Meet Our Staff West

Keira Moore (Owner)

Keira graduated from Lethbridge College's Early Childhood Education Program receiving her Early Childhood Education Diploma and her Level 3 Certificate from the Government of Alberta. Keira has worked in childcare for the past 10 years. Keira enjoys spending time with family and friends, walking her dog Rue, hiking, camping, and being outside. Keira chose Early Childhood Education after initially thinking of pursuing an Education Degree. After working in a summer camp at the YMCA she knew she wanted to pursue Early Childhood Education. "What I loves most about working with children is the ability to watch them learn and develop friendships. It is so neat to see children start as infants and progress through the program. One of the most rewarding parts of childcare is the relationships we get the build with the children and families we work with."

Eva Irwin (Owner)

Eva retired from Nursing in February of 2020, and started working at the program full time! She previously would come in regularly and volunteer her time at the centre giving extra attention to all of the children and cuddling babies. She received her Nursing Degree from the University of Athabasca. She is also certified as a Level 2 by the Government of Alberta. Eva enjoys spending time with her grandchildren, she loves reading, and spending time outside. Eva has always had a passion for working with children and is excited to spend her time at the program.

Miranda McLaren

Miranda has completed her Diploma in Early Childhood Education at the Lethbridge College and is certified as a Level 3 by the Government of Alberta. We first met Miranda as our practicum student and were so impressed that we had to hire her! Miranda has been with us since January 2017. She enjoys reading, hiking, yoga, painting, and gardening in here spare time. "I love childcare because I want to be a part of your child's journey through early childhood. I love being able to provide an atmosphere that encourages a healthy growth and development as well as being the loving and caring educator I would want my own child having. I love spending those magical everyday moments with your child and showing them the love and appreciation they deserve as they navigate their early childhood years."

Melanie Nalder

Melanie completed her certificate in Early Childhood Education at the Lethbridge College. She is certified as a Level 2 by the Government of Alberta. Melanie has been with us since January of 2020. Melanie enjoys spending time with family, reading, art, dancing, adventurers and anything creative and imaginative. Melanie dipped her toes into psychology and child and youth care, but chose to train in ECE. She believes in prevention rather than intervention later in life. She enjoys the world of discovery that children navigate, and the co-teaching environment; where you teach children, and they teach you. "It is so exciting and fulfilling to see their progress and see them walking their own path to success". She loves exploring the overlapping creativity and innovation you can find in children’s eyes. This is where children create their own possibilities as well as learn practical life skills.

Ara Ko

Ara has completed her Early Childhood Diploma at Bow Valley College and is Certified as an Level 3 Early Childhood Educator. Ara Started with us in November of 2020. She was a preschool teacher in South Korea then moved to Canada in 2010 to study Early Learning Child Care in Calgary. Ara believes in the importance of education at an early age and is dedicated to teaching children. She truly believes

children learn the best through play in a safe environment, and is here to guide them to explore the world. She loves cooking, yoga, playing the piano, also taught herself how to play the ukulele! She cannot wait to get to know everyone and build relationships with families! Ara is currently on Maternity leave.

Melissa Peters

Melissa completed her diploma in Early Childhood Education at the Lethbridge College. She is certified as a Level 3 by the Government of Alberta. Melissa initially began pursing a career in social work, but after a year at Mount Royal University she decided to switch her focus to Early Childhood Education. Melissa did respite care for five children underneath the age of seven for a year and a half. "Respite has been one of the most rewarding jobs I have ever had". Melissa Started with us in February of 2021. Melissa enjoys spending time with family, hiking, music, and travelling in her spare time.

Hannah Derksen

Hannah is currently enrolled in the Lethbridge College Early Childhood Education Program. She is currently certified as an Level 2 by the government of Alberta. She plans to obtain her Diploma from the College. Hannah Started with us in October of 2021. In her spare time she enjoys painting, singing and board games. Hannah chose Early Childhood Education after growing up as the biological child of foster parents. She had children coming in and out of her home for her whole childhood. This experience showed her how much she loved working with children and swayed her to pursue a career in childcare. Hannah is very excited to further her education and have a career working with children.

Jayden Pyne

Jayden is certified as a Level 1 certified by the government of Alberta. She is a few classes away for obtaining her level 2. Jayden plans to continue to complete her Diploma in Early Childhoood Education. Jayden has a passion for working with young children and watching them learn and grow. Jayden Started with us in April of 2021. In her spare time she enjoys playing with her puppy, camping and being outside!

Rachel Regehr

Rachel received her diploma in Early Childhood Education from Red River College (Winnipeg) in 2018 and her certification as a Child Development Supervisor (ECE 3) (Alberta) in 2021. Working with children and travelling have always been my biggest passions – I had the opportunity after high school to live internationally, volunteering with children’s programming in both Australia and India. I also love dogs (and look forward to having our own someday), watching movies, and spending time outdoors with my husband, family and friends. I am excited to bring my training and childcare experiences to the great team at Where the Wild Things Grow. Most importantly, I look forward to developing positive and impactful relationships with all the families and children who attend the daycare.

Martha Reimer

Martha is certified as a Level 1 certified by the government of Alberta. Martha plans to enroll in the Early Childhood Education Program to obtain her certificate in Early Childhood Education. She grew up the oldest in a large family, so has always been passionate about working in childcare. She loves how much She learns from the children every day! Some of her interests are: reading, listening to music, traveling, doing anything outside especially hiking, and spending as much time as possible with my family and friends. Martha started with us in December of 2022.

April Sorensen

April recieved her certificate from the Lethbridge College Early Childhood Education Program. She is currently certified as a Level 2 by the government of Alberta. The reason I am an Early Childhood education because I LOVE working with children, I think it is because I am a child at heart. I love seeing them smile, beings SO full of energy and wanting to learn and grow and discover new things. To me this is the best and most rewarding career I can think of. In my spare time I enjoy hanging out with my family, watching movies, reading books, camping in the summer and spending time with my pets. I am also very close to my grandparents. During the summer I like to stay at my grandparent's farm where I enjoy helping my Grandma with baking and gardening, and helping my Grandpa take care of the horses and chickens. April Started with us in January of 2023.

Reegan Willoughby

Reegan is currently working on her level 1 certification. She grew up wanting to go into an education degree but found it wasn’t exactly what she was looking for after completing high school. She decided to start a bachelor of Nursing degree at the University of Lethbridge but realized that she still had not found her dream career. Then she decided that she would take a semester off of school to work and unexpectedly fell in love with Early Childhood Education! She believes that it holds the aspects of both teaching and nursing that she loves! She now plans to continue her education and obtain her level 2 and then level 3 certification as an Early Childhood Educator. In her free time she enjoys painting, hiking and spending time with her husband and puppy. She loves working with children and hopes to have a big family one day! Reegan started with us in January of 2023.

Jessica Primeau

Jessica is a support worker for one of our children with exceptionalities. Jessica graduated from the Early Childhood Education Diploma program at Lethbridge College and is certified as a Level 3 Early Childhood Educator. She was born and raised in Calgary, Alberta, and is the eldest of five children in her family. She moved to Lethbridge eight years ago to further her education, starting at Lethbridge College then completing her Bachelor of Arts in psychology at the University of Lethbridge, returning to Lethbridge College to pursue Early Childhood Education. She have chosen to pursue a career in early childhood education because she has always been passionate about working with children and helping them reach their full potential. When Jessica is not working on coursework she enjoys reading, arts and crafts, as well as listening to music and practicing the guitar. Another hobby of hers is travelling; She loves to travel and will take any opportunity she is given to go somewhere new. She has been a member of Girl Guides of Canada for 18 years and enjoys getting to work in the community as well as being able to get outdoors to go camping and hiking. She is excited to see where the future takes her. Jessica has been with us Since April of 2022

Shannon Woodruff

Shannon comes in twice a week to support us in doing dishes. She is always a smiling face and such an important member of our team. When Shannon is not working she enjoys staying active by going for walks and going swimming. Shannon attends art classes in the community and loves to draw. When not at work Shannon is a unit support volunteer at chinook regional hospital. Shannon has been with Where The Wild Things Grow since November of 2017.