Candace Halseth of Stettler Regional Child Care Centre has received top provincial honours for her service in special needs.
She was honoured this month during the Alberta Child-Care Professional Awards of Excellence ceremony.
“I am very honoured and a little shocked,” said Halseth, who has worked for the local society for nine years and as special needs co-ordinator at Leaps and Bounds child-care program.
“It’s overwhelming to receive this award, to be publicly recognized.”
She has long had a passion to work with children with special needs.
“I want to help them learn new skills and build their independence,” Halseth said.
“I love to able to help children learn and to see the joy and happiness when they have learned something.
“I want to help them learn new skills and gain their independence.”
Halseth was nominated by parents Neil and Nadine Wood, who value her time and dedication as they described in the nomination.
“Candace has long been an advocate for these families,” the citation read.
“She has a passion for children and her natural ability to set goals, boundaries and expectations for each child individually make her truly special.
“She took the initiative to attend parent/teacher/daycare meetings to foster collaborations between home, school and the daycare setting.
“Her input in team meetings and family discussions have helped many of the children to obtain the funding and resources needed to assist them in becoming the best they can be.
“Parents in our program appreciate Candace sharing her knowledge and resources from the workshops and courses she attends. Working together with families, strategies are developed to be used consistently between the home and daycare settings.
“As parents, we appreciate that Candace takes the time to get to know the children as individuals. Candace works with each child to help them learn skills that help them cope and embrace new experiences. She cleverly incorporates community celebrations into the everyday routines at the child-care centre.”
RICHARD FROESE, Independent reporter