Events

Directors and Leaders, take a day to invest in yourself and your team. Join us for a full-day pre-conference experience with Elizabeth Eldridge, Certified Psychological Health & Safety Advisor and professional speaker, as she explores what it takes to build healthier, more connected and resilient workplaces. In The Thriving Workplace: Building Stronger Teams from the Inside Out, Elizabeth will guide participants through practical strategies for strengthening workplace culture and supporting the people who make Early Learning and Child Care possible. Throughout the day, we will explore four key areas: Building an Ownership Mindset: Supporting team members to take initiative, responsibility, and pride in their work. Building a Culture of Appreciation and Belonging: Creating workplaces where people feel seen, valued and connected. Supportive Conversations: Developing the confidence and skills to navigate challenging conversations with care and purpose. Preventing Burnout and Building Resilience: Recognizing the factors that contribute to burnout and exploring ways to build resilience at both an individual and team level. Elizabeth brings years of experience supporting individuals and organizations in the area of mental health and workplace well-being. Her interactive and approachable style allows her to explore complex and sometimes sensitive topics in a way that feels accessible, practical and engaging. This pre-conference day is an opportunity for centre Directors and Leaders to pause, reflect and reconnect with what helps teams thrive. Come ready to learn, share, reflect and leave with ideas you can bring back to your workplace. Facilitator BiographyElizabeth Eldridge is a Certified Psychological Health & Safety Advisor and Professional Speaker who has changed how thousands of Canadians think about mental health.​After several years of clinical work supporting individuals with psychiatric conditions in inpatient, forensic and community-based care, Elizabeth founded Arpeggio Health Services, which has grown into one of Canada's leading service providers for standardized training such as the Mental Health Commission of Canada's Mental Health First Aid program.​As a consultant, Elizabeth works with companies large and small that are striving to optimize workplace mental health to boost productivity, decrease absenteeism and improve employee satisfaction and workplace culture. ​A favoured keynote speaker, Elizabeth has taken the stage for conferences and professional development events across Canada. Her sense of humour and interactive approach allow her to deliver even the most sensitive subject matter in a way that feels non-threatening and accessible to participants and audiences. Learn more about Elizabeth at www.elizabetheldridge.com 

Link to Register: Click HereThe ECDA team and board are excited to present your 2026 Fall Conference: Start with Play! “Start With Play”, is part of a larger campaign, reflecting on something we know deeply as Early Childhood Educators: play is the most essential way children learn, explore, connect, and make sense of the world around them. This Fall, we’re bringing back Experiences! Based on your positive feedback we are excited to offer this format again this year! On Day One educators will select one of 18 unique Experiences with paired morning and afternoon sessions held close together, so you can immerse yourself in valuable topics without needing major travel between venues. On Day Two we will gather together at the Confederation Centre of the Arts for our Keynote Experience! Friday, November 6th brings together Rusty Keeler, Jessica Karpathios, Hannah Beach, and Richard Monette to highlight the value of play! Please see the conference booklet attached below for a full breakdown of the event, Breakout Experience descriptions and our new payment structure, including Early Bird Pricing!! Registration closes on November 2nd. Payment is due in full at the time of registering, or if your centre is paying no later than November 2nd!   Registration for the 2026 Fall Conference: Start with Play will open on September 22nd at 6:00pm. The registration process will be hosted securely through Zeffy, ensuring a smooth experience for everyone! Please read the instructions below carefully to ensure a smooth registration process: Choose only one Breakout Experience. Each attendee must select one Breakout Experience during registration. All Breakout Experience tickets include access to the Keynote Experience. Is your centre paying for registration?If your centre is covering your conference registration, use the code fall2026  (no spaces or capitalization) at checkout. No payment information will be required. Please be sure to select “Check” to apply the discount code. If applied correctly, no payment information will be required. Donations to ZeffyZeffy is free to use and operates on donations. You do not need to donate to complete your registration. Select “Other” and set your donation amount to $0 before finalizing checkout. Trouble registering for your selected session?If you’re unable to complete checkout, it’s likely that your selected session is now full. Please refresh the registration page and select a different Breakout Experience. Spaces are not held until checkout is fully completed. Refresh the selection page to see updated ticket availability DO NOT PAY with pre-authorized debit (PAD). The processing time is up to 10 days and does not guarantee your seat selection!   Preventing Double Payments: Please confirm with your Director or centre owner whether they will be covering the cost of your conference or membership fees, prior to registering for the conference. New Refund Policy: All duplicate payments will now be subject to a $20 administration fee, which will be deducted from the refund amount.