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Our Team

Our RECEs have specialized training in infant and child development, children’s health, safety, nutrition and wellness, as well as curriculum planning and implementation. All staff members are also required to successfully complete a police check (Vulnerable Sector Search) upon hiring, as well as keep current with First Aid and CPR training.

 

Our Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) and support staff play a vital role in helping to enhance children’s participation, engagement and learning. They bring diverse social, cultural, linguistic perspectives and collaborate with others to create engaging environments and experiences to foster children’s learning and development. They are actively involved in the children’s learning process, acting as co-learners and co-partners who engage with children in play, empower them and facilitate their exploration and understanding of the world.

Katy Kabiri Director

Katy Kabiri

Director

Katy is the Director of Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre. Katy became a valued member of our team in September of 2023 and brought an impressive background in Early Childhood Education (CECE), spanning over two decades. Katy has a strong passion for Childhood Education and her extensive experience encompasses a range of pivotal roles, from educator and curriculum developer to Supervisor and Director; across both medium and large sized childcare centres.


Katy holds a bachelor’s degree in Education and is certified as an Early Childhood Educator as well as a Certified ECE Administrator from Seneca College. Outside work, Katy loves spending time with her family and the two playful Maine Coon cats. Katy enjoys socializing with friends and has a soft spot for art, music and cultural activities.


Under Katy’s leadership, along with our exceptional and dedicated staff, we are poised to enhance our legacy and excellence. Together, they will elevate our centre’s offerings, affirming our unwavering commitment to the families who entrust us with their children’s care and education.

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Youdon Kalsang

Assistant Director

Youdon Kalsang has been working at Grace Church on-the-hill Childcare Centre for over 14 years. During this time, Youdon has had the pleasure of working with children of all ages, from infants to junior kindergarten. Youdon believes strongly in creating a inclusive environment where children can thrive, and where families can trust us with their precious children.


As an educator, Youdon understands that we must continually learn and grow in our field. As the generations change, so must our approach to education. Youdon is currently finishing her Early Childhood Resource Consultant program at Seneca College. Believing that learning is a lifelong journey. Youdon is motivated to keep improving her skills and helping the staff reach new Professional Development goals.

Stephanie Luis Assistant Director

Stephanie Luis-Silveira

Assistant Director

Stephanie is an enthusiastic Early Childhood Educator with a deep passion for nurturing the potential within every child and dedicated to fostering the growth and development of the youngest minds. She is fluent in English, Portuguese and French. Stephanie is a certified Registered Early Childhood Educator who has been in the field for 15 years which began as a Co-operative placement in High School and flourished in the love for creating enriching environments that inspire curiosity. Guided by the belief that each child is a unique individual, Stephanie’s mission is to provide a foundation for success by fostering creativity, instilling confidence, and promoting a love for exploration. She looks forward to continuing to enrich the program at the centre and watch as it and the children’s love for learning flourishes.

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Eman

Rhia De Bellotte

Staff

My name is Rhia De Bellotte, and I am a Registered Early Childhood Educator (RECE) with experience working with infants and young children. I hold a diploma in Early Childhood Education and have worked in diverse childcare settings across Canada. Prior to moving to Canada in 2022 from Grenada, I spent 12 years teaching at the primary level.

I am passionate about supporting children's growth and development, with a focus on language development, fine motor skills, and social-emotional learning. I am committed to creating a safe, nurturing, and engaging environment where infants can explore, learn, and achieve developmental milestones.

I look forward to contributing to the Infant Room and working collaboratively with my team to provide high-quality care and education.

Tsehay Ahmed – Sunny

Staff

Tsehay who is known to all by Sunny, has been at Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre for over 20 years. She holds a Food Handler’s Certificate and is an expert at all things food. Sunny is beloved by all the children and staff at the centre as her personality and love for everyone is like sunshine – which is why she is named Sunny! She works in the Kitchen in the busiest part of the Centre where she ensures the food meets every standard once it enters the centre as well as is on top of all sanitization of utensils, dishes and serving the food dropped off daily by the catering company. Sunny spends time in each classroom throughout the day assisting where needed as well as just bonding with the children. She finds happiness in seeing each child grow, learn and flourish in the centre and couldn’t imagine anywhere else she would want to be!

Eman Abdorbo

Staff

Eman is a dedicated professional with a Child and Youth Care background as well as a recent Early Childhood Education graduate from George Brown College. She is committed to bringing her knowledge and passion of nurturing young minds with experience of working with children across a broad age spectrum, from newborn to school-age. She is fluent in French and Arabic, and offers a multicultural perspective and the ability to communicate effectively with diverse families and communities. Outside of work, I enjoy practicing Muay Thai, baking, travelling and exploring different cuisines around the city with friends.

Pamela

Pamela Almazan

Staff

Pamela is a Registered Early Childhood Educator who has been at Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre for the past six years. She is from Guatemala and speaks Spanish and English fluently. She has younger siblings who keep her active and on her toes. She loves nurturing and engaging with children and admires watching them learn and enjoy the activities she plans and implements for them. Being an educator has been a dream of her since she was only 11 years old; she enjoyed being a part of the early learning stages. Each day that includes a spontaneous hug, smile or giggle from a child makes her day brighter and she is happy to share and be included in the silly stories songs and dance with each child.

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Elisabeta Basescu

Staff

Elisabeta who is known as ‘Beta’ at the Centre was born and raised in Bucharest, Romania where she graduated from University with a BA in Geography. After graduating University she moved to Canada and completed her Early Childhood Education Diploma at George Brown College with Honors. She has been working at Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre for 21 years and has had the pleasure of working with all age groups from Infants to Preschoolers. Her passion for children and children’s psychology was nurtured by her father who was a University Professor himself and she found working with children came natural to her. Elisabeta speaks fluently in Romanian, French and English. She loves to travel, discover new places and loves classical music. She loves reading good books and cuddling up with her Labradoodle Flora.

Rosie

Rosie Mangano

Staff

Rosie is an experienced Early Childhood Assistant with a passion for nurturing young minds in all areas of development. With over 30 years of dedicated service at Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre, Rosie has played a vital role in providing a safe and stimulating learning environment for children. Her commitment to the centre goes beyond daily responsibilities, as she takes charge of planning and organizing big events, including the highly anticipated annual BBQ. Rosie's warm and compassionate nature, coupled with her extensive experience, has made her an invaluable asset to the childcare community. She continues to inspire and shape the lives of countless children through her unwavering dedication and love for early childhood education.

Samantha Catojo

Samantha

Staff

Samantha is a Registered Early Childhood Educator and a proud graduate of George Brown College who has been at Grace Church Childcare for the past 11 years. Samantha works in the in Infant classroom and found her passion with Infants in making a positive impact in their first years by teaching, bonding and creating a safe space for the children to explore. Samantha strives to make everyday for the children an amazing day through dancing, singing songs and planning activities that encourage and expand their skills. She loves including families into the classroom and inviting them to participate in activities to further every child’s sense of belonging and community.

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Rosemarie Basallote

Staff

Rosemarie Basallote is a dedicated and passionate educator with over 12 years of experience at Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre teaching children from 3 months to 3 years. Holding a North American Montessori and Early Childhood Education diploma she has successfully nurtured young children's intellectual, physical, social, and emotional development of young children.


Currently, she’s been working at the Sr. Toddler/Jr. preschool classroom as a lead teacher, where she prepares daily reports, conducts parent/teacher conferences and intake meetings for new parents, provides support, mentoring, and training for students from various colleges, and prepares evaluations for college students.


As a lifelong learner, she actively seeks professional development opportunities to stay abreast of the current educational trends in early childhood education where she currently finished a postgraduate certificate at Seneca College.
 

Armin Kassam

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Staff

Armin was born in Tanzania, East Africa and was privileged to learn a few languages. After having children and raising them and thoroughly enjoying educating her children and guiding them through their developmental stages she decided to pursue a career in teaching. She completed her Early Childhood Educator course and began working at Grace Church on-the-Hill where she worked with the Toddlers Morning Out program and 12 years later began to work for the Childcare Centre. After many years of being in the classroom she decided to move into the kitchen where she ensures the food quality meets the highest standards as well as is able to interact with the children as she spends time in the classroom throughout the day. Her love for children continues to grow each day as she bonds with the children and watches them grow throughout the years.

Janet

Janet Luciano

Staff

Janet has been working with Infant at Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre for the past 25 years. She loves to watch children grow, play, laugh and learn new things every day. She has always wanted to work with children because as a young girl she wanted to be a teacher. Every day she is inspired with the Infant age group especially by how much information they absorb, how they explore their surroundings and knowing fundamentally that in her classroom is one of the first places they begin their educational journey and love for learning. Helping to guide children and discover and explore new surroundings is a gift to her. In her free time, she loves to travel and explore the world as well as going on short trips with friends and family.

Ambreen

Ambreen Aamir

Staff

Ambreen Aamir is a passionate Early Childhood Assistant with over 8 years of experience working at Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre where I have aided in fostering the growth and development of young children. With a background in Early Childhood Education and a commitment to creating a nurturing and stimulating learning environment, she excels in designing engaging activities that promote cognitive, social and emotional development. She is known for excellent communication skills and a patient, empathetic approach. She works closely with families and colleagues to support each child’s unique needs and encourage a lifelong love of learning.
 

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Christiane Thery

Staff

Born and raised in Venezuela, Christiane or known as Chrissy has dedicated over a decade teaching elementary school in both Venezuela and Mexico. She holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Education and a diploma in Early Childhood Education, which she earned in 2009. Christiane has been a beloved educator at Grace Church on-the-hill Childcare Centre for the past 8 years, nurturing young minds and where she is known for her deep love for children and her warm and friendly personality, making instant connections with both, children and families of all forms and backgrounds. Christiane is fluent in Spanish and English, and knowledgeable in Portuguese, she has a passion for learning about other cultures and fostering peace and joy wherever she goes. She believes that feeling genuinely loved outside of the home makes a solid foundation for children to achieve all their milestones. Her love for animals and her infectious humour make her a cherished mentor to many.

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Yeimi Quijada

Staff

Yeimi was born and raised in Guatemala. She is fluent in English & Spanish. Yeimi is a registered Early Childhood Educator who graduated from George brown college in 2019. She has been working at Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre for 6 years where she has worked with Infants & Toddlers. She is a dedicated mother of a baby girl who just turned one. Her hobbies include taking road trips, hiking and spending time with her family.

Sharon

Sharon Tadena

Staff

Sharon was born and raised in the Philippines. She is an Early Childhood Assistant who speaks fluently in Tagalog and English. She loves arts and crafts and loves to use every opportunity possible to bring ideas into the classroom to explore with the children. Sharon loves observing and watching the changes in growth from each child in her care and knowing that she was part of that journey makes her work so much more meaningful.

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Gabriela Ash

Staff

Gabriela who goes by ‘Gabby’ has been an Early Childhood Educator for 6 years. She completed her Early Childhood diploma at George Brown College and is in the process of completing her BA at Toronto Metropolitan University. Since childhood she has known she wanted to work in the education field with younger children by teaching and helping them learn the Hebrew language and culture, how to dance as well as a camp councillor. She loves spending time with children and forming special bonds with them and their families.

Alpha

Alpha Mercado

Staff

Alpha completed her Early Childhood Education at Mothercraft College 6 years ago. Right after graduating she was hired at Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre where she commencer her professional journey in the Toddler room and later moved to the Preschool room where she has been since. Working with preschool-aged children presents its unique challenges; however she finds the experiences extremely rewarding as it has allowed her to develop meaningful connections with each child. She is dedicated to continuing to share her expertise and creativity to provide an amazing program for families and their children.

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Nuria Del Rio

Staff

Nuria is a Registered Early Childhood Educator and a proud graduate of George Brown College with 23 years of experience working at Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre with children from 3 months to 5 years of age. She has had the opportunity and experience of working as an assistant Director for 7 of those years. Nuria holds a food handlers certificate, CPR level C and attends workshops throughout the year. She is currently a staff in the Infant Program and finds it very rewarding to watch the children’s growth and development daily. Nuria is a passionate, loving, committed and dedicated staff who utilizes her years of experience and skills to support the growth and development of all children in her care alongside with their families. “No two children are the same; embrace their uniqueness and help them shine.” Children learn best through play; let’s give them the space and freedom to explore their imaginations.

Hoda

Hoda Chanani

Staff

Hoda holds a BA in Education and is a Registered Early Childhood Educator, as well as an Early Childhood Management certificate from George Brown College. Hoda has 10 years of experience working with children across all age groups. She has been working at Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre in the Toddler and Preschool room since 2021. Prior to this, she was an educator at Momentum Montessori and Allenby School. Hoda is also a dedicated mother of two. In her free time she enjoys jogging, taking road trips and listening to podcasts.

Nasima

Nasima Bahar

Staff

Nasima has been a dedicated team member at Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre since 2023. She brings over 20 years of experience working with children of all ages as well as raising three of her own. Nasima is well versed on fostering growth and skills through play-based learning to help in the early stages of development. She has an inclusive and open-minded outlook on life that she is eager to share with others. Her experience has been fulfilling and engaging and she enjoys working with all of the children under her care.

Amirtha

Amirtha Sathyaseelan

Staff

Amirtha has been a part of Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre since 2004 with 21 years of experience as an Early Childhood Educator. She began in the Infant classroom and has worked with all age groups since. For the past 10 years she has worked in the Preschool classroom enhancing their development and preparing them for the first years of school. She loves the opportunity to guide and teach young minds. There is no better feeling than knowing she has helped to brighten a child’s life and seeing their faces and expressions while they experience and learn new things.

Baby Jayne

Babyjayne Comia

Staff

Babyjayne, originally from the Philippines embarked on a transformative journey when she arrived in Canada in 2021. Armed with a degree in Customs Administration, she made a significant career leap driven by her passion for working with children. Falling in love with the joy and impact of nurturing young minds, Babyjayne found profound fulfillment in connecting with families and making a meaningful difference in their lives through teaching. Her transition into Early Childhood Education marked a pivotal moment, where she discovered a new avenue to channel her compassion and enthusiasm. Known for her easy-going nature and eagerness to learn, she is fully immersed in her role, cherishing every opportunity to foster growth and development in children.

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Ofelia Da Cruz

Staff

Ofelia is a caring and reliable person who has been a dedicated educator with Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre for over 7 years. She is an Early Childhood Assistant and has a true passion for working with our youngest learners, helping each child to progress in all areas of their development. She strives to create and environment that is both welcoming, safe and fun as well as nurturing the growth of the children in a positive way. Outside of work, she is a vey loving mother to her three dogs and her indoor and outdoor plants.

Sima

Sima Dahoul

Staff

Sima has been a dedicated educator with Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre since 2024, with 14 years of experience working with children as an art instructor. She brings a wealth of knowledge and creativity to her role. She holds a Masters in Art from Iran, and is currently pursuing her studies into Early Childhood Education. Art is her passion, and she believes that everyone needs to express themselves through creative means. She is committed to fostering an environment where loves and creativity flourish in the early years of a child’s life. Spending time with children brings her joy and she strives to make the world a better and brighter place for them and with them! Her hobbies include playing the piano, designing and creating new things, and painting.

Farnaz

Farnaz Abdeho

Staff

Farnaz was born in Tehran, Iran and holds a Bachelor Degree in IT but her true passion lies in photography. She has dedicated much of her life to learning about different art forms, including watercolours, acrylic painting, sketching and photography. She has taught classes on watercolour and enjoyed being able to share her passion, wisdom and knowledge with others. She began working at Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre in September of 2023 and is deeply passionate about working with children and enriching their lives through meaningful experiences and activities. In her free time, she enjoys camping, walking, painting, photography, editing, dancing and listening to music.

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Jean Casipit-Pitteway

Staff

Jean has a passion and love for teaching young children. She holds an English degree in Bachelor of Arts as well as her certification in Early Childhood Education. She has had significant experience working with children and has taught as an Elementary grade teacher.  She believes in making a difference in children’s lives, nurturing and encouraging them to develop their potential. Jean is dedicated to her work, cheerful, compassionate and has a positive attitude that augments her aptitude in connecting and guiding children. For her, being kind, loving and caring and helping others is essential every day in working with children and their families. She believes that our work matters, not only to teach but to strive, to inspire, motivate and transform lives. During her free time, Jean considers herself as a book worm which nourishes the intellect and nurtures her imagination. She likes to travel, socialize with friends and family, listen to music, and try tasting different cuisines. Jean also likes to volunteer at her church to teach Sunday School to give back to her community.

Salima

Salima Avshaev

Staff

Salima has been a dedicated educator with Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre for 25 years. She works dutifully in the kitchen where she oversees sanitization of all utensils and dishes as well as checks the quality of food as it enters from the caterer each day and divides it to each classroom to serve to the children for all meals. Over the years she has helped to nurture and encourage children in her care through their developmental stages. She works diligently to create a welcoming environment for children where they can be healthy, happy, independent and build strong self-esteem.

Vilma

Vilma Serrano

Staff

Vilma has been with Grace Church on-the-Hill Childcare Centre for the past three years. She is a mother of two children who have and continue to teach her new ways to be an amazing educator and different strategies of approaching children in all areas. She has been a Registered Early Childhood Educator for over 10 years and has worked with all age groups; from as young as 3 months old to 6 years old. Vilma’s bubbly cool and calm demeanour brings calmness to each classroom she is a part of and assists in calming children through difficult and emotional situations. She loves a challenge and enjoys watching, learning and educating young children and forming close and lasting bonds.

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