Category: Resources

Black History Month

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February is Black History Month. Black history in Canada has not always been celebrated or highlighted. Though this month is an important time to reflect on, learn about, and address anti-black racism, it is also an important time to recognize and celebrate the many achievements and contributions of Black Canadians and their communities who, throughout history, have done so much to make Canada the culturally diverse, compassionate, and prosperous nation it is today.

Black History Month offers an important opportunity to celebrate and amplify Black voices while continuing to address racism and embrace anti-racism in our lives. There are many ways we can celebrate Black Canadians everyday – including supporting Black-owned businesses, immersing yourself in storytelling and culture while supporting Black storytellers, and learning more about the rich history and contributions of Black Canadians.

If you’re not quite sure where to start, here are some suggestions:

For more information about Black History Month in Canada, visit:

Call Out: Virtual Tours!! 

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We are excited to be collaborating with some of our local service providers to offer Virtual Tours of your early learning spaces. This will be an opportunity for programs to share their strengths and the incredible work that they do for the children and families in our District. We are looking for volunteers who would be interested in giving a tour of their environments, services, or share how you practice Early Childhood Education in your settings. 

These tours will be less than an hour with some time at the end for questions and conversation. The format of the tour is up to you. For example, we can go live, pre-record videos, create a PowerPoint, present pedagogical documentation, or any other format you can imagine!  

Our hope is to share and celebrate a new location each month. Currently, we are looking to fill spots during the months of May and June… let us know if you are interested by e-mailing us at early.years@tbdssab.ca!   

 

Early Learning and Child Care Enabling Accessibility Funds

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The Government of Canada is accepting applications for the Early Learning and Child Care small projects component under the Enabling Accessibility Funds. “The Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) small projects component of the Enabling Accessibility Fund (EAF) aims to improve accessibility and safety in regulated and/or licensed ELCC centres. This will help support children with disabilities, parents/guardians with disabilities and/or employees with disabilities. The goal is to ensure that all Canadian families have access to high-quality, affordable and inclusive early learning and child care.”

The deadline to apply is January 28, 2022 at 5:00 p.m. See the Government of Canada website for more details: https://www.canada.ca/en/employment-social-development/services/funding/enabling-accessibility-fund-early-learning-child-care.html

Reggio Emilia’s Indications is Translated into French

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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.

English

French

The Courage to Listen Differently

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“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