Healthy Kids • Y Stories • YMCA Child Care
YMCA 50 Years of Child Care: Like Mother, Like Daughter (Nadine & Dayna’s Story)
15 February 2019 - by Dawn Yan
We’ve all experienced an “aha!” moment at one point or another in our lives. For many of us, this critical moment came when we were deciding what career path to begin; it’s the moment that you look back at and say: “That’s it! That was what set me on the path to my career today.” For some of us, this moment was a College or University elective we fell in love with. And for others, it was a heart-to-heart conversation with an old professor or placement supervisor who saw potential in our strengths and encouraged us to pursue a particular career or path.
Whether you stumbled upon it by chance or by fate, this moment is when many of us discovered something that we wanted to pursue for the rest of our lives. And for Dayna, this couldn’t be more true. Dayna’s “aha!” moment arrived when she was a child – much earlier than it did for others – and is what ultimately led her to work for the Y today.
While Dayna just recently started her career as an Early Childhood Educator, her relationship with our Child Care programs go way back. In fact, to say “as far back as she can remember” would be an understatement.
Dayna first encountered the Y when she was just a baby. Enrolled in the only YMCA Infant Program in Thornhill, ON (at the time), Dayna also attended YMCA Child Care & Summer Camps as she grew up—meaning the work of our staff and our various programs formed an integral part of her childhood. Having experienced first hand how our curriculum meets the needs of every child, as well as how our Child Care staff values, respects and positively impacts the lives of kids, Dayna was determined to make a similar, lasting impact in other children’s lives when she grew up. After all, having been part of countless Child Care programs for so many years, Dayna already considered the Y as family—but in her case, that sense of family was both figurative and literal.
In fact, Dayna’s inspiration stretches far beyond her rich personal history with the Y.
For over 39 years now, Dayna’s mother, Nadine, has been a part of the YMCA Child Care Team. When Nadine first started at the Y, she began working in our Summer programs and since then has taken on a variety of different roles, including her current position as the District Manager of York Region for YMCA Child and Family Development. It was Nadine’s connection to, and trust in, the program that led her to enroll both her daughters, Robbi and Dayna, in various YMCA Child Care programs.
Watching Dayna follow in her footsteps and become a YMCA Early Childhood Educator has been an emotional experience for Nadine, filling her with immense pride. Inspired by her mom and past educators who have helped shape her into the woman she is today, Dayna is now beginning a new chapter of her life with the Y. But make no mistake, this isn’t a “passing of the torch” situation. Nadine’s torch at the YMCA continues to burn strong; with an infinite passion for the program, Nadine has no intention of retiring anytime soon!
Inspired by Nadine & Dayna’s story? The YMCA of Greater Toronto is always looking for new Child Care staff to join our team! To apply or learn more about the Y, please visit our website.
[vimeo 316622210 w=640 h=360]
Whether you stumbled upon it by chance or by fate, this moment is when many of us discovered something that we wanted to pursue for the rest of our lives. And for Dayna, this couldn’t be more true. Dayna’s “aha!” moment arrived when she was a child – much earlier than it did for others – and is what ultimately led her to work for the Y today.
While Dayna just recently started her career as an Early Childhood Educator, her relationship with our Child Care programs go way back. In fact, to say “as far back as she can remember” would be an understatement.
Dayna first encountered the Y when she was just a baby. Enrolled in the only YMCA Infant Program in Thornhill, ON (at the time), Dayna also attended YMCA Child Care & Summer Camps as she grew up—meaning the work of our staff and our various programs formed an integral part of her childhood. Having experienced first hand how our curriculum meets the needs of every child, as well as how our Child Care staff values, respects and positively impacts the lives of kids, Dayna was determined to make a similar, lasting impact in other children’s lives when she grew up. After all, having been part of countless Child Care programs for so many years, Dayna already considered the Y as family—but in her case, that sense of family was both figurative and literal.
In fact, Dayna’s inspiration stretches far beyond her rich personal history with the Y.
For over 39 years now, Dayna’s mother, Nadine, has been a part of the YMCA Child Care Team. When Nadine first started at the Y, she began working in our Summer programs and since then has taken on a variety of different roles, including her current position as the District Manager of York Region for YMCA Child and Family Development. It was Nadine’s connection to, and trust in, the program that led her to enroll both her daughters, Robbi and Dayna, in various YMCA Child Care programs.
Watching Dayna follow in her footsteps and become a YMCA Early Childhood Educator has been an emotional experience for Nadine, filling her with immense pride. Inspired by her mom and past educators who have helped shape her into the woman she is today, Dayna is now beginning a new chapter of her life with the Y. But make no mistake, this isn’t a “passing of the torch” situation. Nadine’s torch at the YMCA continues to burn strong; with an infinite passion for the program, Nadine has no intention of retiring anytime soon!
Inspired by Nadine & Dayna’s story? The YMCA of Greater Toronto is always looking for new Child Care staff to join our team! To apply or learn more about the Y, please visit our website.
[vimeo 316622210 w=640 h=360]
