Learning, Leading, Belonging: Celebrating a New Cohort of Graduates

When Jaymarie Leshures arrived from the Philippines, the mere thought of getting behind the wheel paralyzed her. Yet after becoming a home visitor in Brooks, Alberta, driving quickly became an absolute necessity.

Today, Jaymarie has overcome her fear, obtained her driver's license, and is about to take a major step in her professional journey: starting in August, she will begin a new position as a Settlement Worker in Schools, a new role focused on supporting newly arrived students in Canada.

Briseida Ruiz Torres, another Home Visitor, also shares her story of starting over. Having arrived two and a half years ago with her two grown children, she too had to rebuild her life from scratch.

Today, supported and guided by her coordinator at the Young Mothers Group, she has found her footing again and is continuing her studies in Early Childhood Education (ECE) as part of the RISE program.

A Strong Partnership in Service of Learning and Professional Development

At the graduation ceremony on June 18, the two women were invited to speak and share their stories, marking an important milestone for the cohorts present: earning the micro-credential for Level 1 or Level 2 of the Professional Development program.

This curriculum, launched in 2021 by Mothers Matter Canada with financial support from IRCC, aims to support home visitors in developing their skills. It offers them not only theoretical and practical tools, but also official recognition of their expertise in the field. No fewer than 172 Home Visitors have completed the program since its creation, earning microcredentials from our partners at Red River College Polytechnic.

Beyond the technical skills related to their role in Home Visiting, the training addresses essential social issues, and topics like the Science of Early Child Development, Adult Education, Violence Against Women, Immigrant Settlement and Integration, and Building Bridges with First Peoples.

The training not only imparts knowledge but also validates and reinforces what they already knew from their own experience, finally giving them the words, the framework, and formally recognized credential to name their knowledge and skills, which then radiates directly back into families. It has a multiplying effect.

This success is built on a strong alliance between pedagogical vision and institutional support. The micro-credential program, delivered by our partner Red River College Polytechnic, ensures essential consistency and quality in training. Their expert instructors lead Home Visitors through learning journey, providing them with a true college education experience.

The program expanded in 2023, with full microcredential offerings in both official languages thanks to a key partnership with Université de Montréal, allowing francophone Home Visitors to train in their own language.

A Triple Challenge: Mothers, Students, and Professionals

We believe it is important to recognize the scale of the achievement accomplished by these women. For the vast majority of them, being a Home Visitor represents their very first experience in the Canadian job market. Earning this micro-credential is truly a feat: taking online courses on top of their fieldwork, all while juggling this training path with their role as mothers and the personal challenges tied to immigration.

By transforming their own lives, they have supported hundreds of families. Through their resilience and their ability to learn and pass on knowledge, they become the quiet pillars of their communities. They demonstrate, in practice, that professional development and community support go hand in hand.

As Briseida rightly puts it: "The Professional Development program isn't just about grades or theory, it's above all about community."

Congratulations to this year's entire cohort!