This one-day conference is presented by the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care and the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario with the support of the Ontario Trillium Foundation.
Do you want to take action to inspire and engage your community and build local networks to advocate for licenced child care and the importance of early childhood educators? Would you like to build or enhance your leadership skills while participating in critical dialogue and action based workshops on creating change? The Child Care Matters to Everyone conference will do just that.
Child care really does matter to everyone and this one-day conference invites educators, service providers, parents, students, policy makers and concerned citizens to come together and discuss its importance from a variety of perspectives. The day will draw on the strengths of the community to build relationships and identify how we can work together to create the change we need for child care.
The morning will feature local leaders from different sectors to discuss why child care matters to everyone, followed by an opportunity to engage in dialogue around our individual experiences and concerns with child care. In the afternoon participants will choose from a selection of action-based workshops.
The following workshops are confirmed:
Answering Tough Questions about Child Care
“Why should I pay for other people’s children?” “Isn’t a national child care program too expensive?” This workshop focuses on answering questions and challenging the arguments against investment in child care. We will practice effectively crafting our messages to change the minds of our opponents and build broader support for the value of child care.
Making Change with Little to No Resources
This workshop centers on the difficulties many people face when wanting to create change with little time and fewer resources. What can we do when we work long hours, have obligations, families and careers? How can we make change when we are just a few voices, with little support, few resources and limited access? We will explore a variety of tools and tricks that will help build awareness, support and a following for your cause.
Finding your voice: Using Your Personal Story to Advocate for Change
Many people are hesitant to participate in advocacy because they feel that they do not have the knowledge or experience to be an effective advocate or talk about the ‘big’ issues. In this workshop we will discuss and practice advocacy strategies that use the strength of our personal stories to advocate for change in our communities and to decision makers.
Additional workshops may be available at the time of the event. Registration for afternoon workshops will be on a first come first served basis at the time of morning registration.
Your Registration fee covers the cost of lunch and materials.
Cost
AECEO/OCBCC Members $18 Non Members $20 Students/Unwaged $15
Locations and dates - Click on the location to register
Windsor - May 23, 2015
York Region - May 30, 2015
Thunder Bay - June 13, 2015
COMING FALL 2015
Ottawa, Hamilton, Sault Ste. Marie
