leadership opportunities

Join us for this Free virtual session for Early Learning and Child Care Leaders who work in York Region.

About this event

Leaders Café and Monthly Networking Session

Session 7 of 11

The Rethinking what’s nECEssary: Early Childhood Education Series for Leaders invites supervisors, assistant supervisors and early years program managers to reimagine the traditional role of an administrative leader.

The series comprises 10 sessions/cafés that will be delivered monthly. Each session is designed to complement all others and provide a solid foundation for pedagogical leadership.

Participants are invited to register for as many sessions as they wish based on their interest. A combination of presentations, discussions, practice and resource sharing, and collaborative exercises will provide participants with the opportunity to enhance the skills, knowledge and dispositions needed to be an empowering pedagogical leader.

Participants will be encouraged to create groups, networks, mentoring circles and other forms of professional collaboration to further their own centre’s pedagogical work and learning, and also strengthen the ECE culture across the York Region.

This session will be facilitated online via Zoom and you will receive a link the day before the session takes place.

About the Presenters:

Barbara Pytka is a Professor at the School of Early Childhood Education at Seneca College and University of Guelph Humber. All her work experience and educational endeavours have been in the field of early childhood education, especially in pedagogy and curriculum. Her research interests include the relationship between mentoring practices and educators’ professional growth. Barbara has more than 20 years of experience in various early childhood education related positions in both Toronto and York Region. She previously directed two early childhood education settings with different operational styles and advised supervisors and educators on curriculum and pedagogy. She has made an immense contribution to the training, education and development of educators with diverse backgrounds at the organizations that she has worked for. She has organized many professional networking and international initiatives, including study tours to New Zealand, Denmark, Sweden and Norway to explore pedagogical practices in these countries.

Terry Kelly is a long-time RECE, faculty/trainer and nascent pedagogist. She currently works in the School of Early Childhood Education at Seneca College. Terry has benefitted from rich international ECE work/study experiences and knowledge exchanges in Asia, Africa, and the Caribbean. Terry’s passion is in empowering Early Childhood Educators to honour their voices and hearts, challenge the status quo, and to be mindful of connections to Land and Spirit. Terry is a board member of the Family Support Institute of Ontario, Registered Yoga Teacher, and a mother.

Barbara and Terry are both honoured to live and work on the traditional lands of the Mississaugas of the Credit Nation as well as the Williams Treaties First Nations.

For more information about this training and other professional development and training opportunities offered by York Region, please visit our Eventbrite Page or email capacitybuilding@york.ca.

FULL EVENT DESCRIPTION

We are partnering with long-time child and family advocate Olivia Chow and the Institute for Change Leaders to offer province-wide training sessions with the aim of connecting ECEs and early years staff with parents and engaged community members to strengthen our campaign for Professional Pay & Decent Work in early years and child care.  

This 2 day training session is an excellent opportunity for those working or studying in the early years and child care sector who are interested in taking up an active role in their communities and in our Professional Pay campaign. Participants will gain the skills and confidence to engage others, to become leaders in their work or school environments and to champion positive change in our sector.

The curriculum teaches emerging leaders how to:

• Gain self confidence to tell your story/speak your mind to motivate others  
• Recruit and retain members of your community/program to work towards a common goal
• Build strong Communities of Practice (CoP) that foster leadership among ECEs, staff and parents
• Strategize in a CoP setting and utilize tactics that build power and move decision makers
• Have a strong social media presence

Participants will take away skills and knowledge that can be used to organize Communities of Practice (CoP) and promote leadership among teams in a variety of early years settings.

We have a limited amount of spots available to students currently enrolled in an ECE diploma or degree program. Click here to register as a student (available on a first come, first served basis) 

Lunch & refreshments will be provided for the 2 day session.  

Professional Learning certificates will also be provided to participants. 

-reprinted from the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Ontario