Events

“Courageous conversations mean having the courage to show up when you can’t control the outcome.” ~ Brené Brown The ECDA is excited to host ECE Sharing and Networking sessions. These are open door meetings that welcome anyone working as a front-line educator. These meetings will provide space to gather with other early childhood educators to share what is on your heart or to seek support. The meetings are a place to listen, provide encouragement, share resources, and connect with your colleagues across the province. We would love to welcome at least one ECE from every Island centre to the network, and we realize some meeting dates will work better than others - so come when you can! The agenda for these sessions will be very flexible and will build over time based on the interest of those participating. Recently we have discussed things such as Dual Language Learners, Behaviours, PD wishes and many other! Come join us this month to see what comes up:) Registration for network meetings is required. This meeting will run with a minimum of 4 participants. These will be held once a month, so come when you can! Based on feedback we have flipped these to be entirely virtual:)

Amid the pace of daily routines, educators deserve time to refocus and reconnect. This session creates space for reflection on personal and professional values, purpose, and the importance of educator identity. Participants will be invited to re-engage with the deeper meaning of their work and to return to their teams with renewed clarity and confidence.    Marcia Nicole is a dedicated mother of three and the founder of Ispyr to Educate. Holding a Master's degree in Early Childhood Education, Curriculum and Development from Western University, and an Ontario Bachelor of Education with an OCT certification, she brings over 20 years of rich experience to early childhood education. Her passion is to foster an environment where educators and students thrive together in creativity and discovery. Ispyr to Educate is committed to enhancing educational practices through dynamic workshops, targeted professional development, and personalized mentoring, empowering educators to continuously evolve and inspire their students. As an educational coach, Marcia's goal is to support and uplift educators in their journey towards professional excellence and personal fulfillment.    Participants will be given the link to the video and are required to participate in one of two ways-- with a microphone/built in speaker or through the chat. In addition there will be a log tracking which members contribute and which do not, and those that do not contribute will not receive PD hours. We ask that you leave your camera on for the session.

The School Age Supervisor's Network Meeting will take place on the fourth Wednesday of each month from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm. Based on your feedback, we're now offering a hybrid option for this session. This network is open to all supervisors, directors, and administrators of licensed school-age programs. Our goal is to foster open conversation and collaboration to improve quality practices related to human resources, policies, pedagogy, and leadership. We welcome you to attend as you are, whenever you can, if you are in a supervisor position. During each meeting, we will share insights, support one another in our professional and pedagogical roles, delve into topics of interest and current trends, and address daily practices. Together, we will focus on solutions and engage in lively, respectful discussions. We would love to see representatives from every school-age center as we continue to support each other. Please feel free to bring a colleague—we look forward to meeting you or welcoming you back.

Neurodiverse educators contribute unique perspectives, cognitive strengths, and pedagogical approaches that enrich learning environments for all students. While their presence is an asset to the profession, challenges can emerge that impact participation in classrooms. In this session, participants learn the importance of designing schools, classrooms, and workplaces that allow neurodiverse educators to participate fully and meaningfully. We will discuss how neurodiversity can impact educators in a classroom and share concrete strategies to help educators support their success. The focus of this session will be on the early childhood classroom, although many of these strategies transfer to the K-12 system.     Terri is an assistant professor at the University of Prince Edward Island. As an educator with over twenty years' experience across diverse educational roles, including classroom teaching, resource support, post-secondary instruction, and academic research, her personal and professional experiences shape her work. Her career has been shaped by a deep commitment to inclusive, equity-oriented education, and this commitment informs the lens through which she engages in scholarly inquiry. Much of her work in K-12 education focused on creating responsive, inclusive classroom spaces for learners with diverse needs. As a new scholar in the field of inclusion, her work endeavors to build teacher capacity with the aim to improve outcomes for all learners. As a neurodiverse person, she recognizes that her positionalities influence the questions she asks, the data she interprets, and the conclusions she draws and is cognizant of the privileges she enjoys as a white woman.  

The Family Home Centre Network will meet one evening monthly (1st Thursday)  to work together to collaborate in ways of providing high quality childcare.  It is a “come when you can” Network, for anyone who wants to talk about fresh ideas, needs help breaking down barriers, or is interested in professional development!  We know that Family Home Centres play a vital role in communities and Early Childhood Education, and especially now with PEI being a part of building a Canada Wide system.  We hope that this Network will build on the foundation and help more families have access to high quality spaces in their communities!  If you have any questions about the Family Home, please contact  Jennifer Nangreaves at 902-368-0070 or email [email protected]