About The Learning Nest

Margaret is truly the heart of our organization. Her significant experience and her genuine passion for education has made her a staple within the industryt. Margaret has promoted the concept of quality childcare experiences since 1982. She was an educator in the Early Childhood Education program lab school at Mohawk College for twenty years in addition to serving as an advisory board member for their diploma program. Margaret continues to give back to the ECE profession by sharing her knowledge as a guest lecturer at conferences and events.

With thirty-five years in the childcare industry, Fatima is a wealth of knowledge and a purveyor of best practices. In her role as Director of Quality, she ensures each of our campuses maintain the highest quality of care for our children. She is also charged with providing the entire  educational team with curriculum, inclusivity and scaffolded learning training. As a positive team player, Fatima works tirelessly with the campus teams to deliver a premium experience for our families. She is a mother to two daughters and one son. Fatima is also a proud grandmother to five grandchildren.

Krysten has over a decade of experience in the childcare industry and has excelled throughout her career in regional director roles. Her expertise in team leadership and understanding of childcare best practices are matched by her contagious energy and unwavering enthusiasm. Krysten collaborates closely with our Centre Directors and is a key organizational leader. Krysten lives with her fiancé and French Bulldog in Hamilton and enjoys playing baseball and getting out of the city to a cottage in her spare time.

With over 10 years of childcare experience, Eleni Zarafonitis swiftly rose through the ranks from Toddler educator before her promotion to team mentor and eventually Centre Director. Eleni demonstrates a calm leadership style that easily earns the trust of her team, families and the children, putting even our littlest learners at ease. Eleni’s passion for early learning is evident and paves the way for a premium quality experience for all. In her spare time, Eleni loves crafts and is a Cricut connoisseur frequently creating items for family and friends!

Ron is a seasoned executive with over two decades of experience across a number of industries, holding senior leadership roles in top tier organizations such as Bell, Princess Margaret Hospital Foundation and Recipe Unlimited Corporation. Ron also serves on the Board and is a major fundraiser for The Brain Tumour Foundation of Canada, a cause that is near and dear to his heart. With Ron at the helm, The Learning Nest will continue to strengthen its position as Canada’s Premier Early Childcare provider as it grows its footprint in Ontario and beyond. In his off-time, Ron loves relaxing at his cottage with his wife and two grown children and is passionate about perfecting his golf game.

Michael is responsible for leading the operations of all Learning Nest, Childventures and Mighty Kids locations with the goal of providing a premium experience for families and team members alike. Michael has over twenty years of multi-unit operational and team leadership experience from a variety of leading service and retail businesses including SirCorp, Moxie’s and Bell. He was most recently with Compass Canada as Head of Retail Healthcare and attended University of Guelph in the BComm program. As a fitness enthusiast and Dance Dad, Michael also enjoys spending time with his wife and daughters at their family cottage, fishing, golfing and relaxing by the fire.

Vicki has served as CFO for ten years. Prior to that, Vicki spent over twenty years working in various senior financial capacities including Chief Financial Officer of Portland Investment Counsel and the Chief Financial Officer and Chief Operating Officer of AIC Limited. Vicki has broad experience in the financial services industry including managing large scale initiatives, evaluating business opportunities and executing the acquisitions and sales of various businesses. Vicki is a CPA and holds an MBA from the Rotman School of Business. She also serves on the Board of Northern Trust and is a member of Fidelity Investment’s Independent Review Committee. In her spare time, Vicki loves spending time at her cottage on Lake Erie with family and friends.

In her role, Shelley assumes strategic leadership of our Marketing and Enrolment functions responsible for defining the brand and solidifying The Learning Nest’s position as Canada’s premier childcare provider. Charged with building a customer first experience, Shelley has over twenty years of experience in marketing and sales most recently as VP Marketing and Brand Strategy at Corus Entertainment. Shelley’s innate curiosity and love of learning reflects the overall Learning Nest brand ethos. Shelley and her family love to travel with a focus on outdoor adventures.

Candace is a seasoned leader in the Human Resources field with over 15 years of experience working for organizations in the education and childcare sectors. She is a Certified Human Resources Leader and holds a BA from the University of Guelph. Outside of the office, Candace enjoys spending time with her family and friends, travel and word games. Candace lives with her husband and son in Mississauga.

Martina began her career in childcare over 30 years ago as an Infant educator. She played an instrumental role in growing the company, fulfilling different roles in multiple academies. Martina settled in Burlington where she was the Centre Director for nine years building strong relationships with community partners including ROCK Centre for Kids, Erin Oaks Kids Treatment Centre and Mohawk College to name a few. Martina has been the Director of Enrolment for over five years charged with growing our community. Martina lives in Dundas along with her husband and guinea pig. She has three grown daughters, one of whom works as a Centre Director.

With 15 years experience, Stacey’s career has been dedicated to nourishing babies, toddlers and children. While working as a pediatric nutrition consultant Stacey also works at The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto as a pediatric dietitian, specializing in neuroscience. The Learning Nest food program is founded on the philosophy that good nutrition is the fuel that powers active minds. Stacey’s role at The Learning Nest is to work with our head chef in developing our menu to ensure that each meal is nutritionally dense so that our children are optimized for learning. Stacey is also the founder of the Prenatal and Pediatric Nutrition Clinic at GSH Medical, a nutrition author for AboutKidsHealth website and a nutrition consultant and author for Cerebelly, a baby/toddler food company. As a mom of two little eaters, Stacey is passionate about helping families raise well-nourished kids right from the start.

As the Head Chef, John is responsible for the development and implementation of the food & nutrition program, managing a culinary team across all Learning Nest locations. John has an extensive background in the food and beverage industry working as the Executive Chef for Georgian College of Applied Arts & Technology and holding multiple leaderships roles at SIRCORP managing both operations and teams. While he’s not in the kitchen, John is a devoted dad who supports his children’s dance and soccer careers. He also enjoys playing golf and travelling with his family.