Healthy Kids • Y Stories • YMCA Child Care
YMCA 50 Years of Child Care: Carlotta and Olivia’s Story
09 November 2018 - by YMCA of Greater Toronto
At the Y, we are committed to delivering the highest quality of care possible to children and families in the communities we serve. Every day our Child Care staff strives to help make the Y a safe and welcoming place for children of all ages. Recognizing their roles as a caregiver, trusted adult, and an advocate for children, our staff holds a tremendous amount of value in the health, safety, and well-being of each child that comes into our care; all of which does not go unnoticed by our community, parents, and most importantly, our children. Every year our staff actively participates in ongoing trainings and development opportunities to establish new skills while fine-tuning old ones. At the Y, we are blessed to be surrounded by a community that cares and acknowledges the hard work, commitment and dedication our staff brings to the table. On behalf of YGTA, thank you to all our parents and community members who take the time to acknowledge our great staff, and shine a light on some life-changing stories.
Carlotta Casino-Winston’s daughter, Olivia, attended Child Care at the Oscar Peterson YMCA in Stouffville, ON for two years. In June of 2017, Olivia had an unexpected seizure, and the Child Care staff, trained for such incidents, jumped into action, making sure Olivia was safe and comforted throughout. This is the letter Carlotta sent to Dianne Taylor, York Region Child Care General Manager at the YMCA of Greater Toronto.
Dear Dianne,
My name is Carlotta Casino-Winston, parent to Olivia Avery Winston, who is presently enrolled at YMCA Oscar Peterson Daycare in Stouffville. I felt it necessary to send this email as a written testimony of the wonderful Child Care staff at the Oscar Peterson YMCA. I feel extremely fortunate and blessed to have my daughter Olivia attending YMCA Child Care for various reasons, but most importantly, for the safety policies and procedures in place, coupled with excellent staff calibre and compassion shown towards my daughter day after day.
Case in point: on the day of June 27, 2017 the Child Care staff working that day, Julie, Nadine and Ainsley, sprang into swift action to medically assist Olivia when she had an unexpected seizure during her afternoon nap. It was during routine monitoring when Nadine noticed that Olivia’s hand was twitching, followed by her upper body. Nadine quickly threw off Olivia’s blanket and alerted Julie of the situation. The two immediately called for an ambulance, then Nadine called me to inform me of what had transpired. You can imagine how devastated and scared I was to receive this news, but I credit Nadine’s calm and detailed delivery of the event as the main factor in my own ability to think fast on my feet and remain calm in that moment. Nadine reassured me every step of the way that everything was being done to keep Olivia safe.
I was also very relieved and thankful that Julie went above and beyond the call of duty to accompany Olivia in the ambulance as she was escorted to the hospital. I was so worried when I couldn’t make it to the daycare in time to accompany Olivia to the hospital myself, but was quickly relieved knowing that Julie — who Olivia just absolutely adores — was with her. Ainsley was also extremely instrumental in making sure that Olivia was safe and calm during the entire ordeal while they waited for the EMTs to arrive.
I now understand why Olivia constantly labels Julie, Nadine and Ainsley are her best friends at daycare. She feels safe and cared for with them, and there are no words to express my deepest gratitude to these three people for all that they do on a daily basis. In my view, they perform the most important job in the world keeping our children safe, happy, and thriving all day, every day.
I applaud you and whomever was involved in the hiring decisions to recruit exceptional people such as Julie, Nadine and Ainsley. It is your actions and smart decisions that gives comfort to us parents every day we drop off our children at one of your facilities. THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER for implementing and putting in place countless procedures and policies to keep our children safe and secure, and for laying the groundwork for them to achieve success in their school years ahead.
I sincerely hope that this letter goes a long way towards recognizing the valuable contributions of the staff at YMCA Oscar Peterson daycare. They have a made a tremendously positive and lasting impact on my family’s life with the professionalism and compassion they showed in medically assisting Olivia, and for every day they come in contact with her. I am eternally grateful to have Olivia in such competent hands.
Sincerely,
Carlotta Casino-Winston and Duncan Winston (parents of Olivia Avery Winston)
This year, we’re proud to be celebrating 50 years of Child Care Excellence.
To see more stories from across The Y, click here.
[vimeo 299478932 w=640 h=360]
Carlotta Casino-Winston’s daughter, Olivia, attended Child Care at the Oscar Peterson YMCA in Stouffville, ON for two years. In June of 2017, Olivia had an unexpected seizure, and the Child Care staff, trained for such incidents, jumped into action, making sure Olivia was safe and comforted throughout. This is the letter Carlotta sent to Dianne Taylor, York Region Child Care General Manager at the YMCA of Greater Toronto.
Dear Dianne,
My name is Carlotta Casino-Winston, parent to Olivia Avery Winston, who is presently enrolled at YMCA Oscar Peterson Daycare in Stouffville. I felt it necessary to send this email as a written testimony of the wonderful Child Care staff at the Oscar Peterson YMCA. I feel extremely fortunate and blessed to have my daughter Olivia attending YMCA Child Care for various reasons, but most importantly, for the safety policies and procedures in place, coupled with excellent staff calibre and compassion shown towards my daughter day after day.
Case in point: on the day of June 27, 2017 the Child Care staff working that day, Julie, Nadine and Ainsley, sprang into swift action to medically assist Olivia when she had an unexpected seizure during her afternoon nap. It was during routine monitoring when Nadine noticed that Olivia’s hand was twitching, followed by her upper body. Nadine quickly threw off Olivia’s blanket and alerted Julie of the situation. The two immediately called for an ambulance, then Nadine called me to inform me of what had transpired. You can imagine how devastated and scared I was to receive this news, but I credit Nadine’s calm and detailed delivery of the event as the main factor in my own ability to think fast on my feet and remain calm in that moment. Nadine reassured me every step of the way that everything was being done to keep Olivia safe.
I was also very relieved and thankful that Julie went above and beyond the call of duty to accompany Olivia in the ambulance as she was escorted to the hospital. I was so worried when I couldn’t make it to the daycare in time to accompany Olivia to the hospital myself, but was quickly relieved knowing that Julie — who Olivia just absolutely adores — was with her. Ainsley was also extremely instrumental in making sure that Olivia was safe and calm during the entire ordeal while they waited for the EMTs to arrive.
I now understand why Olivia constantly labels Julie, Nadine and Ainsley are her best friends at daycare. She feels safe and cared for with them, and there are no words to express my deepest gratitude to these three people for all that they do on a daily basis. In my view, they perform the most important job in the world keeping our children safe, happy, and thriving all day, every day.
I applaud you and whomever was involved in the hiring decisions to recruit exceptional people such as Julie, Nadine and Ainsley. It is your actions and smart decisions that gives comfort to us parents every day we drop off our children at one of your facilities. THANK YOU A MILLION TIMES OVER for implementing and putting in place countless procedures and policies to keep our children safe and secure, and for laying the groundwork for them to achieve success in their school years ahead.
I sincerely hope that this letter goes a long way towards recognizing the valuable contributions of the staff at YMCA Oscar Peterson daycare. They have a made a tremendously positive and lasting impact on my family’s life with the professionalism and compassion they showed in medically assisting Olivia, and for every day they come in contact with her. I am eternally grateful to have Olivia in such competent hands.
Sincerely,
Carlotta Casino-Winston and Duncan Winston (parents of Olivia Avery Winston)
This year, we’re proud to be celebrating 50 years of Child Care Excellence.
To see more stories from across The Y, click here.
[vimeo 299478932 w=640 h=360]
