You asked and we answered!
AECENL is running four Communities of Practice (CoPs) this year; one for Centre-Based Administrators, one for Family Child Care Providers, one for AECENL members, and once for ECEs.
The Administrators CoP and Family Child Care COP will take place parallel with one another each month. The ECE CoP and the ECE Voices of NL Members Only CoP will run from January to June 2026. CoPs will feature a mix of workshops and group discussions to support professional learning and connection. AECENL will be inviting guest speakers, providing professional learning resources, using breakout rooms for reflection on topics in small groups, and giving participants time to share their perspectives and experience.
Who can join?
If you are an Administrator, Licensee, or Owner of a regulated child care setting in Newfoundland and Labrador, the Administrators CoP is for you. If you are a regulated Family Child Care Provider, the Family Child Care CoP is for you. If you hold active AECENL membership, the ECE Voices of NL Members Only CoP is for you. If you are a practicing Early Childhood Educator in Newfoundland and Labrador, the ECE CoP is for you. CoPs are a safe and confidential place to reflect critically on important topics with a group of peers that bring diverse and valuable worldviews and background knowledge.
What are the benefits of joining a CoP?
· Network and build relationships across the ELCC sector.
· Engage in reflective practice and critical inquiry.
· Share and gain knowledge from diverse perspectives.
· Work towards SMART goals (Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Realistic, and Timely), and focus on
improvements in daily practice.
· Engage in professional learning through workshops, articles, and other resources.
· Gain professional learning hours towards CCS Certification renewal.
When and where will we meet?
The Administrators CoP and Family Child Care COP will take place parallel with one another each month. The ECE CoP and the ECE Voices of NL Members Only CoP will run from January to June 2026. online via Zoom. Meetings will typically last one hour, unless a workshop is being offered, in which case they may run 1.5-2 hours long.
Who will moderate?
AECENL’s PL Coordinator, Navigator, or an AECENL Board member will moderate the meetings and provide resources and topics for discussion. The various facilitators participating in the CoP will serve as the experts in their field, while the moderators will be there to guide conversation and reflection.
Welcome to the Administrators' Community of Practice!
Past Sessions:
This session focuses on developmentally appropriate guidance practices, supporting children’s social-emotional development, and fostering a responsive, respectful environment. Educators will explore strategies to help children navigate peer relationships, express emotions constructively, and participate in meaningful problem-solving.
This workshop will be delivered through our Administrators' Community of Practice, but all NL Certified ECEs are welcome to register.
About the Facilitators:
Julie Hansen
I have been an Early Childhood Educator for 24 years, having received my Diploma in Early Childhood Education from Douglas College. Since then, I have gained experience in a variety of areas within the field of Early Childhood Education: Director of a preschool, supervisor of after-school care as well as 3-5 and Infant Toddler programs and centre management. My primary focus has evolved to encompass team leadership, management training and program development. I have had articles published in provincial and national ECE journals on the topic of emergent curriculum and leadership. My goal as an Early Childhood Educator and facilitator is to support fellow educators and early years professionals in providing high-quality early learning experiences for children and families.
Carla Ward
Carla Ward is an Early Childhood Educator and the founder of Early Learning Foundations, a business dedicated to education and enhancing the work of Early Childhood Educators. She has held various roles in education for over 19 years. Carla is a certified Wunder-Led educator who brings a sense of wonder and passion into every aspect of her business, from hosting The Everything ECE Podcast to workshop development to digital course creation. Carla loves to share actionable and inspiring ideas with fellow educators in and out of the classroom to help support professional practices in Early Childhood Education.
In this hands-on workshop, educators will explore how to support creativity through open-ended experiences with art, nature, drama, and culinary play. The focus will be on encouraging self-expression, collaboration, and exploration—key elements in school age programming.
This workshop will be delivered through our Administrators' Community of Practice, but all NL Certified ECEs are welcome to register.
About the Facilitator:
Julie Hansen
I have been an Early Childhood Educator for 24 years, having received my Diploma in Early Childhood Education from Douglas College. Since then, I have gained experience in a variety of areas within the field of Early Childhood Education: Director of a preschool, supervisor of after-school care as well as 3-5 and Infant Toddler programs and centre management. My primary focus has evolved to encompass team leadership, management training and program development. I have had articles published in provincial and national ECE journals on the topic of emergent curriculum and leadership. My goal as an Early Childhood Educator and facilitator is to support fellow educators and early years professionals in providing high-quality early learning experiences for children and families.
Upcoming Sessions:
Monday, February 16th, 2026, 7pm-8pm NT: Guidance, Creativity and Age-Responsive Practice
Join AECENL’s Professional Learning Coordinator, Sandy Gow, for a collaborative Community of Practice designed specifically for child care administrators across Newfoundland and Labrador. This 60-minute session creates space for leaders to reflect together on guidance strategies, process art, and the role of creativity in early learning environments.
Through guided discussion, participants will explore:
• Guidance strategies that work universally across age groups
• Approaches that shift based on developmental needs
• Process art activities that support creativity and engagement
• Ways to nurture our own creativity as educators and leaders
The session concludes with an open discussion period where administrators can bring forward current challenges, successes, or topics of interest. This CoP is a supportive, conversation‑driven space where administrators can learn from one another and strengthen their leadership practice.
As always, administrators do not have to attend all sessions to be a part of the Community of Practice. This session is not open to all ECEs in the province; it is indented specifically for administrators of centre-based programs.
How do we respond when tensions around tough topics arise? This workshop addresses why it’s important to critically engage with children, how to have conversations with families, and ways to engage with tough topics.
We will look at what it means to embrace the tensions in our educational settings and what can grow from engaging with said tensions.
This workshop will be delivered through our Administrators' Community of Practice, but all NL Certified ECEs are welcome to register.
About the Facilitator:
Ashleigh Davies is an early childhood educator with her bachelors in Early Childhood Education & Care and has worked with children in a variety of roles over the last decade.
Ashleigh is the current head coordinator of the ECE program with Burnaby Continuing Education.
She has worked as a post-secondary instructor, leading ECE post-basic courses and designing curriculum, and as the North Shore Community Resources CCRR Assistant Manager and Municipal Child Care Consultant.
Ashleigh presents her workshops throughout Canada, bringing her passion for ECE into every session.
Join fellow child care administrators from across Newfoundland and Labrador for the final CoP session of the spring. Based on participant feedback, this session will focus on strengthening educator well‑being and reducing burnout in early learning environments. This session creates space for leaders to share experiences, explore practical strategies, and reflect on the unique challenges and opportunities within our province’s Early Learning and Child Care (ELCC) landscape.
Through guided discussion and peer learning, participants will deepen their understanding of supportive leadership practices, exchange real‑world solutions, and continue to build a network of colleagues committed to fostering healthy, resilient teams. This Community of Practice is designed to be conversational, reflective, and grounded in the realities of running child care programs in Newfoundland and Labrador.
At the end of the session, we will discuss ideas for the 2026-2027 CoP, and say our goodbyes as we head into the summer months!
As always, administrators do not have to attend all sessions to be a part of the Community of Practice. This session is not open to all ECEs in the province; it is indented specifically for administrators of centre-based programs.
Welcome to the Family Child Care Providers’ Community of Practice!
This 5-part series will explore the use of social and emotional practices that are inclusive and trauma-informed. These practice aim to strengthen relationships between educators, children, and families, all while encouraging the well-being and belonging of all children. This Community of Practice is a partnership between AECENL and Family and Child Care Connections and will focus on practical tools and resources providers can implement in their daily practice, while making points of connections with Navigating the Early Years, an Early Childhood Learning Framework.
Meet Your Facilitators:
Michelle Ranger is an Agency Monitor with Family and Child Care Connections in the central region, located in Gander since October 2023. She has over 30 years of experience as an Early Childhood Educator, which encompasses a variety of roles. Starting off as a new Level 2 ECE navigating a home room of toddlers and preschoolers, to then taking on the role as a mother and as a provider in her own family home child care. She then moved on through the years as an ECE in center-based care working with age ranges from birth to school age, Program Director for children birth to six years of age at a Military Family Resource Centre, and as a Child Care Manager for over 12 locations throughout Newfoundland and Labrador. Michelle has dedicated herself to educating not only herself but others, as well as supporting, and advocating for an inclusive, and quality early learning environment for all children and ECEs. She has presented at a variety of conferences throughout her career and is excited for the opportunity to share her knowledge and experience with you.
Sandy Gow is the Professional Learning Coordinator for the Association of Early Childhood Educators of Newfoundland and Labrador (AECENL). Sandy is Level 4 ECE with a background in Theatre and holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Acting from Memorial University’s Grenfell Campus, in addition to her Early Childhood Education from the College of the North Atlantic. Sandy operated a regulated Family Child Care home in St. John’s for 10 years from 2013-2023, where she began as an infant program before moving to mixed age and afterschool care. Sandy’s years as a family child care provider were some of the most meaningful of her career in ECE, and she is honoured to work with Family and Child Care Connections to deliver this Community of Practice. If you ask Sandy’s six-year-old daughter, she will tell you that when Sandy isn’t working, she is either hiking, swimming, playing the fiddle, or thinking about buying a nice mug or houseplant.
Each session, Michelle and Sandy will be joined by other Agency Monitors from across the province who will be bringing useful resources and SMART Goals (Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, & Timely) to our conversations.
Past Sessions:
Monday, September 15th, 2025, 7pm-8pm NT
In this session we will explore program visual displays and why they are an essential part of inclusive programming. Participants will be given examples of visuals they can incorporate into their program settings, such as visual schedules, “first/then” charts, and wall displays with suggestions for positive feedback and encouragements, and helpful conversation starters.
Monday, November 17th, 2025, 7pm-8pm NT
In this session we will explore emotional literacy and the many ways we can validate all feelings and work with children to identify their range of emotions. We will include examples of feeling cards, feeling wheels, and ways to incorporate emotional literacy into small and large group time.
Monday, January 19th, 2026, 7pm-8pm NT
In this session we will meet Tucker the Turtle and find out how he helps children move through four simple steps to bring themselves back to calm during times of emotional dysregulation.
Upcoming Sessions:
Monday, March 23rd, 2026, 7pm-8pm NT
In this session we will explore problem solving steps, and how providers can empower children with visuals and scripted stories to brainstorm and test solutions together.
Monday, May 11th, 2026, 7pm-8pm NT
In this final session, we will learn about fostering friendship skills among children and reflect on what we learned as a Community of Practice.
Please register for each individual CoP through Eventbrite.
As always, Family Child Care Providers are not required to attend all sessions to be a part of the CoP.
AECENL Presents: The Early Childhood Educators’ Community of Practice!
Join Lori Dalton for reflective practice, open conversation, and new, relevant resources. Each session will highlight a specific topic from the field and include time for moderated dialogue on themes chosen by participants.
The Early Childhood Educators’ Community of Practice will meet monthly from January to May 2026. Sessions will be held online via Zoom and will last approximately one hour:
Past Sessions:
Wednesday, January 7 | 7:00–8:00 pm NT
Upcoming Sessions:
Creating Natural Play Spaces: Wednesday, February 4 | 7:00–8:00 pm NT
This session explores how thoughtfully designed natural environments can support children’s sensory processing, reduce sensory overload, and nurture self‑regulation. Together, the group will focus on understanding how environment, materials, and intentional design can support children’s emotional regulation and overall well-being.
Daily Schedules & Responsive Programming: Wednesday, March 4 | 7:00–8:00 pm NT
A deep dive into daily rhythms and routines that honour the diverse needs of children. The session highlights flexible scheduling, child‑led experiences, and the balance between structure and responsiveness across indoor and outdoor learning environments. This is a great opportunity for educators to discuss creating days that flow with—not against—children’s natural patterns.
Teamwork, Mentorship & Reflective Practice: Wednesday, April 1 | 7:00–8:00 pm NT
This session focuses on strengthening collaborative practice through mentorship, team reflection, and shared learning. Educators will have the opportunity to explore their professional journeys, identifying strengths, and setting goals for individual and collective growth.
Taking the Inside Outside: Wednesday, May 6 | 7:00–8:00 pm NT
An exploration of how indoor learning concepts can be thoughtfully extended into outdoor environments. Participants will have a chance to consider intentional planning, connection to nature, and deepening engagement through purposeful outdoor experiences.
Meet your Facilitator:
Lori Dalton brings nearly 30 years of experience as an Early Childhood Educator. She is committed to ongoing professional learning and ensuring her practice reflects current research and best approaches to quality early learning.
Lori embraces a holistic, strengths-based philosophy—meeting individuals where they are and fostering meaningful, positive learning experiences. She is also a passionate advocate for outdoor play and nature-based learning, recognizing its benefits for both children and educators.
AECENL Presents: ECE Voices of NL Podcast members only CoP
Co-hosts Sonia and Taylor along with each month's guest will lead a conversation about the month's podcast topic exclusively for AECENL members.
Find this month's podcast episode at the following link:
Play, Learn, Lead: ECE Voices of NL - YouTube
Each month’s podcast episode, released on the first of the month, opens the door to something special exclusively for AECENL members! After tuning in, you’re invited to join our Community of Practice session on the last Thursday of each month at 7:00pm (via Zoom).
Expect fresh insights, practical strategies, and a chance to connect with fellow educators who share your passion.
How many Professional Learning hours will I gain?
PL Certificates will reflect the PL attended by each member of the CoP and any additional professional learning material shared in the group. For example, if a meeting is an hour long and an article worth 30 minutes of PL is sent in advance and discussed during the meeting, the PL certificate will reflect 1hr and 30minutes of PL.
Is attendance mandatory for each session?
No. We respect the busy schedules of practitioners and want this to be a helpful networking community to learn and grow from. We understand that not all participants will be available for all sessions; we hope to build a learning community that promotes a growth mindset and has value for participants in whatever capacity they are able to attend.
How do I sign up?
Register through Eventbrite using the following link:
https://www.eventbrite.com/cc/aecenls-live-workshop-series-3525889?utm-campaign=social&utm-content=creatorshare&utm-medium=discovery&utm-term=odclsxcollection&utm-source=cp&aff=escb
