Rachel Besharah

Rachel BesharahCCHRSC - Training and Career Resources: Profiles of Today's Child Care Workforce
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Rachel Besharah: Early Childhood Educator, Toddler Program, Centretown Parents Day Care; President, Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2204, representing child care workers in Ottawa, Ontario

Rachel Besharah "fell into child care" at a young age."My mother works at Centretown Day Care so I was raised in an environment where the importance of quality care was instilled at an early age, and I was in day care when I was a child," she says.

She was also raised in a labour household, and becoming a union activist was another natural fit.

Besharah started working in child care as a substitute, and after taking a number of night courses went on to study early childhood education at Algonquin College."I realized that the kind of good day care centre I wanted to work in would have low turnover and so I needed to have some training to be able to get a full-time job."

It's been nine years since she became a permanent employee at Centretown, a non-profit, parent-run cooperative serving infants up to kindergarten-age children.

Rachel works in the toddler program with two other teachers, providing early childhood care and education to 13 children aged 18 months to 2 ½ years.The duties of staff in the program range from toilet training and diaper changing to promoting the development of cognitive, gross motor, language and social skills through artistic, sensory, group and outdoor play, as well as stories, song and dramatic play.

"I also enjoy working with the parents and developing relations with the parents," says Besharah."That's a big focus of mine."

Her dual role as teacher and union president for 220 members working in 11 centres means that she is often out of the program, but she feels a union presence in child care is important.

Rachel BesharahEarly Childhood Educator, Toddler Program, Centretown Parents Day Care; President, Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2204, representing child care workers in Ottawa, Ontario

CUPE 2204 president Rachel Besharah faces a lock out at Andrew FleckJuly 13, 2006 10:08 AM The board of directors at Ottawa's Andrew Fleck child care centre has started the countdown towards a legal lockout, and the members of CUPE 2204 are looking for support.

CUPE 2204 president Rachel Besharah brought her eight-year-old daughter Olivia with her to witness the vote.

"I'm relieved, and I'm grateful for all the mothers and women who've been fighting for decades to keep child care on the agenda," she said.Daughter Olivia said she was happy to "see this go through and know it would help people."

Rachel Besharah, President of CUPE 2204 which represents child care workers across Ottawa, hoped for a balanced resolution when the two sides resume bargaining on July 26.

"We'd like to balance the interests of the members while recognizing the concerns the employer has around seniority and bumping procedures.We need to do this without infringing upon members' seniority rights," Besharah said.

Besharah was clear about CUPE's desire to maintain a healthy working relationship.

Rachel BesharahCCHRSC - Training and Career Resources: Profiles of Today's Child Care Workforce
...
Rachel Besharah: Early Childhood Educator, Toddler Program, Centretown Parents Day Care; President, Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2204, representing child care workers in Ottawa, Ontario

Rachel Besharah "fell into child care" at a young age."My mother works at Centretown Day Care so I was raised in an environment where the importance of quality care was instilled at an early age, and I was in day care when I was a child," she says.

She was also raised in a labour household, and becoming a union activist was another natural fit.

Besharah started working in child care as a substitute, and after taking a number of night courses went on to study early childhood education at Algonquin College."I realized that the kind of good day care centre I wanted to work in would have low turnover and so I needed to have some training to be able to get a full-time job."

It's been nine years since she became a permanent employee at Centretown, a non-profit, parent-run cooperative serving infants up to kindergarten-age children.

Rachel works in the toddler program with two other teachers, providing early childhood care and education to 13 children aged 18 months to 2 ½ years.The duties of staff in the program range from toilet training and diaper changing to promoting the development of cognitive, gross motor, language and social skills through artistic, sensory, group and outdoor play, as well as stories, song and dramatic play.

"I also enjoy working with the parents and developing relations with the parents," says Besharah."That's a big focus of mine."

Her dual role as teacher and union president for 220 members working in 11 centres means that she is often out of the program, but she feels a union presence in child care is important.

Rachel BesharahEarly Childhood Educator, Toddler Program, Centretown Parents Day CarePresident, Canadian Union of Public Employees Local 2204

His major term project, the universal child-care plan, is not child care," said Rachel Besharah, an early childhood educator in Ottawa.

Provincial and territorial governments also want details of the Conservative plan, given Harper's announcement a year ago today that he was canceling the former Liberal government's child-care funding deals, effective this March 31.