"You see their smiles, you wipe their tears. You are the one that's always near. You hold their hands, you see them grow. They learn so much from you, you know. You keep them safe while they explore. You are the one that they adore. You know they need the time to play. You keep them busy every day. So here is a great big, "Thanks!" to you. For all the AMAZING things you do!" - Anonymous
On October 21, 2021, TBDSSAB recognizes Child Care Worker & Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day as a special tribute to our heroes in early learning who work tirelessly to support children’s wellbeing and engagement every day. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, this will be the second year in a row without an in-person celebration.
“CCW & ECE Appreciation day is an opportunity to celebrate the educators and child care professionals in our communities. Child care is essential to the success of families and our community as a whole. On behalf of the Board of Directors, thank you to the heroes in early learning across our District for all that you do to support children in the early years.” Lucy Kloosterhuis, Board Chair, TBDSSAB
“The pandemic has been a challenge for the child care system. I encourage the community to support CCW & ECE Appreciation day and take the time to say a special thank you to our child care professionals.” – William (Bill) Bradica, CAO, TBDSSAB
Families, children, and community partners are encouraged to show their appreciation and support for child care professionals in a meaningful way. Free downloadable resources are available on the TBDSSAB website to help the community support Child Care Worker and Early Childhood Educator Appreciation Day. For more information, please visit: www.tbdssab.ca/heroesinearlylearning/
The Ministry of Education has worked in collaboration with Reggio Children to translate the booklet, Indications, into French. “The Indications aim to give substance and voice to the rights of children, parents, and teachers for a high quality, participatory education capable of promoting increasing awareness that the role of the infant-toddler centres and preschools is to produce a culture of education and not just to offer educational services”, and to ensure that these are “places where the rights to well-being and learning of both children and adults are put into practice”.
Click on the links below to view the letter from the Ontario Reggio Association to learn about how you can access this resource.
Click HERE to access this free webinar and PowerPoint slides from the Crisis and Trauma Resource Institute. This webinar will be available throughout the month of October only.
What future are we nurturing for our children and families? We invite you to join us for a speaker series to engage in critical conversations that support early learning in Northwestern Ontario. Our speakers will lead us through inspirational conversations in a safe place where we can think, discuss, and question our ideas.
Karyn Callaghan & Kelly Massaro-Joblin: How Does Learning Happen?
November 10, 2021 @ 2pm & 7pm EST
Harper Keenan: Gender and Freedom in Young Children’s Lives
November 17, 2021 @ 2pm & 7pm EST
Tamara Bernard: Strengthening Indigenous Trauma-Informed Approaches
November 25, 2021 @ 2pm & 7pm EST
Aynsley Klassen: Nurturing Futures in the Face of Climate Change
December 1, 2021 @ 10am EST
December 2, 2021 @ 7pm EST
Carly Brown: Tools for Well-Being: For Yourself and the Children
December 8, 2021 @ 7pm EST
December 9, 2021 @ 2pm EST
More information to come!
We have some new faces joining us on the Early Years Portal and we would like to say a warm welcome to all of you!
Please have a look around and get familiar with this site. Our hope for this Portal is to be able to share resources and information with you, as well as upcoming professional learning opportunities. Note, there may be some content that is not relevant to your work such as the Fee Subsidy information or the Funding Applications because this site is intended to support many roles within our Child Care and EarlyON programs. With that being said, you may find that you learn something new about the field in perusing these documents.
We want to make this site work for you and meet your needs as an early learning professional. If there is something you’d like to see added to the site or if you have any feedback for us, please send an e-mail to early.years@tbdssab.ca
Additionally, if you have other friends or colleagues who work in a TBDSSAB-funded Child Care or EarlyON program, you can direct them to e-mail early.years@tbdssab.ca to request an account!
“Listening is a complex state. It involves the abandoning of oneself as we come to know that we are only one being within this vast universe.”(CARLINA RINALDI, 2001)
The Reggio Emilia Aotearoa New Zealand (REANZ) has extended access to their free webinar about listening differently. This is part of a two-part series with the first webinar being available for three more months and the second webinar becoming available on August 30th.
These webinars are “an opportunity for educators to reflect on the critical role of listening and how this permeates the everyday choices we make when we work with children. Kirsty Liljegren and Fiona Zinn will draw on the thinking of the Reggio Emilia Approach alongside their personal perspectives which hold listening at the heart of practice” (REANZ, 2021).
You can access the first webinar here: https://www.reanz.org/events
The Indigenous Professional Learning Team is extending an invitation to early years professionals to attend an upcoming Knowledge Exchange Gathering.
September 22, 2021 from 2:00 pm – 3:30 pm EDT
This month Elders, Knowledge Keepers and early years professionals will share about the importance of Indigenous food sovereignty in relation to belonging, wellbeing, expression and engagement for children in the early years.
Click HERE to register by Monday September 20, 2021 at 4:00 pm EDT.
