Professional Development:Creating a culture that is rich in Dialogue and opportunities

Professional Development in the world of Early Childhood Education.​

Professional development is SO important in early childhood settings as it ensures high-quality learning environments, keeps educators updated on current research and best practices, and directly improves outcomes for young children.

Every three months, my incredible staff gather on-site for professional development. Early Childhood educators must complete a certain number of hours to keep their certification valid, which can be tricky when you are working full-time. Workshops are often held on weekends, and that can be difficult to navigate when you have a family of your own at home! At Little Bears, our workshops are held on regular school days, so my staff can gain their professional hours while not losing any hours of work. 

Research consistently shows a direct link between highly trained educators and positive child development outcomes in areas such as language, literacy, and social-emotional skills.

Ongoing training equips my educators with knowledge on the Reggio-Emilia approach and a hands-on learning experience to create their own provocations, ideas, and concepts while continuously developing their professional skillset.
Educators use this time to work together as a team and to discuss current situations happening in their programs.
I often use these days to bring in guest speakers such as Kim Atkinson, Vanessa Lee, and Cheryl Cameron.) We are lucky to have so many amazing educators here in BC at our fingertips.
I also use this time to share photos through a PowerPoint presentation that I have taken from visiting centres across the globe, such as New Zealand, Sweden, Italy, and California. These opportunities are so fun when I can share my research and stories while (hopefully) inspiring my staff with incredible pictures of amazing centres!
Nourishing my staff with a warm meal that they don't have to bring themselves is also always part of our day. We use this time to pause, reflect, and chat with the educators from all of the programs.
The staff always receive a certificate at the end of the workshop. We often collaborate on what to "Name" our Professional Development day, and we usually wrap things up a little early so everyone has a bit of time to relax and gather their thoughts.
Every Professional development day is different, but what remains the same is the opportunity to work with, discuss, collaborate, and learn from each other in a professional setting. These are an important part of my practice and for the ongoing training of my wonderful staff.
Shine on!
​Lexie




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