Company History
Little People's Workshop Ltd. was founded in 1985 by Beverley Brace (B.A. Ed.) and Valerie Taylor Welsh (B.A. Ed.) as well as their fathers, the late Dr. Alec T. Brace (PhD Ed.) and businessman Vernon Taylor.
The original licensed centre was located on the second floor of an office building in the neighborhood of
Mundy Pond in St. John's, Newfoundland. The centre licensed for 23 children employed 3 child care staff - Beverley, Valerie and one hired employee. In 1994, Valerie chose to move in an alternate career direction and Beverley remained to continue the centre's operation.
In 1996 with Beverley's children now 13 and 10, Beverley moved her original centre to a larger main floor rental property across the street and increased the licensed capacity to 37 children. Simultaneously, she worked on converting the St. James United Church Rectory on Paton Street to a licensed childcare centre for 27 children with a focus on parent education.
In 2000, after 15 years in operation, Little People's Workshop successfully financed the construction of an 8000 ft2 state of the art facility for children in the neighborhood of Mundy Pond. The building held a license for 60 children - Little People's Workshop 24-58 months on the main floor, and the Dr. A. T. Brace Childrens Centre school age club on the lower floor. On September 4, 2000, 37 children were introduced to their new custom built child-centred facility.
In 2002, a further expansion found the lower floor licensing the first infant care centre (birth-24 months) in Newfoundland and Labrador. In May of 2002, The Dr. A. T. Brace Infant Centre, named after a
dedicated educator and father, opened it's doors for 12 of it's youngest clients.
The neighboring city of Mount Pearl received their first Little People's Workshop centre in Spring of 2003 when the company converted an Anglican Rectory located at the Parish of the Ascension Church on Smallwood Drive into a licensed child care facility for 54 children.
The most recent endeavour of Little People's Workshop has been the construction of a new child care
centre in the St. John's west-end neighborhood of Cowan Heights. The centre is licensed for 60 children and offers childcare programs from infancy to school age.
Company Information
Little People's Workshop employs 40 early learning and child care staff - a combination of early childhood educators, child development specialists, and teachers.
The company offers financial support to local churches, community centres, childrens hospitals, and family shelters.
Plans for the coming year include the establishment of a non-profit parent education and support service, The Dr. A. T. Brace Family Foundation.
About Bev
The owner Beverley Brace has been nominated for 2 consecutive years by the Business Development Bank for the Rotman Woman Entrepreneur of the Year Award.
She is a member of the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Newfoundland and Labrador, the Canadian Childcare Federation, and a board member of Gemma, an association for the promotion of infant mental health. She is also the current president of the Provincial Association of Childcare Adminstrators and Licentiate of Newfoundland and Labrador.
She is the mother of two sons, Ryan, 21 and Kristian, 18.
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