Meet our Educators
Tracey Marques
Tracey is our Director. She joined Waterloo Co-operative Preschool in 2013. Tracey has moved from being a Supervisor for 12 years to our newly appointed Director for this coming year. Congratulations Tracey!
In 1995, Tracey graduated with her Social Services Diploma from Conestoga College and led life skills groups at the Canadian Mental Health Association for individuals with mental health concerns, and volunteered with inmates at the Guelph Correctional Centre. Tracey began working with children at the Guelph YM/YWCA as a team teacher. She was promoted to team leader after obtaining her School Age Certificate (with distinction) in 1998 and eventually became School Age Supervisor with a team of 10 staff. After the birth of Tracey's first child, Tracey opened and operated her own licensed private home daycare for 10 years while her children were young. She continued to participate in workshops, attend conferences, and join panels to keep her skills up-to-date. Tracey continued her studies and became Registered in the field of Social Services Work in 2008 and a Registered Early Childhood Educator in 2010. Tracey has also worked as a child care centre supervisor, as an ECE in kindergarten with the Board of Education, and as an inclusion facilitator for children with differing needs. Tracey has been involved in licensed child care for over 30 years now and is always ready for a new challenge.
Tracey stood on the board for the Whiskey Harbour Recreation Association as the Vice President and organized several events over the summer at her cottage to support the cause to keep the Rocks open to the Public. The Association retired this year after completing its mission.
Tracey is the mother of two beautiful young ladies. Her family was very involved in soccer and hockey, horses and ball. Tracey volunteered to coach when the girls were young and to fundraise as they got older and became more competitive. Her girls are now a Registered vet tech and a Registered social worker. Tracey enjoys cottaging, fishing, sand dunes, hiking, and loves her border collie dogs Crosby and Vinnie.
Tracey works closely with licensing, KW Hab, Kidsability and the Region of Waterloo to ensure we are providing the best programming possible for our children. She is taking the lead on the operational aspects of the Preschool this year in her new role and will continue to support and mentor the education staff and placement students.
Patty Fallis-Robbins
Patty is our Supervisor. She joined Waterloo Co-operative Preschool in January 2018 as an assistant teacher, moved up to Assistant Supervisor last year, and will be coming back this year as Supervisor. Congratulations Patty!
Patty loves being a part of the Waterloo Co-operative Preschool and looks forward to learning with your children, having fun, and joining the children in new adventures.
In 2013, Patty decided to pursue her childhood dream of being an ECE. She took a supply position at Creative Beginnings in Baden and fell in love with the career. A position became available, and she worked part-time in the after-school program and enrolled in the distance ECE program at Loyalist College. Patty left Creative Beginnings after working for a year to take a position at Inspiring Minds in Wellesley in their kindergarten after-school program. She worked in the program for 3 years, working a year in the before-school program too.
Patty mentors and guides new staff, and develops our projects, crafts, and lessons for all of our programs. She also works with our Administrator to update policies and documentation, as well as heads up membership coordination through registrations, volunteer roles, and classroom volunteer coordination. Patty is always willing to help out where she can, and we are so grateful for her support and assistance!
Kelsey Sheerer
“Hi, I’m Kelsey! I graduated from the ECE program in 2016 and have experience with all age groups in a variety of different settings. I knew from quite a young age that I enjoyed working with children. I enjoy getting to see and be a part of the children’s growth and development and learning alongside them. I grew up (and still live) in a small town about 20 minutes outside of Waterloo with my older brother and younger sister. Growing up we had a Jack Russell Terrier. Some of my favourite things to do in my spare time are: read (I always have a book on the go), bake/cook, go for walks, spend time at our trailer, and spend time with family and friends. My favorite season is summer, my favorite holiday is Christmas, and you can usually find me watching a Hallmark Christmas movie during the holidays. My favorite sports are baseball and hockey!”
Kelsey first came to Waterloo Co-operative Preschool in 2015 during her placement with us and continued as a dependable supply and support staff until she joined us permanently in March 2023.
Jessica McCann
“Hi! I'm Jess. I am so excited to be starting a new adventure here at Waterloo Co-operative Preschool! I am a Registered ECE and graduated from Fanshawe College in 2014. I have always loved working with children, watching them grow and helping them to learn new things.
I live in Stratford (Justin Bieber's hometown, but no, I don't know him! HA), where I worked in a Cooperative nursery school for 6 years! I've also been a nanny, and I'm so grateful for both of these experiences!
I'm thrilled to be working at another Coop. I love the closeness Cooperative Nursery Schools bring. I love that everyone works together to make it the best place possible for the little ones!
In my spare time, I like to hang out with my dog, Jack, do yoga, and hang out with my friends and family, and I am a big fan of movies! I am looking forward to seeing what this year has in store for us and I'm so excited to meet all of you soon!”
Xiao Yin Deng ‘Cherie’
"Hello everyone. My name is Cherie, and I am a new RECE at WCP in room 1. I graduated with the Honors Early Childhood Education Program (2013) and a Bachelor of Child Development (2015) from Seneca College. Recently I finished my Early Childhood Education Administration certificate courses from Seneca College as well. I have over ten years of experience working with children from infancy to school age in different childcare settings. I immigrated to Canada when I was in grade 9 from China, and I have lived in Toronto since then. In 2019, I got married and my family decided to move to Guelph. I am a new Mama with a little busy toddler boy. I love traveling, watching YouTube shows, and listening to K-pop. I’m also fluent in Cantonese and Mandarin."
Tahira Uddin
Tahira has completed her Early Childhood placement at Waterloo Cooperative Preschool during her final year in the Program during the 2023-2024 Preschool year. Tahira loves to do art and listen to music in her free time. She is able to understand or speak two languages which are Bangla and English. Tahira’s passion and Goal is to be able to become an ECE who is able to help children improve with their development and skills so they can be successful in their future lives.
Maria Fitzgerald
Maria is finishing up her Early Childhood Education by correspondence and has worked full time with us as an assistant educator in various classes at the Preschool over the past year and a half. She has many years of experience. We welcome her calm, yet confident and comforting approach and her ability to develop strong positive relationships with children and families. Maria cares very much about helping children develop across all the domains of learning. She dedicates her time to children and families in our community, ensuring that all are included. She has a passion for working with children, speaks many languages and is an asset to the team. Her love for her work is demonstrated every day in all that she does at WCP.
Katrina Zwambag
Katrina Zwambag is a graduating RECE who has been with us the past year on placement and officially joined the team last April. She brings great talent, fresh ideas, and a wonderful energy!
Katrina has a passion for creating meaningful, play-based learning experiences that nurture children's natural curiosity and creativity. With a strong interest in both the Reggio Emilia philosophy and art-based exploration, she loves designing hands-on activities that invite children to wonder, experiment, and express themselves. She especially enjoys inquiry-based learning and supporting children as they make discoveries through their own questions and investigations.
Before entering the world of early childhood education, Katrina completed her degree in biotechnology and worked in environmental testing. This scientific background helps her bring a unique perspective to classroom explorations and STEM activities.
Outside the classroom, Katrina is a proud mom of two daughters and an active community member—she also coaches youth soccer! She is excited to continue building strong relationships with the children and families in our preschool community.
Nat Mallet
Nat joined the team at Waterloo Co-operative Preschool in June of 2021 and has loved being a part of our community ever since! Their professional background is mostly in inclusion and support work across many different age groups, but primarily focused on early years and school/camp-age children. Nat has completed an Honours Bachelor's degree in Psychology (with distinction) from Wilfrid Laurier University, with some special focuses on developmental psychology, autism, and other exceptionalities.
Outside of WCP, Nat is also a complex care worker with KW Habilitation, with whom we have a wonderful partnership here at our Preschool. During the summers, Nat has worked at different summer camps as an inclusion support worker and consultant with the City of Kitchener (Waterloo) and the YMCA of Three Rivers.
Nat said, “I spent many years of my life as a competitive figure skater in both singles and ice dance, including some coaching at the end of my career. I have also recently started my journey as a judge with Skate Ontario.”
“In my spare time, I love to be in nature and by the water, do various forms of art, and spend time with my loved ones. I am a HUGE animal lover, my favourite season is summer, and my favourite holiday is Halloween. I am also a big fan of dinosaurs and sharks, which I am so lucky to share as an enthusiastic interest with so many of our students!”