Carolyn LeBlanc
President / CEO
Carrie has many years of experience working with children and parents. She has been in the education field for over 9 years, beginning as a Teacher Assistant at the Moncton Montessori School. It was in this year that she developed a love and passion for the Montessori methodology.
Carrie was given further opportunities, in 2014, to expand her knowledge of the Montessori philosophy by working as a teacher for over six years at Kingswood Academy. She held the positions of Casa (co-teacher), Kindergarten, and Grade 1 teacher.
Carrie has completed the NAMC Lower Elementary (6-9) certification in 2017, a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Psychology, and a Bachelor of Education majoring in Elementary Education. She also finished her 90-hour Introduction to Early Childhood Education course in May of 2020. Carrie has also has diabetic training with Horizon Health.
Assistant Director
Lisa rejoined our team in August 2022. She first came to Willow Bend, along with her adopted son, in March 2021. She remained a regular fixture at the centre for a year as a relief staff, a full time educator and temporary Assistant Director. Lisa discovered her passion for working with children while taking an early childhood class in high school. She continued on to complete her Early Childhood Education diploma from the Institute for Human Services Education in 2002. Lisa has more than 18 years experience as an Early Childhood Educator with a couple of breaks during her journey to work as a Family Support Worker.
Lisa and her husband of 16 years both hail from Sackville, NB but relocated to Moncton in recent years to be closer to their work places. Along with their two year old son, they are welcoming a six year old little girl to their family. Lisa goes on to say "Home is where the heart is and my heart is with Willow Bend. I was thrilled to see first hand the care my son is receiving from all of the dedicated educators at Willow Bend. I am equally delighted to have the opportunity to return as a support, not only to the staff, but to the wonderful families who entrust us with their little ones."
Lisa Embree-Steeves
Melissa Young
Educator - Infant room
Melissa joined our team in September 2020 and hails from Salisbury, NB. She has a keen passion for children and has worked with children of all ages - from babies to after schoolers. Melissa brings with her 3 years experience as an aid. She has over 17 years of skill in the daycare field and received her Early Childcare Education in 2018.
Melissa's positive, cheerful and caring character brings a warmth to the centre. Her time at Willow Bend has been fantastic and she feels like we’re all family. She loves her, hopefully, forever home. Melissa is married and is a fur mommy to a caring and gentle dog.
Educator - Infant Room
Originally from the Ukraine, Karyna and her husband moved to Moncton in September 2023. She joined our team December 2023 as a relief staff and then 4 months later was thrilled to step into a full time educator position as an Infant Room educator. She brings with her a deep passion for working with children. In 2019, she received a Bachelor's degree in Pedagogy and in 2024 had her credentials successfully recognized in Canada. Karyna has always found joy in supporting children's growth and development. These experiences have enriched her approach with children allowing her to create meaningful and supportive learning environments.
Her previous experience includes working as a babysitter in Israel in 2020 and as a tutour for Ukrainian language for school-aged children. In her spare time, Karyna enjoys getting lost in a good book and is dedicated to improving her English language skills. She and her husband look forward to adding a furry friend, or perhaps two, to their family in the near future.
Karyna Tsarenok
Mylene Capili
Educator - Infant Room
Born and raised in the Philippines, Mylene dedicated over a decade to shaping young minds as a Secondary School Teacher. As the eldest of four siblings, she naturally embraced responsibility and leadership which are traits that she carries into her role as a loving parent to 2 children.
In August 2023, Mylene embarked on a new journey to Canada, fueled by her passion for Early Childhood Education. This path led her to Oulton College, where she graduated in June 2024 with a diploma in Early Childhood Education. Mylene's unwavering commitment to children and their development continues to inspire her, driven by a deep fondness for their innocence.
She joined Willow Bend ELC in August 2024 and says that she is thriving at Willow Bend, finding a joy and fulfillment in her work. Surrounded by supportive coworkers, Mylene is quoted as saying " I am grateful for the warm and encouraging environment that enriches my professional journey."
One quote that inspires her is from Nelson Mandela, who said, "There can be no kneener revelation of a society's soul than how it treats its children." Mylene firmly believes that caring for children's needs is fundamental to the betterment of our community.
Tawnya Johnson
Educator - Infant Room
Tawnya graduated from Oulton College with a diploma in Early Childhood Education in June 2024 and joined the Willow Bend team in September 2024. School alone was not where she has gained her knowledge of children. She has 2 beautiful daughters who have taught her the most important things about children that can't be taught in school. Instead she learned through experience which is patience, open mindedness and selflessness. Tawnya wants parents to know that the children that have been entrusted to her feel comfortable and confident knowing that she will care for the children as if they were her own. She will be there to have fun with them, encourage them and comfort them. Tawnya wants to be transparent and provide a classroom environment that is welcoming of all questions or concerns that a parent may have. One of her goals is to ensure that everyone is always working as a team to have the best experience possible for all the children.
Khrystyna Melnyk
Educator - 2s Room
Khrystyna joined the Willow Bend ELC team in November 2023 as a relief staff. We learned very quickly that she was someone whom we wanted as part of our full time staff. She graciously accepted the position as one of our 2s room educators in February 2024.
She moved to Moncton with her family (husband an son) from the Ukraine in March 2023. Khrystyna has a Mater's degree in pedagogic and practical experience as an elementary school teacher for almost 2 years while in the Ukraine. She also worked as an educator for over a year in Blegium where she gained a new perspective on teaching and learning.
One of her strengths is the ability to create a safe and nurturing environment for children. Khrystyna understands the importance of stability, trust and emotional support in a child's development. She makes sure that the children feel comfortable and encourage them to express their thoughts and feelings.
Outside of work, one of her favourite hobbies is photography. Khrystyna takes great joy from capturing the best moments in life and nature. This hobby helps her to see the world in a new light and helps develop her creative abilities. Her goal is to create a safe and caring environment where each child can reach their potential, develop social skills and learn new things.
Vanessa Rinaldi
Educator - 2s room
Vanessa came aboard as an Oulton College Early Childhood Education student for her on the job training in April 2024 and quickly took on the role as one of our 2s room educators. She graduated in June 2024 and became a full time employee.
She hails from Brazil and decided she wanted to move to a smaller, safer and more welcoming community. She enrolled in the International Student program at Oulton's.
Her background was working as a flight attendant and ground crew for various airlines where she gained a lot of experience and gave her extensive skills with handling challenging and stressful situations.
Vanessa is a fur Mommy to PH, Sukita, Berenice and Tyson with whom she adores. The deep love and respect that she has for all living beings has led her to embrace a vegetarian lifestyle.
Meagan Smith
Educator - 3/4 Room
Meagan first joined our Willow Bend team in November 2022 as a relief staff member until she made the decision to enroll in Oulton College's Early Childhood Educator program in September 2024 with the gentle nudging of Carrie and the staff at Willow Bend ELC. She rejoined the team in April 2024 to do her on the job training and take over as the 3/4 educator. She graduated in June 2024 from the program with a diploma in Early Childhood Education. Meagan was thrilled to come back and work with the children again.
After many years of working long hours and after hours as a Manager of Tim Hortons and security at Casino NB, she found the need to find a career that she could have a consistant schedule for her family. Meagan certainly found her knish as an educator!
The following quote is how she feels on a daily basis - "While we try to teach our children about life our children teach us what life is all about." The children have taught her so much more about herself and what she can bring to the children.
In her spare time, she spend a lot of time with her partner, her 2 daughters, step daughter, grandparents and fur babies Oreo and River.