Director retiring after 32 years at preschool

Penny started her career at Jack and Jill as a part-time English as a Second Language (ESL) teacher in 1988, having spent a year teaching at a primary school, before teaching there full-time and becoming Director in 1998, with her daughters Amanda and Kelly attending the preschool in 1982 and 1984.
“I have seen a lot of changes in the last three decades, primarily the introduction of technology as well as the new depth of programming and responsibilities,” she explained.
“Jack and Jill has always been a multicultural service and when I first started, the majority of families were from a Lebanese background.
“Today the main culture group here is Chinese and we are lucky to have two Chinese-speaking teachers on staff.”
Another area of change is that parents are more mindful of sending children to school when they are ready and not just when the child meets the age requirement.
“As such, next year we have 21 children booked in to come back for a second year,” Penny said.
“I feel privileged and thankful to have worked with such great families and staff over the years and treasure all of my experiences here.”
With a fourth grandchild on the way here, Penny is also looking forward to being able to travel more in retirement, especially visiting her other daughter and three grandsons in New York when restrictions ease.