Photo courtesy of Kristin Schaus-Galea
Kristin Schaus-Galea had already been working as a child educator for 15 years when she enrolled in the University of Guelph-Humber’s Early Childhood Studies program.
She had worked in many different capacities – teaching toddlers, pre-schoolers and kindergarten-age children before moving into a supervisory role at Precious Jewels Daycare Centre in Brampton – when she decided that she herself would benefit from more education.
She had already earned a college diploma in early childhood education, but she’d always wanted a degree. When she learned about the University of Guelph-Humber’s Early Childhood Studies degree completion program, “the lightbulb went off in (her) brain.”
“The journey was amazing,” Schaus-Galea recalls. “I think the thing that changed for me when I went to the University of Guelph-Humber was that I was able to see things past what I had always been doing. My education was getting old. It was a great opportunity for me to step back into an education environment and open my mind again, see things differently and learn new philosophies.
“It really had a profound impact on my personal life and my professional life.”
Attaining her degree while raising twin six-year-olds at home and continuing to work wasn’t easy, but Schaus-Galea immediately found it rewarding to become re-immersed in academics.
Within a year of graduating, Schaus-Galea landed the job she has now: quality initiatives mentor with the non-profit Child Development Resource Connection Peel.
Schaus-Galea’s professional life is still all about education, but in large part she finds herself providing professional education and guidance for early childhood educators and travelling on site visits around Peel to raise quality standards at child-care centres. Her job also encompasses event planning and professional mentorship.
“It’s a very diverse role I get to play here,” she said. “No two days really look the same for me. There are days when I’m presenting, doing meetings, facilitating discussions with small groups, and there’s days when I’m out in childcare centres and seeing children. I kind of have the best of every world here.”
One benefit she didn’t expect was forging lasting friendships with her fellow UofGH alumni.
“The bonds we created in that program were amazing,” she said. “We spent a lot of time together, the group we had. And the friendships and support we gave each other through that, it totally changed who I was as a person and it gave me strength I still pull on. Those letters after my name now, they’re not to show off I have a degree – they’re an award of merit. They say so much more about who we are than what we did.”
Learn more about Early Childhood Studies at the University of Guelph-Humber.
Learn more about applying to the University of Guelph-Humber’s degree completion program.