at Métis Nation British Columbia (MNBC) and has previous experience in a variety of settings, including organizational roles leading staff teams, as well as experience working with children who have neuro-diverse backgrounds and children and their families who have complex trauma histories. Ms. Jimeno has a Bachelor's of Child and Youth Care, from the University of Victoria, in the specialty stream of the Early Years, as well as a diploma in Early Childhood Education with her Infant Toddler and Special Needs certification. Ms. Jimeno is Métis and has recently applied for her Métis Citizenship through MNBC.

Appointment Date: 31/03/2023

Rena Laberge is the owner/operator of Buddy Bears Family Child Care in Victoria, a past Chair of the BC Family Child Care Association, Past President of Southern Vancouver Island Family Child Care Association and owner of Felt Stories by Rena. Ms. Laberge has been a licensed family child-care provider for more than 20 years in Victoria, and believes in the need for child-care providers to have access to inexpensive activities that enhance children's learning experiences and allow them to learn while playing.

Appointment Date: 22/12/2021

Vera LeFranc is Chief Operating Officer of Elizabeth Fry Society of Greater Vancouver. Previously Ms. LeFranc was Manger of Community Projects for Vancity Community Foundation and a Councillor for the City of Surrey. Active in her community, she was Founding Chair of the Surrey Urban Aboriginal Social Innovation Strategy and Co-Chair of the Surrey Poverty Reduction Strategy and Coalition. Ms. LeFranc holds a Bachelor of Arts from Simon Fraser University.

Appointment Date: 10/02/2021

Jessica Liu lives in Maple Ridge with her husband and two children. She graduated from Simon Fraser University where she majored in Finance and Accounting. Her passion, however, has always been Early Childhood Educator. Ms. Liu has a huge passion for spending time with young children and went back to school to receive AMI Montessori and IT-ECE Certificates. She believes that children are our future and early childhood educators play an important role in guiding children to become more confident and independent. She has been working in the ECE field for almost 10 years and loves to work with others so that we can best serve our children.

Appointment Date: 31/03/2023

Leslie Louie is from the Tla’amin Nation and has 13 years of experience as an Early Childhood Educator, before transitioning into the Health and Social Work field. She completed her Bachelor of Social Degree with Vancouver Island University in December 2021. Since April 2022, she has been working as the Early Childhood Education Manager for the Tla’amin Nation Child Development Resource Center and the new či čʊy ʔaye Children’s House, which offers Infant Toddler, 3-5 Year and Preschool programs.  In addition, her programs supports families through programs such as Early Childhood Outreach, Indigenous Supported Child Development, Speech and Language, Occupational Therapy and Physiotherapy. Ms. Louie is enthusiastic about including culture, language, and land-based learning opportunities into early childhood curriculum.

Appointment Date: 31/03/2023

Cindy Page (she/hers) lives and works on the unceded territories of the lək̓ʷəŋən People (also known as the Songhees and Esquimalt Nation). She been an ECEC Instructor for 20 years, and was a former program chair at Northern Lights College. She is a Board member of the Community Care and Assisted Living Appeal Tribunal, the Early Childhood Educators of BC, and sits on the Learning Outside Together committee. She is certified as an Early Childhood Educator in BC and has worked as a licensing officer, a CCRR consultant, and in direct care including licensed family and small group child care. She was a recipient of ECEBC’s Gayle Davies Award, has a diploma in Child and Youth Care, and a Masters of Learning and Technology.

Appointment Date: 31/03/2023

Tyler Summers is Principle at The Summers Life Creative Inc, a creative agency with a focus on learning spaces and education. Mr. Summers is also an Early Childhood Care and Education Instructor for Vancouver Community College and a Freelance Educator Consultant. Active in his community, he is Chair of the Vancouver Community College ECCE Program Advisory Committee. Previously Mr. Summers was Chair of School Age Child Care Association of British Columbia and a Co-Chair of Vancouver Middle School Matters Steering Committee. He holds an Early Childhood Care and Education Diploma.

Appointment Date: 10/02/2021

James Teng is the Director of Little Koala Montessori Academy and the Executive Director of Canadian Southwestern College. Teng has over a decade of experience in operating childcare facilities in the Lower Mainland. James is passionate about the Montessori philosophy and has been training Montessori educators through his teacher training program in recent years. He is a member of the American Montessori Society and the Early Childhood Educators of BC. Teng holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication and a Bachelor of Business from Monash University in Australia. 

Appointment Date: 10/02/2021

Calvin Tse is a globally experienced business leader having gathered expertise in high-tech, banking, and healthcare industries. He is a founding member of the Organic Early Learning organization and currently serving in the role of General Manager. Calvin found his passion in education and early childhood development after meeting like-minded parents and educators who felt strongly about setting higher standards for child care. He is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP), holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Simon Fraser University, and is an alumni of the Executive MBA program at Queen's University. Among his personal interests, Calvin enjoys exploring all over the province of BC through highways and Forestry Service Roads alike, and he is also a golf nut on an endless pursuit to play golf courses all around the world.

Appointment Date: 31/03/2023

Taya Whitehead is Dean of Health and Human Services for Selkirk College. Ms. Whitehead has 20 years experience as an Early Childhood Educator. Previously she was School Chair – Health and Human Services and a Human Services Instructor for Selkirk College. Active in her community, Ms. Whitehead is Treasurer of Kootenay Family Place and Secretary for Canadian Child Care Federation. Previously she was President of Early Childhood Educator of BC. Ms. Whitehead received the Gaye Davies Award from Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia. She holds a Master of Arts in Integrated Studies Adult Education and Community Studies from Athabasca University and a Bachelor of Arts in Child and Youth Care from the University of Victoria.

Appointment Date: 10/02/2021

Bev Young is the Superintendent of Schools for the Okanagan-Similkameen School District.  Previously, Ms. Young was Superintendent of Schools for the Bulkley Valley.  She is one of the longest serving superintendents in the province of British Columbia, having been in this leadership role since 2008.  Ms. Young is an experienced educator and leader committed to equity and improved outcomes for all in a thriving public education system.  Bev has served students and families as a teacher, vice-principal, principal, assistant-superintendent, and superintendent of schools.  Active in her community, she is a member on various committees of the British Columbia Superintendents Association.

Appointment Date: 10/02/2021