Heartland Agency is a non-profit company founded by
Ilona Boyce, MSW. As Heartland's Executive Director, Ms. Boyce has worked with government and children's services in positions of increasing responsibility for 16 years. She left the government in 1995 to start Heartland

Ms. Boyce is a recognized expert in the field of early childhood programs and is regularly asked to speak at conferences about early intervention initiatives. She has been awarded the Early Childhood Professional Association of Alberta's Children's Service Award for her work. Ms. Boyce is a member of the Board of Directors of the Calgary Drop-in Centre Society, is a member of the Advisory Board for the Faculty of Social Work at Mount Royal College, and chairs the EvenStart for Children Foundation.

Heartland successfully operates Early Childhood Education (ECE),
Early Childhood Services (ECS) and Out-of-School Care programs.

All Heartland programs are based on the most current research in children's services. Heartland's mission statement is that "all children, regardless of circumstance, need to be supported by their community in order to grow up healthy, happy and with every opportunity to meet their potential."

The agency employs professional staff, most of whom have post secondary education. Teachers all hold a Bachelor of Education degree.

In addition to its mainstream programming, Heartland operates EvenStart, an early intervention program for children three to five years of age. The goal of the EvenStart Programs is to give children born into hardship, the same opportunities as those available to their peers.

Assistant Executive Director / Clinical Services Director, Bobbi-Jo Gaetz
Ms. Gaetz is responsible for overseeing the programming for Evenstart including all therapy services. Therapy services within the Evenstart program include speech and language therapy, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, and play therapy. Bobbi Jo also acts as liaison with Alberta Education in terms of applying for Program Unit Funding (PUF) for eligible students. Bobbi Jo is a registered psychologist who has worked with children and youth with special needs for over 15 years, and has been with Heartland Agency since 2004.

BGaetz@heartlandagency.org

Brianna Parkhill, Dip. BA
General Manager

Heartland Agency General Manager of Operations
Brianna is responible for over seeing the daily operations of the organization. She works with clinical and educational directors in overseeing the evenstart program. She also works closely with the site mangers. Brianna coordinates the annual Christmas hamper program which provides hampers for close to 100 families per year. Brianna holds a diploma in Business Administration Management field and has worked with Heartland since 1995.

BParkhill@heartlandagency.org

Director of Education, Elizabeth Poitras
Elizabeth oversees all aspects of the educational component of the Agency. This includes: the supervision of teachers, program development, classroom environments, as well as the coordination of professional development and other education-based projects. Elizabeth had over ten years of direct teaching experience in the early childhood and special needs fields. In addition to teaching, Elizabeth has worked as a daycare director and has been the owner of a preschool and after-school-car program.

Christina Perrott,
Site Manager - Main Downtown

Heartland Agency Downtown Site Manager – Christina Perrott
Christina is responsible for coordinating operations within the EvenStart program at our St. Stephen’s Location. In addition to staff recruitment, management, and bussing coordination, she also lends support to ensure positive early childhood practice in the classrooms. With ten years of experience as an Early Childhood Educator, Christina brings knowledge in the areas of Early Intervention, Integration and a Reggio Emilia inspired approach to programming. Christina began her studies in Social Work at the University of Calgary, and then went on to graduate from the Early Childhood Education Program in Lethbridge, Alberta.

CPerrott@heartlandagency.org

Heartland Agency Monterey Park Site Manager - Denise Lindsay
Denise is responsible for coordinating operations within the EvenStart program at the Monterey Park location, including overall site management, bussing coordination, and staff support and training. In addition to site duties, she also oversees the in-home program which allows families to access additional supports beyond the classroom environment. Denise brings over 10 years of experience to Heartland in the areas of classroom work, in-home consultation and management experience. She received her education through the University of Alberta and University of Calgary with a background in psychology and child development.

Heartland Agency Signal Hill Site Manager - Kait Mulyk
Kait Mulyk is responsible for the coordination of programs at the Signal Hill and Westside Recreational Centre locations. She manages the children's registration for the Preschool, ECS and Before and After School (BAS) programs as well as summer camp. Together with the Director in each area, Kait oversees the school transportation areas as well as recruitment. Kait began working at Heartland Agency in 2006 as a teacher's assistant in the EvenStart classroom, and then went on to assist in the therapy program as well as to become the BAS coordinator. Kait is a graduate of University fo Calgary, having completed her Bachelor of Arts Degree.

KMulyk@heartlandagency.org

Office Administrator - Roxanne Manabat
Roxanne is responsible for providing administrative support to management such as registration of students, submission of subsidies and claims for students, accounting, administration of benefits and claims of employees, maintaining office supplies, and managing calls. She is a BS Psychology cum laude graduate at the Philippine Normal University in Manila, Philippines with over 6 years of experience in office administration/human resource management.

RManabat@heartlandagency.org