Day care supervisor brings lots of experience to RR

Ken Johnston
Editor

Kathryn Unger brings 28 years of experience to the Learn, Laugh and Play Children’s Centre (LLPCC) in Rainy River.
Unger was hired in the spring as the Supervisor for the LLPCC and has been busy working with board members of the Rainy River Play School Inc.’s board of directors to get the new licensed child care centre open this fall.
Unger initially wanted to be a kindergarten teacher but eventually took Early Childhood Education at Algonquin College in Nepean, Ont.
She then started as a Teaching Assistant at an Ottawa children’s centre and over the course of 21 years would work her way up to supervisor, a position she would hold for a decade. However, in 1996 the centre closed.
Being displaced would not last long. She took a Head Teacher’s job at another centre in Ottawa for one year. That opened her eyes as to how much she thoroughly enjoyed being a supervisor and lead her to take a job on a First Nation in Northern Quebec where not only was she supervisor, but was starting from scratch like here in Rainy River.
While she loved the job the high cost of living (four times what it was in Nepean) saw her return to the city. At that point she realized she missed the peace and quiet of a rural setting and began searching for work in such an area again.
That brought her to Schrieber, Ont. where she was again called on to start a new day care program from scratch.
After meeting her husband Merv, she moved to Carmen, MB. but soon discovered that if she wanted to work in her field she would have to go back to school for a year. “Merv told me to look for work in Ontario and we would move.”
That brought her and her experience to Rainy River to get the new LLPCC up and running; her third time being instrumental in starting a centre.
In addition to finding a location to host the day care Unger has seen her staff grow. Four full time jobs and one part time have been added to the centre. Unger will oversee Alicia Nordin-Early Childhood Educator (ECE), Tess Galusha (ECE), Christie Campbell-Assist. Teacher, Melanie Trenchard-Cook; all full time; and Jodi Boisvert-Assist. Teacher-part time.