AECEA 2024 Essential Pieces Conference

MAPPING AN EDUCATOR'S CAREER JOURNEY - INSIGHTS AND INSPIRATION FOR LEADERS
Peter Dixon

Recruiting and retaining staff is a challenge facing early childhood operators around the world.

At the World Forum of Early Childhood Education in 2022, a group of multi-site organizations from different countries used customer journey mapping techniques to map an educator's career pathway.

This map allows ECE leaders to easily visualize and observe educators' experiences from educators' perspectives on their career journey from awareness of the profession through five stages to leadership and advocacy. Across the different stages, the map highlights educators' experience, activities, touchpoints, leadership involvement and opportunities.

The work was complemented by a survey which provided insights from an additional 20 multi-site organizations from the UK, US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Malaysia.

This presentation will share the Educator Journey Map as well as insights about research and initiatives multi-site ECE organizations are utilizing to support the journey of their educators.

Participants will gain resources and ideas that will be useful in helping enhance their employee experience - strengthening recruitment and retention.

MINDFULNESS FOR EARLY CHILDHOOD EDUCATORS
Punam Dalal & Kim Pena Smith

In a hands-on workshop setting, attendees will receive practical guidance and engage in experiential exercises aimed at nurturing their mental and emotional wellness.

LEADERSHIP COMMITMENT TO ACTION IN SUPPORT OF BETTER MENTAL HEALTH...AT WORK!
Robert Manolson

Everyone will leave this workshop experience with very concrete steps to reclaim positive mental health at work, centered around staff's unique needs, personal experiences, & and ideas in relation to their situation at work.

PARENTAL SEPARATION, DIVORCE, AND RESIDENTIAL DISPLACEMENT PART 1
Aynsley Graham

This workshop applies a functional theory to children's experience of loss and grief centred on separation and divorce in order to provide concrete positive behaviour supports in the classroom.

Please note that if you register for this session you will automatically be placed in Part 2 in Session C.

TRACING TRAJECTORIES: COMMUNITIES OF PRACTICE AS PEDAGOGICAL SPACES
Noah Kenneally & Nancy Thomas

The Tracing Trajectories project began as a way to track how BECCS graduates were applying their learning in the field of Early Learning and Child Care and forging new ground in pedagogical leadership (Thomas, 2020; Heikka, Hujala, Rodd, Strehmel, & Waniganayake, 2019; Waniganayake, 2014). When we engaged with the first cohort of degree holders to emerge from the program, we were impressed by the variety of spaces they were working in and encouraged by their thoughtful reflection regarding the ways a degree-level education was supporting them, correlating with regarding research (Dahlberg, Moss, and Pence, 2013; Muttart Foundation, 2021).

However, what was most inspiring was that this group of participants quickly became co-researchers, and shifted from a community of learners to a community of practice (CoP) that was dedicated to continuing their learning and refining their practice. Following pathways offered by thinkers in the field (Buysse, Sparkman, Wesley, 2003; Doan, 2018; Kuh, 2012; Wenger, 1998a, 1998b), we are watching the development of a vital community of practice that inspires early childhood educators, at a time of significant systematic change in the field and when challenges particularly regarding retention are high.

In this presentation, we will share our preliminary findings, our plans for the future of this project, and some suggestions regarding establishing a community of practice as a space for sharing pedagogical professional development.

PARENTAL SEPARATION, DIVORCE, AND RESIDENTIAL DISPLACEMENT PART 2
Aynsley Graham

Continuation of Part 1 in Session B

ECE INSIGHTS ON THE IMPROVEMENTS NEEDED IN THEIR COMPENSATION AND WORKING CONDITIONS NECESSARY TO SUPPORT HIGH-QUALITY ELCC SYSTEM BUILDING IN ALBERTA
Dr. Christopher Smith

The recent commitment of federal, provincial and territorial governments to develop a multilateral workforce strategy presents an opportunity for ECEs to provide their input into the improvements needed to ECE compensation and working conditions. The results from focus group discussions highlight the changes that certified educators see as central to building a high-quality ELCC system in Alberta.

USING NARRATIVE AND EMPATHY-BASED APPROACHES TO EXPLORE THE EXPERIENCES OF ETHNOCULTURAL FAMILIES IN EARLY LEARNING AND CARE
Dr. Pieter de Vos

The session will share lessons from the Journeys Project — an applied participatory research project exploring the experiences of ethno-cultural families in childcare in Edmonton in partnership with the Edmonton Council for Early Learning and Care and the Multicultural Health Brokers Cooperative. The project blended narrative and human-centred design approaches to produce an illustrated resource for childcare practitioners. Participants in this session will have an opportunity to get hands-on experience with empathy-mapping.

EDUCARING: PRACTICAL STRATEGIES FOR RESPECTFUL CARE
Kristy Thomas

This session will introduce participants to Magda Gerber's Educaring approach. We will look at how simple actions can actively engage children as participants in their care and how we can intentionally offer respectful care to children as young as infants all through life. We will also look at how this approach aligns with FLIGHT.

BEHAVIOUR WAYFINDING BASICS
Aynsley Graham

This workshop introduces the Behaviour Wayfinding Framework: an assessment tool that allows Educators to develop common language, concepts and strategies to provide positive behaviour supports for children of all ages and abilities. Core concepts reviewed include:

• emotional regulation/coregulation,
• development parenting,
• common language,
• developmentally appropriate tasks,
• child-centred care, and
• Using a visual

THE POWER OF YOUR ECE STORY: REDISCOVERING YOUR ECE WHY
Anisha Angela

Being an ECE is an incredibly rewarding profession. However, it can also be frustrating, draining, and sometimes discouraging. In these moments, it is so important to remember why you chose this profession. This workshop will teach ECEs what exactly an ECE story is and the different parts of it. If you feel that you've lost your 'why,' this session will reconnect you with your story and remind you why you chose this profession.

Please note, this session is only 1.5 hours.

FOLLOWING THE ONGOING ASSESSMENT CYCLE WITH INTENTIONALITY AND CREATIVITY
Letitia Bandy

Following the ongoing assessment cycle with intentionality and creativity provides a framework to ensure children can grow and thrive. In this PowerPoint and lecture, session participants will explore how all adults can be keen observers, review various types and sources of documentation, learn strategies for tracking documentation data, and how to make data-informed instructional decisions that drive outcomes for children. Participants will devise working plans for including parents, staff and others in documenting child interactions and activities.

No longer available due to cancellation.

CHILDREN'S RIGHTS APPROACH TO EARLY LEARNING
Dr. Emmie Henderson-Dekort & Jewel May

Emmie and Jewel will present content that will help teach early childhood educators to consider and integrate a Children's Rights Approach to Early Learning and Practice. They will be presenting some of the strategies that have been presented since November through a webinar series project in conjunction with Mount Royal University and the Muttart Foundation. It will be an information-based presentation with some opportunities for discussion and sharing examples of practice.

NURTURING THE ROOTS OF WELL-BEING IN CHILDREN, FAMILIES, AND YOURSELF
Gina Blank

When children feel safe and secure in their relationships and environment, they are able to participate and learn. Children's sense of safety and security builds the foundation for mental health and depends on the regulation, attunement, and well-being of the adults around them.

In this session, participants will:

• Reflect on the current state of well-being of children, families, and themselves;
• Identify factors that impact regulation and well-being; and,
• Investigate practices that nurture regulation not only in themselves but with children and families as
• well.

IMPACTING CHILDREN'S BEHAVIOUR WITH SENSORY INTEGRATION
Sharon Ness

We live in a time where everyone, including young children, is bombarded with more visual images than ever before experienced by human beings. Researchers are linking detrimental behaviours with over and under-stimulation. Even though most early learning environments have little to no screen opportunities, children do manage to access them outside of programs and have accessed them in abundance with the COVID-19 pandemic. Educators are well positioned to make positive, impactful changes to their programs, allowing children to make sense of visual information that guides them to achieve desired behaviours. Sharon will lead participants in the discussion to create an awareness and understanding of the power of their learning environments and how to proactively make changes that can positively impact children's behaviour.

NURTURING AND RESPONSIVE ENVIRONMENTS THAT SUPPORT INCLUSION
Janice Comrie & Julia Moore

ASaP and ICC are two innovative programs used in Alberta, with success in addressing challenging behaviour and supporting children's social and emotional development. Their use of the Pyramid Model supports the practice of relationships and the creation of inclusive environments. Objectives include:

• Describe the similarities and differences between Inclusive Child Care and ASaP supports in early learning and child care settings
• Identify the benefits of using Pyramid Model practices with ICC and ASaP coaching supports
• Determine which supports would be the best fit for your program