Board of Directors

There are currently 10 Directors on the Board (minimum 3 required). The Directors are:

Lynell Anderson, B. Comm., C.G.A.
Lynell has been involved in the child care movement for more than 20 years. As a child care parent, she began her volunteer work as Treasurer of SFU Childcare Society, and was subsequently involved in various capacities with the Society. In her work life, Lynell works as a researcher, financial analyst and instructor for various organizations.

Ruth Bancroft
Ruth has worked in child care for over 30 years. Since 1978, she has been the Director of the Langara Child Development Centre, which is an inclusive campus child care program serving children from 18 months to 5 years of age. Ruth has experienced child care as an early childhood educator as well as a parent of two children. She’s been involved in the development of Supported Child Care in Vancouver and is a member of the Vancouver Local Supported Child Development Advisory Committee. She also serves as a board member of SpeciaLink, the national centre for child care inclusion.

Gyda Chud
Gyda has worked on behalf of children for more than 20 years. She helped to develop both Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre, which provides training, resources and information services to BC families, child care providers and organizations, and the anti-bias, anti-racist education programs of Westcoast Multicultural and Diversity Services. Gyda worked to established and chair the Human Resources Round Table on Child Care in Ottawa, to ensure that quality child care is visible on the national scene. She has been a member of the Coalition since its inception. In her work life, Gyda was the Coordinator of Early Childhood Care and Education Programs at Vancouver Community College and is currently their Dean, Centre for Continuing Studies.

Sheila Davidson
Bio coming soon

Randi Gurholt-Seary
Having been the beneficiary of an enriched and creative life as a young girl, it is not a great challenge for Randi to work to achieve the same for all children. Her 24 years work in the Child Care sector has enabled her to help develop policy, program enhancements, staff development, creative play spaces and work towards a National Child Care Program. The majority of her work has been as a Supervisor of a Pre-School and Out Of School Care program in East Vancouver, both of which have blessed her life as her extended family. She works with youth and adults as a volunteer or guide on outdoor adventures such as kayaking, camping, canoeing, snow shoeing and skiing trips which give her a breath of hard earned fresh air. Randi enjoys bringing the same amount of enthusiasm to her Union, CUPE (the Canadian Union of Public Employees) where she sits on the BC and National Child Care Working Groups. To round off her life she works as a Puppeteer with good friend Diana and enjoys life with her husband, son, family and friends.

Susan Harney
Susan has been an active member of the Coalition for more years than she can remember. For over 25 years she worked front line with children and families in a variety of settings and programs. She was also an ECE instructor for many years. Susan is actively involved in the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada (CCAAC) and "Let's Make It Happen", the Coalition's child care campaign in partnership with the BCGEU.

Crystal Janes
Crystal has worked in Child Care for 16 years as senior supervisor of a stand alone 3-5 centre in Vancouver. She is currently a program director of Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre. In 2005, Crystal worked as the coordinator of an advocacy project with the Child and Youth Advocate for the City of Vancouver. She has been actively involved as a board member on her daughter’s child care facility. As a board member, her goal was to support the care providers and promote improved wages, benefits and working conditions. Crystal feels strongly that child care should be community delivered and as parent, child care provider, and board member, she truly understands the intricacies and challenges of child care from all perspectives. Crystal is very excited to join the board of directors for the Coalition and to work with care providers and parents around the province to raise awareness of child care issues.

Caroline Kent
Caroline has been an Early Childhood Educator for the past 18 years. She started out in a small town non-profit child care centre and has since had the opportunity to work in a privately owned centre as well as a well funded university, unionized centre. She understands the difficulties faced when trying to bring quality care to children and families across BC. It is to this end that she has joined the Coalition. She hopes to help in bringing the message not only to the province of BC, but across Canada, that quality accessible child care is the right of every family.

Mab Oloman
As with many child care advocates, Mab's passion emerged at the same time as her first daughter did, 27 years ago. Intrigued with public policy as it relates to the well-being of children and youth she has served as a volunteer on the boards and steering committees of organizations including First Call, the Child Care Advocacy Association of Canada, Canadian Council for Children and Youth, and the BC Daycare Action Coalition, the precursor to the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of BC. Since 1982 Mab has also worked in the sector.

Stephanie Seaman
Stephanie has been involved in child care for over twenty seven years. Having come from a system of publicly funded Early Childhood Education in New Zealand, Stephanie's dream is to see a universally accessible, affordable, quality child care system here in Canada. As a parent of two teenagers who gained much from attending quality child care and as a co-supervisor at a licensed group child care centre for over 21 years, Stephanie is working towards her dream through a variety of venues including the B.C. Government and Services Employees' Union, as a member of the pan-Canadian Child Care Human Resources Sector Council, and as a board member of the Coalition of Child Care Advocates of B.C.

Dale Whitford
Dale has been a Supported Needs Educator since 1997 at the University of Victoria Child Care Services. He is a strong advocate for a publicly funded, not for profit child care system that is community focused and offers inclusion for children who require extra support. He received his teaching degree from the University of Saskatchewan and has spent over fifteen years as a children's entertainer, performing as a magician and juggler. Dale currently resides in Victoria with his wife Judy, and their two quadrupeds – a temperamental cat and a dog who has to deal with it.