Assiniboine fiancés want to share their love of children; Couple in college’s Early Childhood Education plan to adopt children, open own child care centre

Kodi Whitehurst and Donna Morrison believe that every child deserves to feel loved, including those, like them, who were adopted. The two Early Childhood Education students plan on getting married as soon as they finish their program at Assiniboine Community College.

“Early Childhood Educators are extremely important. The years before five last the rest of your life. It’s important to have structure and guidance from six months to 12 years. Providing quality stimulating experiences to a child at a younger age helps them grow into someone who’s better in their older age,” Whitehurst said.

Morrison agreed. “We’re not just glorified baby-sitters, like some people think we are. We’re educators, who help children for their future.”

Whitehurst was adopted by his dad and Morrison was adopted by both her parents.

Once they are married, the high school sweethearts plan on having two birth children and two adopted children.

“There are a lot of children out there who need adoption. I personally would like to break the adoption stereotype and show that not all adopted kids are troubled kids,” Morrison said, adding she often faced those stereotypes while growing up.

“I’m going to teach them the way I was taught. In my opinion, once a kid thinks he’s not wanted, that’s what causes the problems. I never once felt that I wasn’t loved or wanted. I knew who my biological parents were. I knew why they couldn’t take care of me,” she said.

“I was brought into a family that couldn’t have kids and I made their lives one of the best lives they’ll ever have. And they made my life something I would never change.”

The couple are considering adopting children from outside Canada, but have not decided which country.

Morrison’s large extended family was the inspiration for both of them entering the Early Childhood Education program.

“Our families kept telling us that we were really good with children. We started thinking we should open a child care centre together and make a business out of it. So we started looking into it and Assiniboine’s program grabbed our attention,” Morrison said.

The two met at William Morton Collegiate Institute in Gladstone and began dating shortly after Whitehurst moved to Canada from England in 2007.

They’ve been a couple ever since, including six years working together at a fast-food restaurant.

They are planning to hold their wedding in Gladstone in the summer of 2020.

In the long term, they would like to open up their own child care centre, perhaps in Minnedosa.