Events

Work culture is defined as “the beliefs, customs, and behaviour of a group of people within a work environment”. What is your work culture? How does it affect the people working for you and with you? The environment we set up and the language we use, tells our staff what we expect and will allow. Staff tend to leave workplaces because of the leadership. They don’t feel supported and empowered, not because of money. We will identify how we can set up our environment and our expectations for staff to feel supported and want to do their best. Let’s unpack and look at the practices and policies that define your work culture.   Facilitator Bio: Cindy has been in the field of Early Childhood Education for over 34 years, she has held many positions over the years; front lines ECE, director of a non-profit childcare program and nursery school and operated a group family child care program. Currently, she runs Growing Wild, a forest and nature school program, facilitates workshops for various groups, instructs at Red River College, Portage Campus in the Early Childhood Education program and is an active advocate for children, childcare, and early childhood educators.   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 Director Network Meeting gathers on the third Wednesday of each month from 9:30 am - 12:00 pm.  We are happy to provide a hybrid meeting space, with the option to meet in-person at the ECDA Boardroom or via Zoom, to help with travel house ratio i.e., if you're cooking lunch. This network is open to all supervisors, directors, and administrators of licensed early learning and childcare programs. The intention of the group is to encourage open conversation and collaboration to enhance quality practices, such as human resource practices and policies, pedagogy, and leadership. We have an open-door policy for all network meetings, we invite you to come as you are, when you can, if you are in a supervisor position! We will share and support each other in our professional and pedagogical roles. Each meeting we will spend our time together thinking more deeply about topics of interest, current trends and daily practice. We will approach problems from a solution-based lens together and have lively and respectful round table discussions. We would love to have someone from every centre join us as we continue to support one another through the journey! Bring yourself, invite a friend, and we can't wait to meet you, or see you again :)

“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:)

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.