Benefits of Dedication with Dawn Davis our Licensed Childcare Manager

When we think of the word commitment, what comes to mind? Is it 5 years, 10 years, 15 years? If you’ve been a part of our Licensed Child Care programs within the last 25 years, the name Dawn Davis may ring a bell. She is now well known in the ESBGC community, has true happiness attached to her identity.

Dawn shared her story on how coming from a foreign country changed her life forever and taught her the impacts and benefits of dedication.

Her journey dates back to 1991 when she left Guyana to begin her new life here in Canada. With her validated credentials, she was determined, like many of our immigrant families, to seek out a better life. After spending a year looking for a job and being unsuccessful, she turned to post-secondary education and then landed a position at our Club as a mature student. She then developed into a lead staff, to supervisor, and then opened up a new centre at St. Martin de Porres Catholic School, where they specialized in licensed child care for toddlers, preschools and school-age children.

Dawn tells us that in her hometown, daycare and child care weren’t seen as careers. Culturally, there are always family, and extended family members willing to lend a helping hand. So her intent to study Early Childhood Education was never a part of her life plan. She has never seen it as a career where she was from

“When I was young, I was always the one that children loved, even if they wouldn’t play with anyone else, I was a natural caregiver.”

Gathering memories, there are many pros and cons that come with dedication. Dawn tells us that getting through some of the toughest times at the Club includes accepting the expansion of the programs with the lack of space in the school, was not a walk in the park. Co-sharing space was seen as a struggle with the balance between the teacher and ECE. Understanding that change will come as a process was key. It will not happen overnight and it will get better – Dawn explains.

Dawn’s dedication to the Cub has been rewarded in various ways. Her perseverance is shared with her staff; she sees them putting the extra foot forward to help families feel comfortable.

“We do our work from our heart. If that means my staff take that extra time to help newcomers or some children who require extra patience… it is so heartwarming to see the growth in myself, my staff, and most importantly – the children.”

Her love for working at the Club comes from the dedication that the Boys & Girls Club of East Scarborough has to our community. She explains that the impact the Club had on her life and the families she supported was the reason she wanted to be part of the work the Club does. The Club creates a safe space for the community, she explains.

Dawn’s dedication to the Club has taught her the importance of giving people the chance to show the world who they are. There are people from various educational and cultural backgrounds that are pushed to the bottom of the spectrum because their experience is not accepted in Canada. The Club’s dedication to working, training and providing everything needed for success was her doorway to a meaningful life in her new home.