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Preschool teacher receives national award
Honour marks work with special needs children

Shane Magee
Northern News Services
Published Saturday, October 11, 2014

SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A teacher at a preschool for children with special needs is one of 15 people across the country to receive a Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Education.

nnsl file photo

Four Plus preschool teacher Leslie Caines has been named one of the recipients of the Prime Minister's Awards for Excellence in Early Childhood Education. - photo courtesy Leslie Caines

Leslie Caines was recognized for her work teaching children between four and five years old at Four Plus, based out of the Weledeh Catholic School with a Certificate of Achievement. The award is considered one of the top honours for teachers in the country.

The passion she brings to the job is clear when she talks about it.

"I truly love my job," Caines said Wednesday about her 16 years with Four Plus at its various locations. "I look forward to coming to work every single day."

Children are referred to the program by community agencies for various reasons.

"They're truly exceptional children," she said, adding she sees a tremendous turnaround between when they arrive and when they head off to school.

The preschool program is administered by Yellowknife Catholic Schools, though students go to any school district once finished.

Superintendent Claudia Parker said the school district has been blessed to have Caines working with them.

"She really has a gift with young children," Parker said Wednesday. "It means a lot for our children."

Reasons cited for Caines receiving the award include some of the pilot projects she's run to improve childcare. One such program called SuperFlex taught children with Asperger's Syndrome and Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder how they can adapt to different social situations.

Other reasons include developing care plans with health care workers instead of having separate and competing plans and bringing kindergarten teachers and support workers into the preschool to observe their future students to help ensure a smooth transition.

Parker said Caines is a very caring person who is always looking for new ways to improve the teaching environment.

Parker said the school administration nominated Caines for the award. The teacher had to sign off on the nomination, so she was aware it had been submitted.

"It was kind of shocking and overwhelming," she said about finding out Tuesday that she received the award. "It's wonderful, but I was kind of surprised."

Nominees are reviewed by a selection committee that includes people from early education institutions, associations and governments.

Caines is the only one from the North on list of recipients released Tuesday.

The Certificate of Achievement is a regional level award with a cash prize of $1,000. The money can be used for training, equipment or to develop programming. There is also a national level award called the Certificate of Excellence.

The regional award is usually presented by the local MP at a community-based ceremony. Caines said she's not sure when that ceremony will take place.

There were 10 regional award recipients this year and five national awards.

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