Our Team

Samantha Henry

ECE III - Executive Director

Sam graduated from RRC Polytech Early Childhood Education program in 2008 with honours. She began working at RRC Early Childhood Centre in August 2008 after completing her final practicum there. Sam was the primary caregiver for the toddler group for 11 years and has deep appreciation for all the connections she made with children and families during that time. Sam continued her studies and graduated from Assiniboine Community College in Early Childhood Program Management in 2019. In 2021, Sam took the role of Centre Supervisor and was excited at the opportunity to provide a supportive and enriched work environment. In August 2022, Sam took the Executive Director position, as she celebrated 14 years with RRC. Sam was one of the recipients of MCCA’s Exceptional ECE of the Year for 2022. Sam is passionate about advocating for accessible, affordable, and quality child care and the important role Early Childhood Educators play in young children’s and families lives. Sam also enjoys spending time with her family, friends, and fur babies.

Corinna Valdez

ECE II - Centre Supervisor

Corinna has been in the field of Early Childhood Education since 2015. She graduated with Honours with her ECE II Diploma from Red River College. She started out at RRC Early Childhood Centre as a practicum student and has been with the Centre for over 7 years. Corinna loves listening to music, photography, tropical islands, and dogs. She has a passion for advocating for child care and believes in the importance of providing quality care for children and supporting their families. She’s currently enrolled in the Early Childhood Program Management program in Assiniboine Community College and is working towards ECE Level III credentials. Corinna was one of the recipients of the MCCA Exceptional ECE of the Year for 2022.

Ami Tang

ECE II

Ami graduated from the Early Childhood Education program at Red River College Polytech and has been a part of the RRC Early Childhood Centre team since September 2020. She loves spending time playing with children and enjoys seeing them grow and learn new things. Ami values quality care for all children and she believes that children learn best through play. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, listening to music, and cooking.

Stephanie Laxdal

CCA

Stephanie has been in the child care field for 6 years and has worked at RRC Early Childhood Centre since 2016 as a child care assistant. Stephanie believes in letting children get messy while learning new things both indoors and outdoors. When she’s not at work, Stephanie enjoys spending time outside and loves any type of animal.

Erin Sieders

CCA In-Training

Erin has been working in the childcare field since 2016. She is in training to become an ECE ll and holds a degree in sociology from the University of Manitoba. Erin enjoys playing and being silly with the children and feels that the outdoors is the best environment for growth. She values strong communication between staff and families and believes that children grow to their full potential when raised by a community. Erin enjoys reading, spending time with her cats and dog, and watching Marvel and Disney movies in her free time.

Nadine Sanguyo

Inclusion Support

Nadine joined the RRC Early Childhood Centre as an inclusion support worker in 2022. She values the young minds and hearts of children and strives to shine as much love and care to all those she meets. Nadine has had a lifelong passion for childcare and finds it to be very fulfilling. She enjoys reading, baking, going for walks, and hanging out with friends.

Clariz Agbuya

CCA

Clariz is a CCA with a background in teaching. She has 4 years working with preschool and school age children as a tutor and homeschool support and now she is braving the younger ones. Discovering how young children learn at the early stages and taking part in their growth was what motivated her to enter this field. Clariz is open to different approaches to teaching; it is about "getting out of the comfort zone", a way to learn and acquire more experiences to share with the children. Although Clariz likes to work with children, surrounded by them every day, she is an introvert and values me-time. After work or during free time, she prefers to stay home with her own children and spend time with her family. Her interests include reading books, watching films and tv series, and when she feels creative, could draft essays or stories, too.

Gabriela Carmona

ECE II

Meet Gabriela, but you can call her Gabby. Gabby is from Brazil and moved to Canada in 2016. Gabby received a diploma in Education in Brazil, which she was able to have recognized in Canada and through the Internationally Educated Qualifications Program obtained her Early Childhood Educator level II certificate. Gabby has been working in the childcare field since 2017 and has some supervisory experience in the field as well. She is passionate about both Early Childhood Education and children’s development and a true believer that children learn best through play. Gabby loves to be the children’s play partner so she can observe and discover how their young minds explore and learn about the world around them. Outside of work, Gabby enjoys spending time with her family both indoors and outdoors and watching TV.

Amanda Mikac

CCA

Amanda joined RRC Early Childhood Centre in the summer of 2022, she came into the centre and fit right in, and the children love seeing her every day. She is planning on obtaining her CCA in 2022 and enroll in the ECE II program in 2023. She has previously worked as a Medical Support Worker for children in foster care. Amanda enjoys playing video games, drinking coffee (hot or iced), and spending time with her family, especially her younger siblings.

Yang Zhao (Michelle)

CCA In-Training

Yang has been in this field since 2016. She started working after graduating from MITT Early Childhood Education Program. She enjoys working with preschoolers. She feels it is very rewarding to make a difference in children’s lives by planning activities based on their interests. She also believes building positive relationships with children and their families is important. She is now enrolled in RRC Early Childhood Education Workplace Program and is set to graduate in the April 2023. She is looking forward to contributing more to the community as an Early Childhood Educator. Yang likes listening to meditation music, yoga, and going to the park to embrace nature in her free time.

Tracy Poitras

ECE III

Tracy has been working with children and families for the past 30 years. She is an ECE III, receiving a bachelor’s degree in Human Ecology from the University of Manitoba, majoring in Family Studies with a Child Studies/Special Needs concentration. A large portion of Tracy’s career has been in the area of early intervention. She feels privileged that she can celebrate with children and families in all their learning and wonder. In Tracy’s free time she enjoys puttering in the garden, getting her hands in the soil and hiking on wooded trails.

Board of Directors

R.R.C. Early Childhood Centre Inc. is a

non-profit organization that operates and collaborates with a Board of Directors.

The Board of Directors is responsible for all Centre policies and ensuring the financial health of the centre. All day-to-day business is run by the Executive and Assistant Director.

Current Members

Larissa Childs – Board Chairperson

Doris Prive-West – Vice Chairperson

Martin Liu – Treasurer

Jackie Cooney-Birch – Member at Large

Ian Melnychuk – Member at Large

Danielle Nicholson – Member at Large

Cheryl Gnanapragasam – Member at Large

Randall Ponce – Member at Large

Charlie Cabungcal – Member at Large

Maya Adomeit – Member at Large

Trent Takeuchi – Member at Large