With

Saturday, February 20, 2016

Steveston-London Secondary School
6600 Williams Road, Richmond

The Child Care Professional Development & Training Society in partnership with the
Child Care Training Committee is pleased to present the 2016 Circles of Caring Child
Care Conference. The program features numerous workshops that will challenge and
encourage you to reflect on your practice with children and families. We welcome Dr.
Mariana Brussoni of the UBC Faculty of Medicine who will open the conference and
share with us her research on the element of risk that challenges childrens healthy
development. You will find that we have tweaked the program just a little bit and we
are thrilled that the Steveston-London Secondary School will be our new conference
site. Come and enjoy this exciting day of professional development and networking.
We look forward to seeing you on February 20, 2016.

Steveston-London Secondary School

6600 Williams Road, Richmond B.C.
Access parking off Williams Road

For information & registration inquires

please contact EventAbility at:
jbbran@telus.net
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7:30 a.m. 9:00 a.m.

9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m. 10:30 a.m.
10:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m.
12:30 p.m. 1:30 p.m.
1:30 p.m. 3:30 p.m.
3:45 p.m. 4:00 p.m.
4:00 p.m. 4:15 p.m.

Registration & Market Place

Opening & Keynote address with
Dr. Mariana Brussoni
Refreshments & Market Place
A workshops
Lunch & Market Place (Market Place closes after
lunch)
B workshops
Refreshments
Open mike, closing remarks, certificates & door prizes

The Market Place opens at

7:30 a.m. This is your
opportunity to find unique
special items for your child
care centre. Vendors will be
open during the morning
breaks & lunch.

Full Delegate
$85
Full delegates are individuals
working in the child care field.
ECE Students
$45
ECE Students must be registered
in and attending a recognized
ECE Training Program.

To help you select a workshop look for

the interest keys:
Early Childhood Educators &
ECE Students
School Age Child Care Providers

Registration fees include the

keynote address, one morning & one
afternoon workshop, two
refreshment breaks and lunch.

ECE/ECE Students and School Age

Providers or Administrators

Requests for refunds must be made in

writing to the Conference Secretariat
before February 12, 2016. The
organizers reserve the right to
refuse requests made after this date.

Certificates for 5 hours of

professional development will
be provided at the end of the
conference to delegates who
complete the full day,
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Rethinking risk: The importance of risky play for children

Most of us have memories of childhoods with long hours spent
outdoors and away from watchful eyes of adults. Injury
prevention efforts and fears for children's safety have had a
large influence on childhood. The childhood of today looks very
different, with more time spent indoors, supervised, in structured
activities, and in front of screens; and with little allowance
for outdoor play time and risk taking. The effect of these rapid
lifestyle changes are just beginning to be understood. My
presentation will explore the pressures limiting children's
outdoor play time and research examining the influence on
children's health and development. Participants will consider
what can be done to restore balance and tools for talking to
parents, educators and others about the importance of risk
taking in play.
Dr. Mariana Brussoni is an Associate Professor in the
Department of Pediatrics and the School of Population and
Public Health at the University of British Columbia and with the
British Columbia Injury Research & Prevention Unit. She is a
developmental psychologist researching childrens injury
prevention and risky play.
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A1Inclusive and Interactive CircleTime

In this interactive workshop we will provide strategies for creating, facilitating and implementing fun
and inclusive circle times that meet the needs of children in your childcare program. This workshop
would benefit Early Childhood Educators (ECEs) that are new to the field as well as experienced
teachers looking for fresh ideas.
Presenters: Karen Jensen, is a consultant with the Richmond Suported Child
Development Program (RSCDP) and has worked in the field for over 23 years. Lucia Rincon, is a
consultant with theRSCDP and has worked in inclusive child care setting for over 10 years.
A2Nurturing the Heart of the Child
In our work, we may meet up with children who challenge us in different ways. This workshop will
explore ways to foster relationships and build connections with these children. We will look at seeing
the child through a compassionate lens; finding hidden strengths and broadening our perspective on
their behaviour. To do so, we will also consider the factors that may hamper this process, including
what we can do to deepen an awareness of our own blind spots and triggers. In developing and
fostering connections, we will nurture both the heart of the child, as well as our own.
Presenters: Michle Aderem, is the Executive Director of the PACE Program and has been
involved with supporting children and families for 36 years. Deborah Mollica, is the Team Leader of
the PACE Family Program and has over 30 years of experience working with children and families.
Eileen Muzzin, is the Team Leader of the PACE Outreach Support Services and has worked in
the childcare field for over 20 years.
A3The Uncanny Power of Play
In this highly interactive workshop we will explore the realm of play and its relationship to
gaming. Participants will learn how to transform the theories into a remarkably powerful tool that can
strengthen childrens emotional intelligence and facilitate higher levels of thinking. Participants will
gain an in depth understanding of play and games and be given the tools to create games under
almost every circumstance by learning to identify the core game archetypes. This workshop will be of
interest to anyone working with preschool and school age children.
Presenter: Peter-John Prinsloo has been working with youth, families, and educators for 20
years. He specializes in behaviour management, communication, and game dynamics. In 2005 PJ
created a unique multifaceted behaviour intervention system that targets the core of all human
behaviour. PJs technique and play oriented style of teaching has made The Awareness a
sought-after pedagogy.
A4Inspiring the Early Learning & Child Care Field through Mentoring and Leadership
In this workshop we will reflect on questions such as, why we do what we do each day, what gives us
and you the drive to provide the best program you can provide each day ;and how can we as early
childhood educators inspire those we work with and those we mentor? And, we will look at the how
we thereby inspire the children. This would be a great workshop for those early childhood educators
that are leaders of programs or managers of centres as we will talk about how having inspired staff
benefits your children and your program!
Presenters: Tara Hansson, early in her career as an Early Childhood Educator Tara began a
journey to become a facilitator of childrens exploration and learning and continues to find new ways to
inspire children and her colleagues. Lauren Creed is the manager of a multi-age child care facility in
Ladner and is passionate about the child care field and sharing her enthusiasm with ECE students
and her colleagues.

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A5Social Emotional Enhancement & Development for Children and Youth with Special Needs
The social emotional development of most children occurs naturally. The social emotional
development of children and youth with special needs may not occur naturally, and may require more
explicit teaching and opportunities to practice. In this workshop we will discuss supportive environments
that support social emotional development and learning. We will discuss interventions and adaptations
for children and youth with special needs. This workshop is beneficial to early childhood educators,
school age child care providers, service providers working with children and youth with special needs,
as well as parents and caregivers. Participants will receive a participants workbook and list of books
and resources.
Presenters: Amanda Bonnycastle, is a consultant, Richmond Supported Child Development
Program and, previously worked with children and youth at BC Childrens Hospital. Christie Remillard,
is a new consultant, Richmond Supported Child Development Program. Prior to beginning her role as a
Consultant with the SCDP Christine taught Kindergarten for five years.
A6 & B2 (Full Day Session) Bridging the Gap Strategies for Challenging Behaviour
In this full day workshop, we will discuss emotional and social challenges which impact school-aged
children and some of the challenging behaviourss which ensue. We will review three key building blocks
to minimize challenging behaviours and learn how the five key aspects of social-emotional learning can
be used to bridge the gaps and support children to be socially and emotionally connected and well.
Participants will gain an understanding of how important our relationships to children.
This full day session will be of interest to anyone working with school-aged children.
Presenter: Katy Bigsby, has worked with children and youth with emotional and behavioural
issues for the past 20 years in school and community settings. Her formal training is in Social Work and
Education. Katy facilitates training around challenging behaviour and creates tools for health and
education programs.
Note: you must register for A6 & B2
A7Transforming Early Childhood Environments with Inspiration from Reggio Emilia
The philosophy of Reggio Emilia offers many principles that can assist us in fostering a learning
environment that is beautiful, responsive, interactive and reflective of all who share a classroom. In this
interactive workshop you will learn some new strategies for your classroom that will help support a
childs relationship with self, peers, family and community reflecting a stronger sense of competency
and identity. This workshop will be of interest to ECE second year students and others working with
preschool children.
Presenter: Wendy Halfnights, is an Early Childhood Educator and has worked for over fifteen
years with children of all ages. She is passionate about beautiful, engaging classrooms and hands-on
experiential learning.

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A8Supporting Children with Social and Emotional Challenges: A Richmond Story of

Collaboration
Richmond City Centre is a rapidly changing community with an increasing population with the profile of
families living in the neighbourhood changing as well. The preschool and Two's Time programs at City
Centre Community Centre have been challenged to meet the needs of the young children and their
families. Staff have noticed a pattern that many of the children in each class have behaviour that
indicates they are so challenged socially and emotionally that it is difficult for them to function typically in
the program. The children have had frequent changes in primary caregivers and living environments and
they often come and go from the City Centre programs. This workshop will tell the story of how the staff
and community partners have been successful at engaging parents with their childrens program
through fun family nights while educating and discussing with parents the importance of social and e
motional well-being as the foundation of early childhood development . The also share with parents the
services of the Early Childhood Mental Health Program. Opportunity will be given in the session to
discuss related issues you have seen in your classroom and to share strategies you have used to support children with these challenges. This session will be of interest to anyone working with children and
families.
Presenters: Lindsay A. McBride, Ph.D., is a psychologist working in the Early Childhood
Mental Health Program at Richmond Hospital (VCH) and works part-time as a psychologist at BC
Childrens Hospital in the Complex Pain Clinic. Ines Ziegler, is the Program Coordinator for Preschool
Programs at City Centre Dr. Marilyn Champagne, MDCM, FRCPC., is a Child and Adolescent
Psychiatrist working at the Early Childhood Mental Health Program at Richmond Hospital (VCH) and is a
Clinical Instructor and Discipline Specific Site Leader in psychiatry with the Faculty of Medicine at the
University of British Columbia. Karen Samson BSN RN., is a Public Health Nurse with Richmond Public
Health in the Community and Family Health Program. She has worked as a Public Health Nurse in
Richmond since 2005 with a focus on children 2 to 5 years. She values being part of the Richmond
community where she lives with her husband and two children.
A9Managed Risk Taking with Infants and Toddlers
Beginning with an image of infants and toddlers as capable learners who want to explore their world,
concrete examples and illustrations will be shared, introducing child care providers to a variety of
creative materials and activities with which to challenge this age group.
Presenter: Ward Nakata, has worked in child care for over 25 years. He is currently employed by UBC
Child Care Services working with infants, where he has been employed for the past 13 years. He has
presented workshops at the Early Childhood Educators of BC conference, and has also been a guest
speaker at both Langara and Vancouver Community Colleges. He has three children and a partner who
also works in child care.

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A10Exploring a Pedagogy of Place

In this workshop we will share the ways in which working primarily outdoors has challenged our
beliefs and practices as Early Childhood Educators. Employing multiple languages, we will weave
together discussions of philosophy and pedagogy; bees and berries; tears and belly laughs. This
workshop will be valuable to anyone seeking new perspectives for working with children of all ages,
in and out of doors.
Presenters: Emily Vera, is an Early Childhood Educator who spent much of her childhood
years exploring the forest behind her rural house, creating elaborate stories of shipwrecked families,
forest fairies and witches. Kate Dawson, is an Early Childhood Educator, and she spent her
childhood catching frogs, digging for clay and building snow forts in the prairie grasslands of
Saskatchewan.
A11Yoga As Life Skills
This workshop introduces yoga as a life skill to childcare providers in a fun and interactive setting. The
social/emotional, physical and cognitive benefits of yoga will be shared and participants will
experience a childrens class. We will explore Pranayama/yogic breath work, Asanay/yoga
postures, relaxation/meditation and mindfulness techniques. Participants will be able to practice
teaching these techniques. This workshop will be of interest to anyone working with preschool age
children. Remember to bring your yoga mat.
Presenter: Carine Young, Carine began her yogic journey in 1998 with a paperback version of
The Sivananda Companion to Yoga. Since then and with great teachers, Carine has become a
guide in revealing yogas magic to children and to many adults.

Remember to bring a water bottle

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B1Teaching Emotional Intelligence

In short, Emotional Intelligence (EQ) is a set of complex skills that help us understand and regulate
our emotions and sustain relationships. Research has shown that this EQ directly influences
learning capacity and personal success. In this workshop the concepts of Emotional Intelligence
will be discussed and participants will learn teachable goals for young children that will promote
their cognitive abilities. This workshop is or anyone working with preschool and school age
children , I will provide a variety of resources and share ways participants can create their tools and
strategies.
Presenter: Peter-John Prinsloo (see A3)
B2(Full Day Session) Bridging the Gap Strategies for Challenging Behaviour
(See A6)
B3Meeting the Unique Needs of Each Child
This workshop is suited for anyone working with children aged 3-18 years. We will explore how
childrens individual needs are influenced by learning styles and communication styles,
personality, culture, and gender. Participants will walk away with information to help them better
understand and meet the emotional, psychological, and behavioural needs of children they work
with.
Presenter: Danielle Aldcorn, BSW, MA., is a Registered Clinical Counsellor in private
practice and Co-Director of Satori Integrative Health Centre. Danielle works with children, youth
and families regarding such issues as anxiety, family conflict, social/behavioural concerns, and
autism. Danielle worked in the Richmond School District for eight years. She is also a lecturer,
author, and newspaper columnist.
B4The Importance of Intergenerational Learning: Child-Led Expressive Arts
In this workshop, I will present work being undertaken at Another Space, a new community creative
arts therapy studio in Vancouver. In this studio, different ways of interacting with children in
community are being explored, such as child-led art and movement sessions, as well as playful
family programming. Recent workshops will be presented, followed by art-making and discussion.
This workshop is relevant for any early childhood educators and others who work with children
using the arts.
Presenter: Sarah Peacock, is an art therapist who facilitates group art therapy
workshops. She is the director of Magpies Nest Community Art Society. She and the Magpies
connect community through creative art making. They operate a grassroots neighbourhood studio
located within Another Space in East Vancouver that nurtures the creativity of each individual and
she works to combine the inherently therapeutic aspects of art-making with community work to
create a catalyst for social change.

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B5Cultural impact and family expectations: Are we meeting their needs?

In this workshop we will be looking at the role culture plays in the demographic of the Richmond Child
Care Community. From research, statistics and collected data, we will discuss family dynamics and
explore the cultural and family values that influence the selection of child care services. We will share
the stories we have collected from families that describe their priorities and challenges in finding child
care in a new society. To help provide a more informed understanding within our child care community
we will also discuss what parents have to say about the child care services in Richmond and what their
goals are for their childrens early years. This workshop will benefit childcare administrators, supervisors
and others working with children and families who wish to enhance their understanding and positive
relationships with families from diverse cultural backgrounds and experiences.
Presenters: Mandy Shuang Wang, is an Early Childhood Educator and a graduate of the Delta/
Richmond ECE Continuing Education Program. She is a mom of a 6-year-old, and currently runs
courses teaching children Chinese and phonics. She has a great network bonding with the Chinese
families of Richmond and is an active advocate for Reggio Emilia inspired methodology in early
childcare setting. Jasmine Chou, is a proud Early Childhood Educator and a recent graduate Delta/
Richmond ECE Continuing Education Program. She is currently an outdoor preschool program teacher
in Vancouver and is very passionate about working with young children and wishes that one day down
the road, she can become a great mentor like all those who have led her to where she is today.
B6Get Your Tech On!
In this workshop I will be sharing guidelines on incorporating digital devices and media in programs and
providing specific examples of ways to introduce digital literacy to young audiences (age 3 and up). I will
be providing examples of digital programs that are offered at the Richmond Public Library and
participants will be given hands on practice time with our new Digital Learning Collection.
Presenter: Anne Bechard, has been a professional Librarian for over 22 years. She is currently
the Digital Service Librarian at Richmond Public Library, has been a Childrens and Teen Librarian with
the Vancouver Public Library and also a Community-Led Librarian with the Edmonton Public Library.
She loves working with the public and creating programs that excite community members of all ages.
B7Exploring Sensory Materials
In this workshop we will explore and discover the benefits of sensory activities in our classrooms,
daycares, programs and everyday lives. This is a very interactive workshop where everyone will
participate. We will muck and guck with many materials today so you can recreate these experiences in
your programs on Monday!
Presenters: Alexis Alblas, is the Preschool Coordinator and the Instructor of Little Explorers
Preschool at the Cambie Community Centre and has been in the ECE field for over 20 years. She
created a program at Cambie that is based on sensorial learning that in the process reignited her own
passion for learning! Observing and being a part of young childrens Aha! moments inspires Alexis on
a daily basis to do more. Stefanie Tong, Preschool Coordinator,
Thompson Community Centre, co-created this workshop with Alexis but
will not be presenting.

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B8Documentation with Infants and Toddlers

In this workshop we will explore the use of documentation as a tool for learning with this young age
group. Through examples and shared experiences we will begin conversations about the process of
documentation and how this process can not only be beneficial in children's learnings but, more
importantly, how this work has the ability to transform critical thinking for educators to a variety of
creative materials and activities with which to challenge this age group.
Presenter: Ward Nakata (See A9)
B9Young communicators: How you can support early speech and language development
It is truly incredible how young children learn to communicate! In this workshop we will explore what to
expect in speech, language and social development during the infant and toddler years. We will learn
and practice responsive communication strategies that support early communication. We will look at
adapting activities, including daily routines and book reading, to fit the language needs of this age
group. You will also learn what is typical in communication development and indicators that a child
may have a communication delay. This workshop is for early childhood educators and
childcare providers who work with children birth through three years old.
Please note: If you have taken Learning Language and Loving It or Teacher Talk much of the
content in this workshop will be repetition. The Richmond Public Health Speech and Language
Program may offer this workshop free of charge to early childhood educators and childcare
providers in the future.
Presenter: Marcy Adler-Bock M.SC., Is a Registered Speech-Language Pathologist with the
Richmond Public Health Speech and Language Program and is a certified instructor of Learning
Language and Loving It. She has extensive experience working with young children with
communication challenges and works closely with families and community professionals to develop
childrens early communication skills.
A10Yoga As Life Skills
This workshop is similar to the A11 in the morning
but focuses on working with school age children.
Remember to bring your yoga mat .
Presenter: Carine Young

The Steering Committee acknowledges the City of

Richmond Child Care Grants Program for their contribution to Circles of Caring 2016

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Registration for Circles of CaringFebruary 20, 2016

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