Heartwork Live!

Mino Giizhajad leads a unique, early childhood education program on Walpole Island where, from a very early age, children are immersed in the Anishinaabe language. Mino Giizhajad joins Nadine Ladouceur to reflect on the power of the Language Nest (Nwewnan Sasaang), the metaphor of "nest" and the importance of language as part of the identity journey of all human beings.

Jennifer Smith is an administrative assistant for the Early Years and Child Care Team at the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. She has played an important role in bringing the "Heartwork and So Much More" PD days to life and she drops by to speak with us about that work (as well as some of the visions that she has for future iterations!)

Audrey Van der Zon works in Client System and Supports at Municipality of Chatham-Kent. Part of her role is to assist parents and guardians to find child care, including managing the waitlist process. In this episode, we hear more about Audrey's work and the passion she has for helping families with their childcare needs.

Britney Phillips is a new ECE assistant and a self-proclaimed student of the profession. Hear the perspective of someone who is just entering the profession and some of what draws her here.

Kelsey Stepniak is an RECE with the Growing Together Family Resource Centre in Blenheim, Ontario. She is also part of the Chatham-Kent Ambassador program and she dropped by to talk about the importance of mentorship in early years education, and how the Ambassador program has been created as an important part of the mentorship journey.

Lauren Uher is the founder of Bloom Wellness In 2018 Lauren opened her own private practice to serve the community through counselling. She primarily works with kids, teens and young adults. She has also been involved with pediatric crisis intervention and long-term and crisis counselling. Lauren focuses on the mind-body connection, and understands that there are many moving parts to bring healing...

Dr. Rumeet Billan is an award-winning, internationally recognized entrepreneur, learning architect , speaker , author , and humanitarian. Her mission is to transform workplace cultures through research, training, and experiences that foster trust, belonging, and resilience. Dr. Billan's keynote address at this year's Heartwork and So Much More PD day was entitled, "The Science of Belonging". We ha...

Carrie Myers is a retired (but still active) Early Literacy Specialist in the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. Carrie dropped by to talk about her work, the importance of Early Literacy and how it is different than what K-12 educators mean by literacy.

Once again, we're fortunate to have the voices of two early childhood educators in Chatham-Kent join us for our conversations today. Justin Langlois i s a Dad, Stepdad, Bilingual Registered Early Childhood Educator, and Certified Self Reg Champion from The Mehrit Centre. Having been a RECE for nearly 10 years, Justin can be found wearing a super-hero cape while engaging with children at the EarlyO...

In this conversation we speak with Martin Liberio, Erin Tiffin and Kaitlyn Burridge about GEM moments in the early years classroom. Martin Liberio has contributed his expertise as co-author of "Educators in Native Child Care Services", the author of the Educational Program: "Learning through Play", and has written and created many pedagogical platforms for various early childhood organizations. Er...

Jessica Brodie is an Early Years Strategy Specialist for the Muncipality of Chatham-Kent and is part of the organizing team at Heartwork and So Much More. But she is also the imaginative force behind an initiative designed to connect community assets throughout the Muncipality. In this conversation, Shaun Moore, Karen Kennedy and Stephen Hurley explore the vision behind Connect the Blocks with Jes...

A unique opportunity to hear conference presenter Martin Liberio speak with host Justin Langois, en Français! Martin Liberio has contributed his expertise as co-author of "Educators in Native Child Care Services", the author of the Educational Program: "Learning through Play", and has written and created many pedagogical platforms for various early childhood organizations. Justin Langlois is a Dad...

In this episode, we speak with conference presenters Jessica Holder and Karen Eilerson about their work at Discovery Professional Learning. Forest Schools, a unique mentorship partnership with the municipality of Chatham-Kent and so much more in this conversation. Jessica Holder (RECE, BSc, Forest School Practitioner) has been passionately committed to the field of Early Childhood Education for ov...

We caught up with conference attendees, Tina Fox , Chantelle Wilson and Kathy Light , to talk about their impressions of the day. What did they learn? What will they take back for Tuesday morning?

In this episode, Justin Langois and Stephen Hurley speak with Whitney Jacobs and Shel Secrett about Shel's presentation at the conference, "Building 2SLGBTQAI+ Inclusive Early Learning Environments for Children, Families and Staff" Whitney Jacobs is a staff development coordinator with the Family Centre in Wallaceburg, Ontario. She also works as a call-in for the Centre. Shel Secrett is a register...

Sara Westbrook is a professional speaker, author, and Emotional Resilience Strategist. She has spent the last 16 years researching and presenting to over half a million people on the topic of emotions and the impact they have on choices, well-being and resilience in both adults and youth. Theresa McFadden is the supervisor of Child Care Services with the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, with a specia...

Justin Langois and Michelle Schurter join Stephen Hurley in conversation with Kelly Emery , Director, Child Care, Early Years, and Recreation for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent. In this episode we chat with Kelly about her origin story and what it means to support vibrant and exciting childcare environments in Chatham-Kent

We were fortunate the have the opportunity to sit down with Nadine Ladouceur , the coordinator and mastermind behind the Heartwork and So Much More event. Nadine is an Early Years Strategy Specialist for the Municipality of Chatham-Kent and her expertise and insights come shining through in this conversation with cohosts Karen Kennedy and Shaun Moore.

Dr. Jean Clinton is renowned nationally and internationally as an advocate for children’s issues. Her special interest lies in brain development, and the crucial role relationships and connectedness play. Jean champions the development of a national, comprehensive child well-being strategy including a system of early learning and care for all young children and their families. She is equally commi...