May 14, 2025 – Today we are happy to celebrate Hien Nguyen, an Early Childhood Education Leader. She is now the Pedagogical Leader and Centre Director at our Fairhaven Child Development Centre.

Hien moved to Canada from Vietnam in May 2017. At first, she worked at Fatburger Restaurant. Later, she joined our Before and After School Care (BASC) team. She says her early success came from her volunteer work with the International Women of Saskatoon and a job program at the Saskatchewan Intercultural Association. She volunteered as an ESL teacher, which helped her improve her job skills and learn more about Canadian culture.

Her love and talent for childcare were quickly noticed while working in BASC. Soon, she moved to our Sutherland Child Development Centre. Hien already had a Bachelor of Education, and while working, she began studying for her Early Childhood Educator Level Two certificate.

In February 2019, Hien transferred to the new Fairhaven Centre. After a maternity leave in 2020 and a short time helping at Brighton CDC, she came back as the leader at Fairhaven.

In 2022, Hien earned her Early Childhood Educator Level Three. She kept learning while working full-time. Now, she is working on her Master’s in Early Childhood Education at the University of British Columbia. She will finish in spring 2027. She says this program is helping her learn more about how young children grow and how to support diversity in education. She also wants to use what she learns to help children of all cultures and abilities, and she is very interested in outdoor education.

Recently, Hien won the “Director from a Single Site SECA Award of Excellence” at the Saskatchewan Early Childhood Association Conference on May 3, 2025. She said:

“I’m very thankful for the support from my team, families, and children. I believe early childhood educators are the heart of early learning. I always try to create a kind and supportive workplace. When educators feel respected and cared for, they do their best for the children.”

Hien lives in Saskatoon with her husband and two children. She says they have gotten used to the cold weather. She proudly says both her kids are “Y kids”—her daughter is in BASC, and her son attends our Downtown Child Development Centre.

Story by Alan Long