Ontario

This one-day conference is presented by the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care and the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario with the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation.

Do you want to take action to inspire and engage your community and build local networks to advocate for licenced child care and the importance of early childhood educators?  Would you like to build or enhance your leadership skills while participating in critical dialogue and action based workshops on creating change?  The Child Care Matters to Everyone conference will do just that.

Child care really does matter to everyone and this one-day conference invites educators, service providers, parents, students, policy makers and concerned citizens to come together and discuss its importance from a variety of perspectives. The day will draw on the strengths of the community to build relationships and identify how we can work together to create the change we need for child care.

The morning will feature local leaders from different sectors to discuss why child care matters to everyone, followed by an opportunity to engage in dialogue around our individual experiences and concerns with child care. In the afternoon participants will choose from a selection of action-based workshops.

The following workshops are confirmed:

Answering Tough Questions about Child Care

“Why should I pay for other people’s children?” “Isn’t a national child care program too expensive?”  This workshop focuses on answering questions and challenging the arguments against investment in child care. We will practice effectively crafting our messages to change the minds of our opponents and build broader support for the value of child care.

Making Change with Little to No Resources

This workshop centers on the difficulties many people face when wanting to create change with little time and fewer resources.  What can we do when we work long hours, have obligations, families and careers? How can we make change when we are just a few voices, with little support, few resources and limited access? We will explore a variety of tools and tricks that will help build awareness, support and a following for your cause.

Finding your voice: Using Your Personal Story to Advocate for Change

Many people are hesitant to participate in advocacy because they feel that they do not have the knowledge or experience to be an effective advocate or talk about the ‘big’ issues. In this workshop we will discuss and practice advocacy strategies that use the strength of our personal stories to advocate for change in our communities and to decision makers.

Additional workshops may be available at the time of the event.  Registration for afternoon workshops will be on a first come first served basis at the time of morning registration.

Your Registration fee covers the cost of lunch and materials.  

Cost

AECEO/OCBCC Members $18  Non Members $20  Students/Unwaged $15

Locations and dates - Click on the location to register

Windsor - May 23, 2015

York Region - May 30, 2015

Thunder Bay - June 13, 2015

COMING FALL 2015

Ottawa, Hamilton, Sault Ste. Marie

The 65th OMSSA Learning Symposium, "Leadership in Human Services: Cultivating Innovation, Strengthening Communities" will bring together municipal service managers, provincial government staff, community and sector partners to share best practices and provide innovative examples of leadership in human services in Ontario.

This year's OMSSA Learning Symposium will feature consultations on 3 key provincial initiatives. As leaders in your communities and experts in your fields bring your ideas and recommendations to directly influence provincial policy.

SAMS Transition Implementation Plan: the Ministry of Community and Social Services is moving forward on PricewaterhouseCoopers recommendations on SAMS transition implementation. Meet with the Program Manager and transition team for input on some first steps.

Community Hubs Consultations: meet with Karen Pitre, Special Advisor to the Premier on Community Hubs and provincial representatives and provide recommendations to ensure the success of the provincial community hub initiative.

Long Term Affordable Housing Strategy Renewal: the Ministry of Municipal Affairs wants your input on moving Ontario's Long Term Affordable Housing Strategy forward. Share your experience, ideas and recommendations on what is needed to get more people housed and sustain the system.

For more detailed information on these consultations and other program highlights please visit the conference app www.eventmobi.com/ls2015

Location
Metro Hall - Room 308
55 John Street, Toronto, Ontario 

A panel presentation with Trish Hennessy, Director of the Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives - Ontario Office, and Brooke Richardson, doctoral candidate in Policy Studies at Ryerson University, will critically examine the existing framing of child care in Canada and explore progressive reframing of the issue in preparation for the 2015 Federal election.

Inspired by the work of cognitive psychologist George Lakoff, Trish and Brooke explore how ideology and emotion often trump rational policy debates. This session will explore how to progressively reframe and reclaim the child care conversation at this crucial time.

This is a FREE community event, to register please email Lyndsay Macdonald coordinator@ccaac.ca

This event is sponsored by Advocates for Progressive Child Care Policy (APCP), Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario, The Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care, The Child Care Resource and Research Unit, Canadian Centre for Policy Alternatives, Ryerson School of Early Childhood Studies and the Vote Child Care 2015 campaign.

Professional development certificates will be rewarded to participants at their request.