A day of learning at recent Professional Development Day1 min read
Reading Time: < 1 minuteOn May 9, 2022, the Region of Waterloo joined many other southwestern Ontario municipalities to offer a Professional Development (PD) Day for all Registered Early Childhood Educators (ECEs), early years and child care staff in licensed child care and EarlyON programs.
Hosted by the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, the Heartwork and So Much More virtual PD Day event engaged thousands of early years and child care staff for a day of insightful and educational sessions. It was a day of celebration and smiles all-round, as ECEs, early years and child care staff engaged in learning and networking.
Some internationally-renowned experts, who presented during the event included:
- Dr. Emis Akbari, Ph.D. – Professor and Program Coordinator, School of Early Childhood, George Brown College and Senior Policy Fellow Atkinson Centre for Society and Child Development.
- Dr. Jean Clinton, BMus, MD FRCP(C) – Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Behavioural Neurosciences, McMaster University.
- Armine Yalnizyan – Senior Economist, The Atkinson Fellow on the Future of Workers.
- Mandy Bujold – Canadian Olympic Boxer
The date for the second PD Day has not yet been set, but is expected to be held later this year. One-time federal funding through the Canada-Ontario Early Childhood Workforce Agreement supports these PD Days. The PD Days provide educators with paid time during the regular workday to reflect and learn together with their team and other educators. Previously, many Registered Early Childhood Educators (RECEs) and child care staff completed professional learning on their own unpaid time.
Registered ECEs, early years and child care staff are committed to ongoing professional development in order to enhance their expertise on how children learn and develop. Strengthening the early years and child care workforce is a key priority throughout the recently released Children’s Services Early Years and Child Care Service System Plan.