Catching up With Staff: Katie

28Jan, 2021

This week we hear from our amazing First Steps Director, Katie Yakiwchuk. Often described as "super woman," Katie works hard to teach, nurture, and love all of her preschool students. She balances running a preschool, leading her teaching team with excellence and passion, and being a busy mom of three. We are blessed to have Katie on our staff team and we look forward to seeing families touched by the love that First Steps Preschool has to offer.

What is your role at SDBC and how long have you worked here?
I came on staff in September 2015 as the interim Director of Children's Ministry and in September 2016, I transitioned into my current role as the Director of First Steps Preschool.

What is something about you that people in the church might be surprised to discover?
Hmm, well, I startle VERY easily. This is a great source of entertainment for my children and they take every opportunity they can find to scare me. Maybe I shouldn't have told you this!

What are some of the things you love most about being part of the SDBC community/family?
I love that we are all unique and wonderfully created human beings who have been assembled by God. Being a part of a church family where each person brings a different spiritual gift, perspective, story, and experience to the body is something I don't take for granted.

How has your role shifted and changed since the start of COVID-19?
Friday, March 13th, 2020 was our last day of preschool due to the COVID-19 pandemic. We ended our school year so abruptly and without any real emotional preparation. We had April, May, and June all planned, from insects and music, to creation and space. Everything was ready – crafts, games, songs, and library books. After numerous meetings, emails, phone calls, and constant prayer, the decision was made to close First Steps to the students. Although we were not required by Fraser Health to suspend our program, this was the best decision we could make to keep our teachers, students, and their families healthy and safe. From March 13th onwards, I worked from home. During this time, I connected with families, met virtually with our preschool committee, kept in touch with our teaching staff, and stayed up to date with the constantly changing licensing policies and health guidelines.

Fast forward to September 4th, 2020 and we were very blessed to be able to welcome students back to preschool. Getting to the place where we could safely reopen our doors has presented challenges. Staying current and up to date with the numerous COVID-19 health and safety guidelines has been time consuming. The COVID-19 guidelines for licensed childcare can appear quite daunting, but, thankfully, First Steps already had many of the new requirements in practice prior to the pandemic. The teaching staff spends considerable time cleaning and sanitizing the classroom, but it's worth it for the health and safety of the children and our staff.

From an actual daily program point of view, not much has changed. However, the biggest change for the families is we are now a closed-door preschool. Currently, we are not able to welcome families into the classroom to participate in our preschool program. Being an open-door preschool is something that has set First Steps apart from other preschool programs, and our open-door approach is highly valued among families. This has been hard for families, but they have all shown patience and understanding as they've adjusted to the "new normal" for preschool. We know there will be a time that our doors will once again be open to families and we will be able to resume that fundamental part of our program, however, until then, we rely on technology to record videos and take photos to share with parents so they are still connected to their child's development.

What are some of the challenges and triumphs you have encountered in your life and work since the beginning of COVID 19?
A personal triumph is I survived, or, more accurately, my children survived me being a homeschool teacher during the school closure! At that time, they were in Kindergarten, Grade 5, and Grade 7 and it's not an experience we need to relive! Another personal silver lining from COVID-19 has been my husband, Dave, working from home and not travelling for his work. Typically, Dave could be away 10-15 days a month. Since the travel ban went into place, we have enjoyed more time together as a family. It has been a lovely blessing!

For First Steps, the challenge of suspending preschool and then reopening for September was at times overwhelming. In a year of cancellations, closures, and overall disappointment for so many of us, it was hard not to become discouraged and sad to think about all the teaching we missed with the children. I would say that COVID-19 has brought our teaching team closer and we have become more resilient, creative, and resourceful when it comes to navigating preschool in a pandemic. With that type of mindset and determination, we found ways to safely host a preschool graduation in the church courtyard once some of the PHO restrictions were lifted. It was a bittersweet moment, but we were grateful to have that memory for the children and give them closure for this season of life. We were also able to continue our tradition of performing the Christmas nativity play with the 4-year-old class. Instead of hosting all the families in the Chapel as we typically do, we recorded the performance with the help of our amazing SDBC tech team. The families were able to enjoy and share this memory with their children. The children did such a fantastic job, and it was a lovely way to close 2020.

How can we pray for you in this season of life?
Pray for the physical, emotional, and spiritual health of our teachers Laurie, Megan, Kaitlyn, and myself. Also, prayer for the upcoming 2021/22 school year would be appreciated. Registration for September begins in February and I am praying for full classes!

Click here to email encouragement to Katie.

Posted by Mary Grierson

Mary has been on our church staff since 2016, serving in the roles of Interim Worship Director, Associate Director of Worship, and now, Director of Community Life. Mary works on organizing church-wide events, integrating new members into our church family, working with community groups, and managing the Starfish Pack and SDBC Tutoring programs along with other community outreach initiatives. She is passionate about loving Jesus, loving people, and loving our community.

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