The morning professional learning experience will include a choice between one 3-hour professional learning opportunity or two 1 ½ hour professional learning opportunities at Bingemans Conference Centre. Review options below and note your selection when you register.
Participants choosing to attend one 3-hour professional learning opportunity will choose one of the following.
Strengthening Pedagogical Practice Workshop
This interactive workshop will engage participants in exploring the importance of critically examining pedagogical practices in Early Years spaces using a DEI lens. We will explore how to strengthen relationships and communication while working with families, children, and colleagues. We will delve into practical strategies that will explore the power of language and support relationship-based practice. Through this experience, you will be empowered to be a strong pedagogical leader who nurtures a culture of compassion and empathy.
Observation lounge (next room overlooking Funworx) [room capacity 90]
Supporting One, Supporting All
Collaborative classroom support models for inclusive classrooms. The goals of inclusion are continuing to shift and evolve as we learn more about diversity and identity. The Inclusive planning process is aiming to situate Disability as an identity, not a deficit, and so to determine what supports and strategies students require, teams are shifting to look at needs, instead of disabilities, as a reference point. In this way, planning for inclusive classes can be universal, and anticipate needs of everyone in a community.
Marshall Hall [room capacity 500]
Infant and Early Years Mental Health
Educators working in relationship with children, their families and caregivers have a critical role supporting the development of mental health and well-being. Together we will explore how deepening our understanding of emotional wellness and building a strong sense of identity play a key role in children's mental health in the early years.
Ballroom D [room capacity 200]
Heart Learning: A Journey of Allyship and Reciprocity
Join us for an interactive session focused on exploring meaningful allyship with Indigenous communities. Through storytelling, guided reflection, and collaborative dialogue, participants will deepen their understanding of what it means to engage in allyship grounded in reciprocity, responsibility, and relational accountability. This gathering offers a space to move beyond surface-level gestures and into practices that support Indigenous self-determination, knowledge systems, and relational healing.
This session invites both Indigenous and non-Indigenous participants to engage in a shared learning journey, one that acknowledges history, centers Indigenous voices and values, and nurtures respectful, ongoing relationships.
Learning Outcomes:
Participants will:
Shannon Murphy and Kristen Tyrer
Tent # Two (next to pond) [room capacity 75]
This session will occur outdoors, please note this is a rain or shine session
Participants choosing to attend two 1 ½ hour professional learning opportunities will choose two of the following.
From Passion of Experience to a Professional Voice
We come into this world with a cry that demands our needs are met. Yet, over time, our life experiences have taught us to put others' needs before our own. As a RECE, we have chosen a care taking role in this life, putting our families' and organization's needs before our own. My team and I will be sharing the connections we have made between our lived experiences and the challenge of overcoming a learned lack of voice. The impact of a strong work culture of shared values and belief systems, based on the HDLH four foundations, that supported us in finding our voices again. We challenge you to come prepared with your own passion of experiences, to reflect upon and help you find not only your voice, but a shared professional voice. Together, we can get our needs met!
Gallery Room [room capacity 100]
1st room when you go upstairs from Boston Pizza
Building Your Bounce
Building Your Bounce invites participants to learn how thoughts, behaviors, and actions throughout the day can be used to promote resilience and better manage daily hassles and major life adversities. The course offers research-based, resilience-building strategies that strengthen relationships, promote healthy self-regulation, increase initiative, and teach participants how to be kinder to themselves. Participants will learn simple strategies that can reduce stress and increase ability to focus, to be patient, to show empathy, to feel capable, to set limits, and to feel joy.
Ballroom A [room capacity 200]
Rainbow Families: Visibility in the Early Years
As early learning professionals, we value providing a safe and nurturing learning environment for all children. However, even the most well-intentioned educator might struggle with how to approach 2SLGBTQAI+ families and topics. This dynamic and interactive workshop is designed to build the confidence and comfort level of educators seeking to create a more inclusive learning environment. We will cover topics such as our early beliefs and how they impact us, appropriate and current terminology and how to creatively use family diversity resources to plant seeds of acceptance.
Through engaging activities, videos and case scenario discussions, we will also touch on gender diversity, ideas for celebrating Pride and take a glimpse of 2SLGBTQAI+ history in Canada. Participants will come away with practical curriculum resources and a better understanding of the 2SLGBTQAI+ community that they can bring directly to their own programs.
Berkley Room [room capacity 90]
Flip It
FLIP IT® is a strategy that offers a simple, kind, strength-based, commonsense and effective four step process to address children's day to day challenging behavior. The four steps are embodied in the FLIP mnemonic which stands for F - Feelings, L - Limits, I - Inquiries and P - Prompts. FLIP IT is nothing new, but transforms best practice into a strategy that is easy to remember, applicable in a variety of challenging situations, and portable.
Dylan Whittemore and Angie Blekic
Ballroom B/C [room capacity 200]
As I Am, Is Enough
As I Am, Is Enough is a powerful, healing, and motivational keynote facilitated by Madelaine McCallum. Sharing her story from a place of vulnerability with her audience, Madelaine takes you through an experience of self-reflection and challenges you, in a good way, to shift your perspective on your own story. Madelaine knows the everlasting pain that is incurred through experiencing abandonment and neglect, homelessness, the foster care system, abusive relationships and most recently a cancer diagnosis that shifted her world. She now shares these teachings that have shifted her perspective on her experience so that she can now look back on her story and feel empowered and see the underlying purpose of these experiences. Through this shift in perspective, Madelaine has realized that her self-esteem has suffered for far too long and that she is enough just as she is! This breakthrough is what inspired her to create AS I AM, a movement to share with others the gift of honoring themselves as they are!
Through this opportunity, participants will learn tools and strategies for changing your mindset from "not enough" to healing, inspiring and loving yourself, and learn the difference and power of switching from a fear-based mindset to a love-based mindset.
Embassy Room [room capacity 300]
Fairy Huts + Forest Magic: Hands-On Loose Parts in Nature
Step into the woods, feel the earth beneath your feet, and let your imagination run wild! In this hands-on outdoor workshop, we'll gather near a flowing river and build miniature fairy huts using sticks, stones, leaves, pinecones, feathers, seeds, and whatever nature offers us. It's joyful. It's simple. It's deeply meaningful. You'll experience firsthand how the tiniest bits of nature can spark BIG creativity---for you and your children. We'll talk loose parts, child-led play, outdoor invitations, and the power of simplicity. Whether you build a fairy hut, a squirrel mansion, or a tiny forest world, you'll walk away inspired to bring more nature play into your program---without spending a dime.
Let's play, build, and remember why we love this work. We invite you to bring any nature treasures that speak to you!
Tent # One (located next to Embassy) [room capacity 100]
This session will occur outdoors, please note this is a rain or shine session
New this Year – These sessions are specifically designed for French-speaking participants.
Participants may choose the two 1½-hour professional learning opportunities listed below or alternatively select options from the English options outlined in Option 2.
FLIP IT®
est une stratégie qui offre un processus simple, bienveillant, basé sur les forces, sensé et efficace en quatre étapes pour aborder le comportement quotidien difficile des enfants. Les quatre étapes sont incarnées dans le mnémonique FLIP qui signifie F -- (Feelings) Sentiments, L -- Limites, I -- (Inquiries) Enquêtes et P -- (Prompts) Invites. Ce n'est rien de nouveau, mais cela transforme les meilleures pratiques en une stratégie facile à retenir, applicable dans une variété de situations difficiles et portable.
Stephanie Weaver (Francophone Stream)
Heritage Room [room capacity 90]
Infant and Early Years Mental Health
Nancy Baverstock (Francophone Stream)
Heritage Room [room capacity 90]
New this year - These sessions designed for cooks will be held at the Culinary Centre located at the Bingemans Commissary Building – 40 Shirley Avenue [2.2 km from Bingemans Conference Centre].
Participants can choose to attend both the sessions offered for cooks (and remain in the same location for the morning) or attend one of the cook’s sessions as well as one from the options outlined in Option 2 and Option 3 (which will require participants to drive between the two locations).
Indigenous Food Hands-on Workshop
During the first 1½ hour session, we will be making Three Sisters Soup and Wild Rice Salad together (suitable for all skills and comfort levels).
Session A
Session B
During this second 1 ½ hour session, we will be talking about health and nutrition from an Indigenous lens.
Culinary Centre [room capacity 40] located at 40 Shirley Avenue [2.2 km from Bingemans Conference Centre]
Site Supervisor/Director to select the afternoon activity for their centre.
Back by popular demand --- Continuing the format introduced last year following the success of last year's Professional Learning Day---and in response to ongoing positive feedback---we're continuing with the format that blends personalized morning learning opportunities with collaborative, team-based sessions in the afternoon.
To support this structure:
When completing afternoon registration, Site Supervisors will be asked to:
To support decision-making, a sample list of afternoon learning opportunities is included below. Please review this list in advance to help your team select the most meaningful and relevant learning experiences.
For Teams that wish to stay on-site: Teams can choose a Professional Learning option from the Sample list of ideas provided or they can engage in a professional learning topic they have specifically chosen for their team.
Please note that if more requests are received to stay on site, than we have conference rooms available, teams may be sharing rooms with other programs. In this case we will group teams together that have chosen the same professional learning topic. As a result, AV equipment will not be available, as it could disturb others using the space. Download available professional learning materials HERE (add link)
Teams can choose a Professional Learning option from the Sample list of ideas provided or they can engage in a professional learning topic they have specifically chosen for their team. We encourage you to review and download the electronic versions of the resources you will need. They are accessible through the links provided below
Equity and Inclusion Policy and Commitment
As a team, review the Equity and Inclusion Policy and Commitment document. Begin by looking over your current Inclusion Policy (if applicable). What strengths do you observe? Where might there be areas for growth and opportunity? If your organization does not currently have an Inclusion Policy, consider what other documents or procedures have been put in place. How might you leverage this information to create a comprehensive Equity & Inclusion Policy and Commitment? Then create a list of current equity and inclusion activities currently being undertaken in the following seven sections: • Reconciliation* • Equity • Diversity • Participation • Access • Children with special needs and special rights • Supporting staff (*Not applicable to Indigenous-led organizations)
Access the HDLH Interactive Online Learning Resource
Explore the foundational principles of "How Does Learning Happen?" to build and strengthen our role in supporting children, families, and community through pedagogical environments, experiences, and interactions.
This resource explores the foundational principles of "How Does Learning Happen? Ontario's Pedagogy for the Early Years". It includes five modules that highlight essential content from "How Does Learning Happen?" through text and video, offers reflective exercises, and engagement activities. The resource is designed to be used in multiple ways, individually, with a few colleagues, or the entire team.
For your convenience we have centralized access, click here, to access the resource
Explore the Infant and Early Years Mental Health Resources
Review and debrief as a team 1-2 of the videos from the Big Ideas for the Care of Tiny Humans video series presented by Jean Clinton and Lorrie McGee. Dr. Clinton and Lorrie McGee explore the science of social-emotional development and dive deep into key concepts of mental health and well-being. Through guided discussions, teams will start to connect these core mental health concepts with the daily practices and pedagogical approaches used by educators in EarlyON and licensed childcare settings. NOTE: We would encourage only programs who have a trained facilitator to pursue this option at your centre.
Engage Your Team in the Power of Guided Reflection
As a team, take some time to reflect on who you are and the profound influence you have on the lives of children, families and your colleagues. You are essential! Your unique contributions are significant, and the work you do is truly transformative. Consider your individual role in this impact. How are you already making a difference? Consider your collective role within your team. How is your team collectively making a difference in the lives of children, families and one another.
Click here to review an article to Understand Our Core Values, by Brene Brown
Click here to access an exercise to determine both your individual and collective values.
For those who may already know their teams core values, click here to access an exercise to operationalize your teams core values
Reflect and Engage on your Continuous Quality Improvement Plan for 2025-2026
As a team, take some time to reflect on the data you collected through the 2024-2025 Continuous Quality Improvement Cycle and the Pedagogical Commitments made. Complete the Accomplishments and Challenges Form and work together to determine what your focus will be for the upcoming 2025-2026 cycle and begin to complete the first section of the CQI plan.
Group Share and Reflection on Professional Learning Day
As a team, provide time for each Educator to share their learnings from the Professional Learning session(s) they attended in the morning, and how the learning will impact their practise, and potentially the team, going forward. What changes can be implemented right away? What support or resources may be needed to help these changes moving forward? How might the team share their learnings with the children and families?
Click here to access a resource to support your reflective conversations.
Explore an Environmental Assessment Tool (i.e. AQI )
Have each classroom complete the 'Environment' section of the assessment tool and then come together to discuss and reflect on the findings. Using the Four Foundations in How Does Learning Happen? and the pedagogical approaches:
as a guide for your discussions. Celebrate what your program is already doing well, and create and plan to enhance areas that are not as strong.
NOTE: This is a sampling of ideas to support you in planning for your afternoon together as a team. This is not an exhaustive list, and your team may identify a different topic area that they would like to dig deeper into. Supervisors will be asked to report the team's plans for the afternoon. If you have questions about your plan and whether it fits with the intention of the team time for the afternoon, or you would like to talk through your idea to further flush it out, please feel free to connect with your Early Years Analyst.