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Transcription – Doreen Hogue- 2021 Prime Minister's Award for Excellence in Early Childhood Education
[Photo, with voice over. Photo: A woman and children sitting in a circle, putting their hands into the middle; A woman and children sitting at a table, colouring a fish. Music playing.]
"As soon as I get out of my car in the morning, tiny little hands are knocking on my windows. Seeing their smiles, giving them hugs—it makes my day. I love these moments!"
[Fade to white with a medium shot of woman, smiling, on the right side of the screen, with the following words appearing, line by line, on the left: Doreen Hogue, Garderie éducative La Rose des vents, Terrebonne, Québec. Music playing.]
[Cut to photo, with voice over. Photos: Children and Doreen sitting in a circle, dressed up as if they were going on a trip.]
"Creating meaningful bonds with my kids is what really helps them fit in and enjoy success."
[Cut to Doreen in the interview setting.]
"So, in creating these important bonds, I can let my kids know that I'm here, ready to listen to them. I'll take the time to sit down at their eye level, we'll chat, we'll share together."
[Cut to photo, with voice over. Photo: A small child pointing to a train on the wall with Doreen looking on; Doreen and students looking at a globe; Doreen and students looking at a map on the wall.]
"This meaningful connection is what allows my children to grow, develop and flourish. I created a multicultural project that allows kids to learn about geography through games. My kids love the little cow puppet that tells them stories of travel and different cultures."
[Cut to Doreen in the interview setting.]
"So, they get there in the morning, we do our little routines at the door to welcome each other, making eye contact. Then, we go straight to the schedule to see if our little friend Lala the cow is around. Lala visits pretty regularly, so my kids are always excited to get to daycare."
[Fade to black and then up to Doreen in the interview setting.]
"One of the kids in my class has special needs, so the challenge was to help my kids understand that this child has different needs than they do, but that their needs are just as important."
[Cut to photos, with voice over. Photos: A sign explaining what autism is.]
"To include the child, I made a poster showing two children, a little boy, and a little girl, with a bubble and a full spider web. And then another group of children right next to them, still the same, a little boy and a little girl, in the communication bubble, but there I made a spider web with little cut threads."
[Cut to Doreen in the interview setting.]
"So, when our friend with special needs gets into tough situations with another child, thanks to this poster, my kids have learned to say:"
[Cut to photos, with voice over. Photos: Two children looking at a sign.]
"Oh, it's because communication isn't flowing well, the little threads are cut. Let's wait a bit, Doreen will help us."
[Cut to Doreen in the interview setting.]
"If I had one piece of advice to give to my colleagues or future colleagues, it would be to be yourself."
[Cut to photos, with voice over. Photos: Doreen watching on as a child is colouring; Doreen helping a child read a book; children sitting in a circle, with one child standing on one leg.]
"Be yourselves, children don't have the same expectations of us as adults do. Children just want to be listened to, to share and to feel cared for. Just be yourself, I think that's the best advice I could give someone. Just be yourself! Listen to your kids! Spend time with your kids."
[Fade to black, with the Government of Canada FIP and then the Canada Wordmark appearing in white.]
Year: 2021 — Province: Quebec
Certificate of Excellence Recipient
Garderie éducative La Rose des vents
Early childhood educator
0 to 5 years old
Terrebonne, Québec
Quote
“Throughout her career, Doreen has had a profound and positive influence on the children she has cared for, as well as their families. Her creativity impresses us all. She is always looking for new ideas, which she enjoys sharing with coworkers. A lot of her personal time is spent finding new activities and original teaching methods that children will enjoy. Doreen cares about each individual child and caters to their interests and needs. She is an innovator who puts her heart and soul into everything she does. Everyone likes her, thanks to her calm and gentle demeanor. The children ask for her and remember her for a long time.”
Philosophy of care
Doreen is open to the world. Her activities reflect her many travels. She loves diversity and her approach centres on inclusion. She validates each child’s culture. For example, if a child says he doesn’t celebrate Christmas, she asks what holidays he celebrates in his culture. If the child proudly states that he celebrates Ramadan, she uses this opportunity to have him describe the holiday to his friends.
Support of child development
Doreen advocates a caring and welcoming approach. She uses Quebec’s early childhood educational program, Accueillir la petite enfance. She observes, plans, intervenes, and provides feedback. She consults with coworkers and administrative staff to support her pedagogical approach and obtains their opinion on specific situations that can arise in the classroom. She truly embodies a democratic intervention style, which allows children to express their needs and work collaboratively to find solutions.
Doreen’s greatest achievement is helping children to make a smooth transition into kindergarten. Everything she does is geared toward the child’s development. To accomplish this, Doreen creates activities that allow children to develop executive functions. The children learn strategies through visual and auditory memory games. She brilliantly applies foundational strategies that stimulate language development. She gets down to the child’s level and models appropriate morphosyntax and phonology. She provides activities that help children to recognize their emotions. She shows the children how to communicate clearly and offers alternatives depending on the situation. In short, she prepares children for life.
Involvement with parents, families and the community
Her premise is that school activities are a continuation of a child’s home life. Parents are key players in the learning experience, and Doreen supports both parents and child. She actively listens to parents and wants to hear about the child’s family situation. When challenges arise, she involves the parents in the search for solutions. Educators have seen much less of parents this year because of Covid-19 restrictions; therefore, Doreen meets with parents on Zoom to help maintain and strengthen the relationships.
Get in touch!
Garderie éducative La Rose des vents
2150 Gérard Leduc
Terrebonne, Québec J6Y 1R5
450-420-2223
Email: garderierosedesvents@hotmail.com