Can We Talk?: Conversations In The Early Years

This episode kicks off a series of podcast episodes that we’re having with the presenters that we had at our December 2023 Embracing The Early Years Professional Learning Day. In this episode “A Conversation With Mary Gordon About Roots and Seeds of Empathy” you will hear ASCY’s Susan Lepore have a conversation with Mary Gordon about how to build a society that is inclusive and caring, by developing early empathy. Mary Gordon is recognized internationally as an award-winning social entrepreneur, educator, best-selling author, child advocate and parenting expert who has created programs informed by the power of empathy. In 1996, Ms. Gordon created Roots of Empathy, a national and international children's charity which now offers programs for elementary school aged children in every province of Canada and in 12 countries. In 2005, Ms. Gordon created the Seeds of Empathy Program for 3-5 year olds. This program has scaled in Canada, the US, and the UK.    Ms. Gordon speaks and consults to governments, educational organizations, and public institutions, including the World Health Organization and the United Nations. Ms. Gordon is often a keynote presenter at international conferences such as the world’s biggest tech conferences- Collision and Digital-Living-Design (DLD). She is a frequent participant on global panels discussing empathy and children’s mental health. Most recently she gave a keynote to the military during Mental Health Week. She is the recipient of many awards recognizing her contribution to innovation in education and international social entrepreneurship, including the 2018 Governor General of Canada Award for Innovation.  She has been awarded the Commemorative Medal for the Golden Jubilee of Her Majesty Queen Elizabeth II in Education and the Queen Elizabeth II Diamond Jubilee Medal for significant achievement and remarkable service. Ms. Gordon is a Member of the Order of Canada, Order of Ontario and the Order of Newfoundland and Labrador. She is also the recipient of honorary doctorates in Canada and Europe. The Finnish organization HundrED has awarded Roots of Empathy for 5 years in a row, each year since its inception, as one of the most inspiring and innovative educational programs in the world.    Ms. Gordon is featured in international documentaries, has also given several TEDx Talks, and has had dialogues with His Holiness the Dalai Lama. Roots of Empathy and Mary Gordon are quoted in 1200 Academic journals from 65 countries. Both Ms. Gordon and the program have been featured in the New York Times, the LA Times, the Washington Post, the BBC, The Globe and Mail, Time Magazine, Japan’s NHK, CBC and in features on PBS, CNN, NBC, The Guardian, The Irish Times, The Financial Times, The Independent and the Huffington Post. She has written many articles, book chapters, children’s books and her book, Roots of Empathy: Changing the World Child by Child, is a Canadian bestseller and is available in multiple languages.For more information about Roots of Empathy and Mary Gordon please rootsofempathy.org 

In this episode you will hear ASCY’s Nicole Colterman have a conversation with Shannon Elfner and Nicole Bloomkvist from Mary Poppins Co op Preschool in Caledonia.  Shannon and Nicole will ask us to think about the celebrations that we typically acknowledge and celebrate in child care programs, and how and why we may consider celebrating something else.

In this episode, “A Conversation About Exploring the Earth and Gardening Outdoors”, you will hear ASCY’s Nicole Colterman have a conversation with Lynn Sheridan and Susie Dyck from Calvary Daycare in Simcoe who discuss the outdoors, gardening and the transformation of their outdoor environments through their earth exploration project. The conversations in today’s podcast are a part of a series of conversations we're having with educators on the outdoors, so be sure to listen to Episode 25: "A Conversation About Being in Relationship with the Outdoors"  and upcoming episodes when we chat with other educators about their outdoor spaces. 

 In this episode,  “A Conversation About Being in Relationship with the Outdoors”, you will hear ASCY’s Kim Burns have a conversation with Kaylee Talbot and Amelia Pratt from Village Treehouse Childcare, who share their views on outdoor environments and how they work with children and families on creating a respect for the outdoors, through gardening, land based learning and appreciating long periods of time outdoors. To see photos of what Kaylee and Amelia have created and to learn more about their projects, you could check them out on Instagram @underthemapletree.The conversations in today’s podcast are a part of a series of conversations we're having with educators on the outdoors, so be sure to listen to Episode 26, when we chat with another educator about the evolution of her outdoor space. 

Dans l'épisode d'aujourd'hui; "Une conversation sur les cheminements de carrière et le mentorat", vous entendrez Nancy Baverstock, d’ASCY, en conversation avec Julie Oke, Directrice du programme Le Petit Navire, discuter le rôle important que les relations professionnelles et le mentorat ont joué dans sa carrière.Nous vous souhaitons une bonne écoute !

In this episode, "A Conversation About Exploring Inclusive Spaces", you'll hear Susan Lepore, Lynn Vanderbrug, Kayla Davies, and Christina Viola from the ASCY Lynwood School Age Partnership Program share information about a second resource kit that they've created to support educators and children in before and after school programs on creating and having inclusive spaces for everyone.    For more information about this kit and the ASCY Lynwood School Age Partnership Program, please visit www.ascy.ca or contact Christina Viola cviola@ascy.ca or Kayla Davies kdavies@lynwoodcharlton.ca . (NOTE: Episode 17 "A Conversation About Exploring Self-Identity and Self-Esteem" is about the first kit created by the ASCY Lynwood School Age Partnership Program)

In this episode, “A Conversation About Gender Diversity with Marc Battle, Alan Thomson and Jeff Bushell, you will hear ASCY’s Nicole Colterman facilitate a conversation with Marc, Alan and Jeff as they dig into many layers of being male early childhood educators.  Our three male guests will discuss the issues, challenges and perks of being male ECEs and they also ask us to think about who should be in the lives of children, no matter their gender.[The views, thoughts, and opinions expressed are the guest speaker’s own and do not necessarily represent the views, thoughts, and opinions of Affiliated Services for Children & Youth.]

Dans l'épisode d'aujourd'hui "Une conversation sur l'importance du jeu libre avec Pierre Harrison", vous entendrez Nancy Baverstock d’ASCY avoir une conversation avec Pierre, un ambassadeur du jeu libre qui travaille à promouvoir le jeu libre comme une nécessité fondamentale pour une vie saine, engageante et épanouissante. Pour plus d'informations sur Pierre Harrison, veuillez visiter www.playlearnthink.com.

In this episode “A Conversation About The Importance of Free Play with Pierre Harrison” you will hear ASCY’s Nancy Baverstock have a conversation with Pierre Harrison, who is a play ambassador that works to promote play as a fundamental necessity for a healthy, engaging and fulfilling life.  For more information about Pierre, please visit www.playlearnthink.com.  

In this episode “A Conversation With Heather Jackson About Being in Relationship with Materials”, you will hear ASCY’s Paola Hohenadel and Leslie Busija, have a conversation withThe Sunflower School’s executive director Heather Jackson about their materials research projects and their approaches to being in relationship with materials.The Sunflower School is located in Orangeville, Ontario. For more information about the school and Heather Jackson visit their website www.thesunflowerschool.ca  or find them on Instagram @thesunflower_studio.