Sue-Ellen Nevala, ECE Director,
Westboro Village Cooperative Preschool

Ms. Nevala has been an early Childhood educator for many years. She takes “pride in developing programs where young children can learn through new challenges, happily and at their own pace.” She believes in creating classrooms that will “inspire and educate preschoolers. Most strongly, Sue-Ellen believes that children must have fun while learning. In our community Ms. Nevala’s professionalism is recognized through her ten years work at Fern Hill School, in Rockcliffe, and the Good Morning School, another Ottawa cooperative preschool. Sue-Ellen says “I am so happy to have spent the last five years working at Westboro Village Cooperative Preschool.” Well, we’ve been happy to have her!

Christine Gallinger,
WVCP Co-educator

Christine is a new addition to our teaching team. She always knew that teaching was her passion. She began her teaching career as an Adult Literacy Instructor. From there she pursued teaching at the elementary level and then went on to teaching ESL in South Korea to both preschool and grade school children. After returning to Canada, Christine accepted an opportunity to teach preschool. She quickly developed an unexpected love for it. She explains, “I never thought of teaching preschool, but I can’t imagine a better age group to teach. As a preschool teacher, I get to teach children, in partnership with their parents, the basic social skills that will set the foundation for their lives. What greater responsibility and achievement is there?”

Christine is a certified Ontario elementary teacher. She studied social work at Waterloo University before following her dream of becoming a teacher. She has worked with several children’s organizations, such as Family and Children’s Services of Waterloo Region. Christine is currently working towards her diploma in Early Childhood Education at Algonquin College.

Nancy Lockwood,
Music Specialist

Nancy has been working with children for 26 years, and we, at the Westboro Village Cooperative Preschool, have been lucky enough to have her with us for eleven of them. She began teaching music and reading at the “Early Learning Centre” in Toronto, eventually becoming the school’s principal. In 1986, Nancy moved to Ottawa and started a family. While raising her two children, now 22 and 17, Nancy worked, part-time, teaching group music classes and tutoring young readers. She has also taught private music classes for children, aged six months to six years, and at the Dovercourt Recreation Centre and the Soloway J.C.C.

The music program Nancy uses at the WVCP incorporates elements of Carl Orff’s approach to rhythm; Zoltan Kodaly’s pitches and hand signs (do-re-me-fa-so-la-ti-do); and eurythmics, or movement to music.

Nancy says “I love teaching at the WVCP, the preschool that my own children went to many years ago!”