Workshops & Training

Promoting Imagination and Creativity in a Media-Saturated World

Kym Stewart

Jan 19, 2022 6:00pm to 8:00pm | Jan 20, 2022 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Location: Online

Our current circumstances have made parents and educators rely on more screen time to educate and entertain young children. But, how do we find balance to promote creativity, imagination and engagement in this screen-dependent world? This workshop will examine current research on the impact of screen time on young children's development, creativity and engagement. It will also provide educators with resources to enhance young children’s imaginative capacities via the education frameworks of Imaginative Education.

Webinar: Nurturing Neurodiversity

Monica Lynn Maddison

Jan 26, 2022 6:00pm to 7:00pm | Jan 27, 2022 6:00pm to 7:00pm
Location: Online

Join this webinar with Monica Maddison, educator and Behaviour Consultant from Bloom Behaviour, while we explore neurodiversity, chat about inclusion, and identify how both educators as well as families can more effectively support children. We’ll discuss learning, processing, and engagement needs - along with the perspective shifts that encourage best practice of care in the early years and beyond.

Precipitation Education: Practical Ideas for Embracing the Rain with Children

Karen Begley

Time: 9:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Online

Do you want to feel more excited about learning and playing outside during the rainy months? Join us for a lighthearted and practical conversation about the opportunities, challenges and logistics of programming in wet, cold, and soggy situations. We’ll talk about how to shift mindsets about the rain, how to dress to stay warm and dry, play invitations involving puddles, potential inquiry studies that may emerge when being in the rain and more.

Wait List: Nourishing the Nurturer: An Embodied Workshop for Educators

Gina Miller & Lyn Sakari

Feb 2, 2022 6:00pm to 8:00pm | Feb 3, 2022 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Location: Online

This two part session will include mindfulness games and methods for children that support awareness of body, thoughts and emotions. These techniques can help improve focus, emotional regulation, resilience and a sense of kindness for oneself as well as others. The second part is just for you, the educators! This session will provide soothing ways for educators to nurture themselves including a gentle guided meditation (no previous experience necessary). We will explore how to incorporate topics such as compassion and fear into our early learning curriculum as well as in educators' own personal practice. Participants will also be gifted a recorded meditation sent via email, to revisit time and again.

Responsible Adult In Child Care Settings Course

Vesna Krcmar

Friday February 4 to Friday February 18, 2022 Time: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm 11 weekdays, 1.5 hour sessions each, plus 30 minutes self-study per session.
Location: Online

This course was developed by Westcoast to meet the requirements for 20 hours Responsible Adult training as stipulated by the Child Care Regulation. Through online sessions, it covers basic concepts about child development from birth to 12 years of age, child guidance, health, safety and nutrition and programming. This course is meant for people starting their career in child care.

The Importance of Representation in Children's Literature

Cassidy Taylor

Time: 6:00pm - 8:00pm
Location: Online

Why do children need to see themselves in the stories we share? Come and join Cassidy, our Westcoast Early Learning Library (WELL) Librarian and spend some time exploring new books and resources which may help you continue enriching your program. Get inspired with a variety of resources, books, loose parts, ideas and the wisdom of other Child Care Providers.

Setting the Foundation for Early Literacy for Young Children

Pooja Kalsi

Feb 9, 2022 6:00pm to 8:00pm | Feb 10, 2022 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Location: Online

In this workshop the participants learn about the importance of early literacy and leave the workshop with information based on research as well as practical, creative, and inexpensive strategies to enhance literacy in a childcare setting. We will talk about how to support children who are learning additional languages by understanding sign language and phonological awareness and how music, songs and storytelling can be used to enhance these skills. The participants will also explore the important role a caregiver plays in building and supporting the literacy skills of children.

Critical Literacy & Diversity: A Close Look at the Books We Choose

Ashleigh Davis

Feb 23, 2022 6:00pm to 8:00pm | Feb 24, 2022 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Location: Online

What do our books tell children? Through this workshop educators will discuss topics of social justice and diversity, considering how all children can feel represented. We will focus on understanding the importance of representation in children's day to day lives and on the power books can hold.

Basics of Yoga: Benefits in the Early Years & Self-Care for Educators

Katherine Connolly

Time: 9:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Online

Educators are part of children’s support system. To fully support the children we care for, we need to be able to nourish our own resilience and growth from within. During this training educators will explore basic tools to empower themselves and the children they work with.

Family Child Care Administration Course

Vesna Krcmar

Monday to Friday, February 28 to March 4, and Monday to Thursday, March 7 to 10, 2022 Time: 6:00 pm - 7:30 pm 16 hours 9 weekdays, 1.5 hour sessions each, plus 30 minutes self-study per session.
Location: Online

Social Responsibility, Wellness and Resilience

Ana Valle

Time: 9:00am - 1:00pm
Location: Online

Working in a diverse world requires educators to think ethically and critically about their daily choices. This workshop is meant to support educators in thinking with multiple perspectives by thinking about what social responsibility means to them.

Mindful Creativity: Allowing Mindfulness to Guide Creative Play

Gina Miller & Lyn Sakari

Mar 30, 2022 6:00pm to 8:00pm | Mar 31, 2022 6:00pm to 8:00pm
Location: Online

Let’s explore creativity outside the box! Come and explore ways to develop mindfulness while nurturing creativity and play inside and outside of the classroom through the Pedagogy of Listening.