Work. Family. Life.

Canadian professional development opportunities in early learning and care

Below is a list of sites that outline upcoming professional development opportunities for the early learning and care field.  This posting is a work in progress; with more info being added over the next few weeks and months.  If you know of additional training opportunities please leave a comment and link.

British Columbia

BC Aboriginal Child Care Society - Annual Conference Page

BC Family Child Care Association - Events Page

Westcoast Child Care Resource Centre - Training Page

Child Care Options - Training Page

ECEBC - Conference 2010 Page

HELP - Human Early Learning Partnership - Events Page

Alberta

Alberta Child Care Association - Events Page

Manitoba

Manitoba Child Care Association - Events Page and Fall Workshop Page

New Brunswick

Early Childhood Care and Education - Training Page

PEI

Early Childhood Development Association of PEI - Events Page

National

Child Care Resource and Research Unit - Events Page

Canadian Child Care Federation - Events Page

Health Work and Wellness coming to Vancouver in 2010

Health Work & Wellness™ Conference 2010

Thinking Organizations...SUCCEED!

Hyatt Regency Hotel
Vancouver, B.C,
September 30 - October 3, 2010

Think, think, think,... our brains are always doing it and our organizations are always counting on it. When change and transformation are happening so rapidly in business and in the world around us, we need to be more fluid in our thinking on one hand, while being better critical thinkers on the other. We need to tap into our right brain more often for that intuition and emotional awareness that is there, yet not lose sight of the left brain logical, objective thinking.

For 2010, Health Work & Wellness™, Canada's leading forum on organizational health will focus on helping you to build a "thinking organization". This requires engaged, empowered leadership. It requires us to narrow the "knowing-doing gap". It means integrating organizational health with business objectives. And it may require a big culture shift.

As we emerge from economic recession, the success of organizations will be determined largely by their ability to think in a new business environment. Optimal performance at all levels will depend on optimal thinking.

via conferences.healthworkandwellness.com

More on the 140 Character Conf - about Twitter and the conference

13th Annual Health Work & Wellness Conference 2009

Infor that came across my email this morning regarding the upcoming Health Work & Wellness Conference 2009.

Taking Care of Business

Hôtel Hilton Lac-Leamy
Gatineau, Québec
September 30 - October 3, 2009

Best-Ever Value for the Health Work & Wellness™ Conference 2009!

Review the full program right now!

Featured Speakers

• Ian Percy - Thinking Without a Box!  How to Lead Your Organization into the Quantum Age
• Peter Legge - Inspiring Your People in Tough Times
• Victoria Labalme - Engaging Brilliance: Unleashing Workforce Joy

Special Deals

• $999 - Early Bird Registration Package (BEST VALUE) - One conference registration, one half-day pre or post-conference workshop, and a ticket to the Thursday Evening Event - register by July 15th
• $799 - Early Bird Registration Rate - register by July 15th
• $599 - Executive Package - For Senior Executives - includes the Opening Keynote plus a closed session Executive Forum including lunch.
• $1,879 - Corporate Bundle - One Executive Package, two conference registrations and two tickets to the Thursday evening event. A savings of $668 over the individual cost of these events.
• Early Bird Deadline is July 15/09. Register online today!

Towards 2020 - building a new agenda for a new generation

TOWARDS 2020: Canada's Commitment to Children & Youth
April 27th – April 29th 2009
Crowne Plaza Hotel, Ottawa, Ontario

Join with experts, creative thinkers, architects of change, visionaries, teachers, story tellers, thinkers and leaders of all ages connected in some way to Canada's children and youth as they share their thoughts and ideas on building a new agenda for a new generation.

Registration Information can be found here.

ECEBC Conference is coming up in May

ECEBC CONFERENCE 2009
Thursday, May 21 – Saturday, May 23, 2009
Best Western Hotel and Convention Centre, Richmond

Regstration info can be found here

International Women's Day - March 8, 2009 - Info and Events

To mark International Women’s Day 2009, the Child Care Resource and Research Unit has updated their 2006 issue file on ECEC and Canadian women.

There are events happening around the world in honour of this important day.  For further information on an event that may be scheduled near you please click here.  As of today, there are 853 events registered in the event directory on the International Women's Day website.

On PEI, the Together in Courage Committee - International Women's Day is hosting this event -

Summit on middle childhood - March 25 & 26, 2009 - Burnaby, BC

United Way of the Lower Mainland is pleased to present the second Learning Summit on Middle Childhood, a follow-up to the Learning Summit in May 2006.  The two-day event will provide the opportunity for practitioners, researchers, policy makers, educators and others to come together to build knowledge, promote learning and pursue shared action for children. 

 

 

Moderated by award winning Television Producer and Interviewer: 

Maria LeRose.

 

 

Keynote Speakers Include:

 

Dr. Clyde Hertzman

Founding Director, Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP)

 

&

 

Dr. Kimberly Schonert-Reichl

Associate Professor, Dept. of Educational and Counselling Psychology and Special Education in the Faculty of Education, UBC

 

 

 

Program Summary:

 

Day 1: 

Setting the stage for understanding what children in Middle Childhood need developmentally, how they are spending their time, programming that works, and measuring progress.

 

Day 2:

Improving community systems to support children and moving to action-based policies.  What can we learn from our local experiences and beyond?

What we do

Just developed a new one page bio sheet that summarizes the type of work that we are currently doing in relation to work-life flexibility, employee wellbeing, child care, community partnerships, education and more. You can download it below.

Download Jane Boyd - One Page Bio 2009

A world changing radical idea - Invest to the max in the Early Years

It seems that Peter thought Rob's Boyd Conference was about my "world-changing radical ideas" rather than those of another Boyd - John Boyd.  LOL

While I have been known for some interesting thoughts now and then, I am sorry to say that none of them yet qualify to be in the league of world changing and radical...though I'm working on it...

Gosh just imagine what would happen if as a

Community;

Province;

Country;

World;

we truly invested ALL that is necessary in our young children; ensuring they were EACH able to reach their full potential....

what kind of world would we have then?

I think - that might count as world-changing and radical - if we could actually do it.  So how do we start?   It is simple...one place, one community, one government, one Province, one Country at a time.  PEI is a very good place to start.  Now is the time to invest...not later.  Remember invest at the front end not the back end.

By the way, If you are interested in following up on the PEI Boyd conference I know Rob will be doing some good posts on it this coming week.  I hear it was good.

The unconference - Zap Your Pram

This past weekend a pretty cool conference happened in Prince Edward Island called Zap Your Pram 2008.  Actually, it was more of an "unconference" than a conference.  In this day and age of large conferences that are full of name tags, never ending panels, networking and trade shows; Zap Your Pram was pretty much just the opposite.  It was a gathering of creative, interesting and simply cool folks who got together to discuss the various things that they have been working on and to laugh, eat, play and simply connect with one another. Attendance was by invite only.  By all accounts, it was a great success.  Unfortunately, I don't know this personally as I was not lucky enough to be in attendance, but I do know several of the people who were there and they certainly think that Zap Your Pram was something pretty special. 

From the Zap Your Pram Website:

The Zap Your PRAM Conference is a gathering of creative professionals, academics, and intriguing people from around the world interested in design, the web and emerging technologies. We come together to relax and discuss design, media, art and technology.

Zap is not just a conference about technology, the internet, or gadgetry. It is not a yearly event nor is it a conference with a clear distinction between “presenters” and “attendees”. There are no paid speakers, no keynote addresses, no plenary sessions, no trade show, and no exhibitors.

Zap is not in a hotel with televisions or phones. You may not even have cell phone reception.

No phones, televisions and possibly even no cell phone reception - wow!  Now, that part really caught my attention.  How many conferences have you been to recently where you are pretty much forced to be that out of touch with the world?  Probably not many.  We are all so "wired" that it is hard to imagine turning your cell phone/crackberry/iPhone off for even an hour - let alone for up to four days.  I'm guessing that this reduced connectedness with the outside world probably contributed to the face to face connections, discussions and other great stuff that happened among the attendees of Zap Your Pram. 

Zap Your Pram 2008 is the second such unconference that has been organized by Steven Garrity, Dan James, Peter Rukavina and a few of their friends.  The first Zap Your Pram was held in 2003.

From the last two days of blog postings (some are below) it seems that this gathering left the participants totally inspired, wowed and longing for more.  I was truly blown away by the range of interesting blog postings about the weekend.  I could literally feel the good vibes, brilliant conversations and true connections that these folks made with each other.  Further, it prompted me to think that a similar type of event could possibly be put together around the areas that I am currently working within...the early years, child care, work-life balance, creating great work environments etc.  Now how cool is that?  So thanks to all of the Zap Your Pram folks for your enthusiasm, your passion and for reminding me that there is no substitute for the power of face to face connections, conversation and laughter. 

Here are a selection posts about Zap Your Pram 2008. They each have lots of other links within them so you will get a good sense of how this unconference played out.

Dan James - CEO Blues

Peter Rukavina - Ruk

Steven Garrity - Acts of Volition

Rob Paterson's Weblog 

Deane Barker - Gadgetopia

 

Update from 2008 Health Work and Wellness Conference

Here is an update from the annual Health Work and Wellness Conference which is underway in Calagary, Alberta this week.

Today’s presentations include six two-hour workshops, six 90-minute breakouts, our regular series of sponsored spotlight sessions, and the closing keynote speaker, Claude Ouimet, Senior Vice-President & General Manager, InterfaceFLOR Canada and Latin America, whose presentation “The Power of One: The Power to Change, the Power to do Something”, will examine how his company is moving toward sustainability by 2020. We will also be presenting the 2008 Canadian Workplace Wellness Pioneer Award during lunch. Quite a schedule!

Connecting early childhood development and schools

With the ever decreasing boundaries between schools and early childhood development programs this is a timely Pan Canadian Summit.

January 29th - 30th, 2009 Montreal Québec

Connecting Early Child Development and Schools

Building Alliances for Children: Information – Inspiration – Interaction

Why attend this Summit?

This issue is important to school leaders because…..

• 25% of children do not succeed in school

• We can change the life trajectories of these children and ensure a more positive schooling experience by focusing resources on the years before they start school

• Epigenetics is teaching us that critical pathways of brain development are established in the first three years of a child’s life.

As a school leader you can play a critical role in your community by ……

• Helping to locate vulnerable families through existing school networks

• Engaging in community based networks that focus on building seamless and appropriate early child development services

• Revitalizing empty school spaces as places that can “incubate” community early child development activities

• Finding and mobilizing community assets for early child development

What topics will the Pan-Canadian Summit cover?

• Expert research on the science of early child development and brain research

• Dialogue on the prevalent issues faced by the early child development community nationally and internationally

• Exciting stories from provincial leaders who are implementing inventive school-based programs for families

• Opportunities for discussion and networking between school system professionals

• An invitation to participate in building a long-term plan for a national network where school systems support early child development

KeynoteSpeakers

John Bennett

Co-author of Starting Strong II, Early Childhood Education and Care,Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)

Dr. Clyde Hertzman

President of the Council for Early Child Development and Founding Director of Human Early Learning Partnership (HELP)

Penny Milton

CEO of the Canadian Education Association

(CEA)

Dr. J. Fraser Mustard

Founder of the Council for Early Child Development (CECD)

Agenda of the 2008 WorkLife Congress in New York City

Looking for something to do October 28-30?  How about a trip to New York City and attend Working Mother's 2008 Work-Life Congress?  Event and registration information can be found here.

Here is the agenda for the Congress:

WorkLife Congress Welcome Reception & Exhibit Hall 

5:30 - 7:00        Join us as we kick off our 11th Annual 100 Best Companies WorkLife Congress- Sponsored by Accenture, Bon Secours/Richmond Health, Credit Suisse, Schering-Plough & Wal-Mart/Sams Club

Featuring Dell & Verizon Wireless' Technology Zone

---

100 Best Companies WorkLife Congress

Wednesday, October 29th

7:30 – 8:45         Registration - Sponsored by Blue Cross/Blue Shield of North Carolina

7:30 - 7:00          Silent Auction to benefit The Women's Alliance

7:30 - 8:45          Continental Breakfast - Sponsored by KPMG

8:45 – 9:30         Signature Opening - Sponsored by Grant Thornton, McGraw Hill & Pillsbury Winthrop Shaw Pittman LLP, The Procter & Gamble Company & Sanofi-Aventis
Anita Renfroe has gone from "stay-at-home-mom" to "YouTube comedic Phe-mom-enon" - and it's been a wild ride. Anita will officially kick off this year's WorkLife Congress with her unique brand of estrogen-flavored musical comedy and blend of sass, edge and slightly offbeat takes on All Things Female. Anita says she just tells it like it is. Some would say she just tells what everyone else is thinking, but won't say out loud.

"I'd rather people laugh because they relate to something I say than because I wrote a clever punchline," Anita says. "All my stuff is about my life - it's real and it connects people - and that's a wonderful thing."

Anita Renfroe's brand new DVD, It's Probably Just My Thyroid, does just that - making people lauch with her off-the-wall insights and music, including her hilarious parody of Carrie Underwood's No. 1 smash hit Before He Cheats, cleverly retitled Before I Eat. Filmed in her hometown of Atlanta, GA before a sold out crowd, It's Probably Just My Thyroid was released in April 2008.

9:30 – 9:45         Welcome Remarks--Carol Evans, CEO & President, Working Mother Media

9:45 – 10:15       Opening Keynote - Dee Dee Myers, Political Analyst, Commentator, Author of "Why Women Should Rule the World"
 
10:15 -10:45       Networking Break - Sponsored by Pearson

10:45 -12:15      ThinkFest Solutions: Learning Teams - Sponsored by American Express & Johnson & Johnson
We're taking a NEW approach to our ThinkFest Solutions! Based on feedback from our attendees we're grouping people into Learning Teams to discuss "must learn" topics - those issues you need to know more about the minute you get back to the office. Keep an eye out for updated sessions. Several small learning teams will work on solutions and develop follow-up plans.

Changing WorkLife Strategies in an Evolving Economy
Marci Koblenz, President, Center for Companies That Care

The Roadmap for Implementing Child and Elder Care Solutions that Make an Impact
Lucy (McClellan) English, Ph.D., Consultant, Bright Horizons Family Solutions

Managing at a Distance
Peter Linkow, President, WFD Consulting

Flexibility - Siloed or Central? - What Makes Flex a Reality
Karol Rose, Chief Knowledge Officer, Center of Excellence, FlexPaths

The Multigenerational Workplace: How Different Generations are Redefining WorkLife
Jennifer Brown, Principal, Jennifer Brown Consulting LLC

Addressing Workload, Work Processes and Productivity
Sharon Melnick

Designing Creative Career Strategies for Women
Richard Westphal, Director, Retain Talent, Accenture

Global WorkLife Strategies and Local Implementation
Danielle Hartmann, Director of Corporate Partnerships, Boston College Center for Work & Family

WorkLife Awareness: Branding and Communicating Work/Life Programs Internally
Linda Christiansen, Global Diversity Inclusion - Work/Life, American Express

Upcoming Events and Conferences

Here are a few upcoming events and conferences related to work, family and life issues.

Promoting Healthy Work Family & Life Balance - April 17, 2008 - Charlottetown - A panel discussion.

Winning HR Practices of the Best Employers in Canada - April 22 - 23, 2008 - Toronto - Expert guidance on sourcing, acquiring and engaging a diverse workforce.

Beyond Diversity: Leveraging Generational Strength - April 28, 2008 - Toronto - For the first time ever, there are many generations working side by side in our workplaces; each with their own perspectives, experiences and attitudes.

Building Business Results - Lead Yourself, Lead Others, Lead the Business - April 30 - May 2, 2008 - Vancouver -  It begins with you. Set the example and others will follow. You are the frontrunner. Join 1,200 other frontrunners for three full days of professional development and networking at BC HRMA's 46th Annual Conference. This conference - the largest of its kind in B.C. - draws business and HR professionals who believe leadership matters; are concerned about recruitment and retention; and share a commitment to creating healthy workplaces.

ECEBC Conference - May 29 - 31, 2008 - Richmond - The Early Childhood Educators of British Columbia in partnership with the Canadian Child Care Federation is pleased to present their 37th Annual Conference.

Health Work and Wellness Conference 2008 - October 15 - 18, 2008 - Calgary - Successful organizations have a few things in common - healthy work cultures, healthy communication, healthy people strategies ... and a healthy organizational footprint -- from the design of their offices, to developing green spaces, to addressing transportation issues. They take corporate social responsibility seriously and give back in a meaningful way to their communities so that those who work for them can be proud. Success is being redefined. Employees and even shareholders are demanding it. A new breed of organization is emerging - one that understands that profitability and giving back go hand in hand. At a time when retention and recruitment are paramount to global competitiveness, building a sustainable workplace that will leave a legacy becomes crucial.