ABOUT ONTARIO PERINATAL SCHOOL

Ontario Perinatal School provides professional training programs for birth specialists. As experts in adult education, our programs are designed and facilitated by qualified and knowledgeable teachers. We offer everything from entry level programs for the beginner to advanced continuing education programs for experienced practitioners.

OPS is proud to have filled the gap that has long existed in educating students in this field. Unlike organizations that don’t use concrete lesson plans, we pay close attention to assessing our learners’ needs, understanding the scope of a subject, identifying goals and objectives, planning the curriculum, sequencing course topics, designing the learning sessions, developing evaluation criteria and methods, and facilitating the learning experience for our students.

OPS has not only taught but mentored hundreds of women seeking to work with families in the childbearing year, including students, mothers, grandmothers and more. Whether you are a nursing student, a massage therapist, a chiropractor, a complementary therapist, a stay-at-home mother or grandmother, you’ll find what you are looking for with OPS. There are no pre-requisites for any of our programs, only a passion for supporting birthing women. Our programs are developed so that a student of any experience level can participate and benefit from them. We offer programs in both classroom and online formats.

With strong values in advocating for safe and satisfying birth experiences, we believe that each woman deserves to be listened to, treated with respect, and cared for, physically, emotionally, and spiritually during the childbearing year. Ontario Perinatal School strives to convey these beliefs in all of the programs that we offer.

KATHY KAY

Ontario Perinatal School is owned and operated by Kathy Kay, Certified Childbirth Support Specialist, Certified Postpartum Support Specialist, Certified Perinatal Educator, and Certified Instructor of Newborn Massage. Kathy has had the pleasure of working with childbearing families since 1998. After the birth of her first child, she pursued and completed certification as a Labour Assistant and began to assist mothers as a Postpartum Doula. Soon after, she realized she could better serve her clients and offer more continuity of care by becoming a Certified Childbirth Educator, with ALACE, and began teaching prenatal classes. Her business, Ontario Perinatal Services, began serving clients in May 1999. Just prior to the birth of her second child in 2001, she became certified as an Instructor of Newborn Massage. After her maternity leave, she continued to teach and attend births in the London-Sarnia area, while running a volunteer program through local London hospitals for Cesarean/VBAC mothers. In September of 2005, after she had worked for several years for other birth training and certifying organizations, Ontario Perinatal School was born. Kathy is currently working towards a Certificate in Adult Education, and finds great satisfaction in coupling her passion for supporting birthing women with her expertise in the field of adult education.
Email her kathy@ontarioperinatal.com

GABRIELLE PAGENHARDT

Gabrielle is a mother of 5 wonderful children, ages now 23, 22, 18, 17 and 14. Gabrielle is a Holistic Therapist and Registered Nutritionist and works mostly with women, through pregnancy all the way into Menopause! She is passionate about women, health and the right nutrition. Gabrielle's life changed when she met Kathy Kay years ago. To work in a truly holistic way, we have to put great emphasis on pregnancy, labour and birth. Gabrielle also feels the postpartum time is very important in the life of a woman. Gabrielle is a successful childbirth teacher in Kitchener, where she holds courses on a regular basis.
Email her gabrielle@ontarioperinatal.com

SHANNON MARSH

Shannon is a mother to three little girls and the owner of Your Body Your Birth Your Baby Perinatal Services in Huron County. She has been working in healthcare for over 10 years and specializes in maternity, early years, and women’s self development. She provides services in birth doula, postpartum doula, childbirth education, and breastfeeding counseling. Her personal areas of interest include perinatal loss, birth trauma, VBAC, homebirth and attachment parenting. She has recently completed a BSc and is currently pursuing a Bachelor Degree in Midwifery.
Email her shannon@ontarioperinatal.com

JANET FOSS

Janet Foss is a self-employed Registered Massage Therapist and Certified Infant Massage Instructor who lives with her husband and two daughters in Bright's Grove (Sarnia), Ontario. After providing clinical care, (including pregnancy massage), for a wide variety of clients over the past nine years, Janet is ready to diversify her practice, and pursue her ongoing passion and interest in perinatal services. Janet has trained through Ontario Perinatal School and has become certified as a Childbirth Support Specialist, Postpartum Support Specialist and a Perinatal Educator. In addition, she will now be certified to teach the Childbirth Support Specialist program to other amazing women who also feel the call and commitment to serve others during their pregnancy and birth experiences. Janet believes that everyone is entitled to a positive birthing experience that will remain with them as a defining moment in their lives. With information, choice, support, and strength, birthing women are capable of great things! Her personal goal would be to one day establish a perinatal clinic in the Sarnia area, providing a wide range of services and workshops by various professionals working together to provide education and care throughout pregnancy, birth, and beyond.
Email her janet@ontarioperinatal.com

Amanda Burke

Amanda has been a life long resident of Scarborough and is currently living in the Rouge Hill Community with her husband Greg, daughter Amy and chocolate lab, Kai. Pregnancy and birth has truly become her passion and she constantly seeks to gain knowledge through Training and Education. 2 years after the birth of her daughter, Amanda sought to become a Doula and in April of 2005 attended DONA approved training and quickly headed down the road towards certification. In April of 2007 she was given the distinction of Certified Doula. She is also a Certified HypnoBirthing® Labour Support Provider with the HypnoBirthing® Institute.

Amanda became involved with OPS in 2007 while taking a number of courses, including; The Perinatal Educator Training, Marketing, Caesarian and VBAC Support Specialist and Breastfeeding Support Specialist. She has ambitions to help OPS grow and flourish not only here in Ontario, but across the country and perhaps internationally. She is not only happy to support families through the best time of their lives in welcoming their precious babies into the world, but she strives to support her colleagues build their birthing businesses and help bring about change in the Maternity care.

Email her: amanda@ontarioperinatal.com

Rachel Canham

Rachel lives in Bristol, UK, with her husband and daughter. She has been fascinated with pregnancy and birth for many years, even more so after her daughter was born after a quick natural birth.
She completed her training with Nurturing Birth in 2007 to become a birth and postnatal doula. Rachel also become involved with OPS in 2007, and has completed many of the courses and is currently working towards her Perinatal Educator training. She is in her spare time completing diploma courses in several complementary therapies, including Aromatherapy, Relaxation Therapy and Homeopathy.

Rachel is looking forward as a teacher to bringing the OPS courses to the UK for the first time, and helping to educate the growing number of doulas and birth professionals across the country.

Email her: rachel@ontarioperinatal.com

"...with your help, I was able to complete my natural birthing plan. I found you to be an informed professional. You were prepared, understanding and caring. You surpassed my expectations. Thanks for all your help."

"...my husband and I are very pleased with our decision to hire you. You were a wonderful help to us both. You gave us so much of your time and you were always willing to be available to us - night or day."

"...I cannot express to you my feelings after the birth of our baby. Without your classes, I don't think we could have done it. You EMPOWERED me!! Thank you ever so much. We will never forget you, and look forward to returning for a refresher for our next birth!"

"...I LOVED this training! I have been waiting to begin OPS Certification since I did my Doula Training seven years ago, and I'm very happy that I chose OPS training."

"...Great, passionate instructor. One to be proud of. Learned a lot. She is very willing to listen/help/assist. An asset to OPS. Enforcing of Empowerment!"

"...I enjoyed this workshop immensely. I appreciate Kathy's willingness to offer continued support as we get our business going. Thank you Kathy for you offering us the chance to learn, grow, and help others. This is how all great organizations are founded."