Andrea Wilson

Year: 2017 — Province: British Columbia

Certificate of Achievement Recipient

Andrea Wilson

Halfmoon Bay Child Care Centre
8090 Northwood Road
Halfmoon Bay, British Columbia V0N 1Y1

Telephone: 604-885-3739
Email: hmbchildcarecentre@gmail.com
Website: N/A

Type of setting: Child care centre, children aged 2.5 to 5 years

A new tree, a river full of salmon, or a bear cave — Andrea Wilson or "the queen of dress up" creates innovative spaces for exploration and intuitively supports the most vulnerable families in respectful ways.

Philosophy of care

Wilson brings the outdoors inside to study mushrooms, or bring frozen water into the classroom to see what happens to it at room temperature. Learning is project-based and happens through play time and connectedness.

Support of child development

  • Encourages parents to use the Ages and Stages questionnaire and comes up with a plan to suit each individual child.
  • Led the planning of the early years Winter Celebration and had local grocery stores donate blocks of ice for ice building and painting activities with the centre's families.

Involvement with parents, families and the community

  • Connected with the SPARK10 program, hosting both the Grade 10 and Kindergarten classrooms over several years to join their Strong Start program, a parent-child drop in program that works to teach empathy and compassion for little onesPromotes international, national and local events such as Chinese New Year, integrates games and puzzles that celebrate various cultures and incorporates Aboriginal content into classroom activities.

Rave reviews

"Ms. Wilson is extremely dedicated to going above and beyond to support the parents, families and community members of our youngest learners. I have personally witnessed the difference that she has made in our community through connections with families."

Colleague

"Andrea was so caring and attentive toward my son. She truly understood the energy of boys and embraced this. She had such a kind, gentle, and genuine way about her and worked with all of the children to make them feel comfortable and to bring out their best."

Parent