Streamlining communication processes
The Learning Enrichment Foundation is a community-based non-profit in Toronto, Canada. It supports the local community in meeting various needs through employment training, immigrant settlement services, language training, and youth programs. It also has 24 early childhood education and care centres serving 1855 families. LEF is one of the largest childcare providers in the City of Toronto. A need for...
Standard Operating Procedures in ECE
When successfully managing multiple ECE learning services or programs, there are initiatives you can implement that will make the difference between success and chaos. Leading with purpose and building culture and systems are both areas that can have a positive impact on your organization. It is a vast topic! If you recently attended the webinar hosted by Melony Gibson and...
Documenting children’s learning – slow down!
Documenting children’s learning – are we rushing the process? When documenting children’s learning, it can sometimes feel like we are racing against the clock to gather information, turn it into a story, and hit publish. We rush to provide the evidence that we have noticed, recognized and responded to the learning. Early childhood educators have a lot of boxes to...
Teamwork in child care – building stronger teams
Fostering teamwork in child care has never been more important than it is now. Building strong early childhood teaching teams has far-reaching implications for educators, children, their families and your organization. However, there are record numbers of early childhood educators leaving the sector. With so many educators moving to other careers, it is increasingly difficult for organizations to foster a...
Powerful Updated Android App for Educators
Every day, educators and families use mobile devices as a fast and easy way to communicate and share. The Storypark for Educators Android app is having a revamp. We’re bringing that same powerful experience to your early childhood service so you will have the app’s key features at your fingertips. You can access routines from the app, save images to...
Community of Practice Guidelines
Community of Practice Guidelines Do you want to nurture the growth of your community, foster innovation, and support and share quality practice? A Community of Practice is a great way to network with like-minded professionals who share a concern or common passion. Communicating and collaborating within a Community of Practice supports everyone in the community to be the best version...
Less can be more when documenting children’s learning
There are two schools of thought around the aesthetics of documenting children’s learning. Some educators prefer to create colourful borders and backgrounds using various programmes and apps, which they then upload as an image to a child’s Storypark profile. Others believe the beautifying of stories in this way takes time and focus away from the photos and actual content of...
Stop the cobwebs and ghouls
Is it time to stop the cobwebs and ghouls? Tessa McStravick asks this question and offers some non-spooky alternatives for Halloween. One October, walking into a department store, my friend Ani came across a human skeleton seated on a bench at the entrance. She had her two small children with her and she wasn’t too pleased to find that the...
Planning and documentation in nature-based settings
Planning and documentation in nature-based settings Planning and documentation in nature-based settings are crucial if you want to embrace and support an emergent curriculum. But for many, the idea can bring up perceived barriers and challenges that can prevent you from moving forward with bringing nature and technology together. Dr. Claire Warden recently presented an online workshop that explored planning...
Reflective Practice in Early Childhood Education
Reflective practice in early childhood education – growing as educators and learners Reflective practice in early childhood education has been described as a process of turning experience into learning. That is, of exploring experience in order to learn new things from it. Reflection involves taking the unprocessed, raw material of experience and engaging with it to make sense of what...