Raising the bar is presented by the City of Toronto, Community and Neighbourhood
Services, Children's Services Division. This conference will feature insightful speakers, thought provoking
learning experiences, opportunities to dialogue with colleagues and practical hands-on workshops.
WEDNESDAY, NOVEMBER 19, 2003
* KEYNOTE ADDRESS – "A brighter future for children"
Stephen Lewis Special Envoy, The United Nations
Children's Services is pleased to announce that former Deputy Executive Director of UNICEF, Stephen Lewis, will deliver the keynote address on November 19th. Mr. Lewis will bring his global perspective on the rights and needs of children to the conference. Mr. Lewis is a passionate advocate for human rights and will share his insights and experiences for building a brighter future for children.
Selected workshops include:
* Responding to racial incidents in child care settings
Tina Lopes
This session was jointly developed by the City of Toronto's Children's Services Division and the
Access and Equity Unit. The session will focus on responding to racial incidents as they arise in
childcare settings. Corresponding resource information will be provided to participants.
* Working with families
Terri Carr
This interactive workshop will explore strategies to help centres develop collaborative relationships,
and improve communication with their families. Topics to be covered include: how to communicate
so that parents will listen; development of a comprehensive approach to dealing with challenging
situations; and how to assist families in identifying and accepting special needs in their children.
* Is your supervisory style working?
Sue Wells
For many childcare centre supervisors the challenge of the position is not the administration of the
centre itself, but the intricacies of managing the staff effectively. This session is designed for
childcare centre supervisors. You will recognize your supervisory style, how it is influencing the
behaviour of those you supervise, and determine if it is working. You will set goals for change
and receive practical management strategies you can use to increase the effectiveness of the
people you supervise.
* Building better boards
Joy Lerman
The successful orientation of your Board of Directors is critical to the success of the centre. This
interactive workshop will support Supervisors/Directors in getting the most out of their Board of
Directors and sharing best practices: understanding the difference in the roles between governance
(the legal responsibilities of the Board) and management (the role of the professional staff); how to
assess your current Board's strengths and pinpoint where support is needed, from job descriptions
and bylaws, to confidentiality, motivating, recruitment, and conflict; and providing tools to develop
and strengthen the Board's leadership and getting it right from the start.
THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 20, 2003
* KEYNOTE ADDRESS – "Where do they find the words?"
David Booth, Professor Emeritus, University of Toronto
How do we support young children in their development as language users
who are learning to represent themselves to others through the very words
they choose, and how can we strengthen their identity building and selfworth
through our communications with them?
* KEYNOTE ADDRESS – "Race, culture and identity: Constructs in a pluralistic society"
Charles Smith, President, Charles Smith Consulting
The factors that influence identity have been studied in a variety of disciplines. Whether
through philosophy, psychology, literature and the arts or through the more recent
discipline of cultural studies, there have been various ways to examine the construction of
identity and to assess the influence of political, cultural, social and economic structures on
personal growth and development as well as that of social groups. Charles' presentation
will explore these factors from a critical perspective, exploring issues of cultural and racial
formation in particular, and how these factors are important to professional practice in
terms of early childhood education and family resource programs.
Selected workshops include:
* Emergent curriculum
Jane Bertrand
Emergent curriculum shifts the focus to the children's interests and passions. Their staff become
facilitators who choreograph the environment and document children's daily experiences. The
workshop will explore the juxtaposition of the emergent curriculum approach with kindergarten,
childcare and family resource program approaches in Toronto First Duty during its startup year in
five sites.
* Raising the bar: Behaviour management strategies that work
Sue Hunter
Do you wonder why the children keep saying "No" to you? Do you work with children who attend
special classes because of identified behaviour challenges? Do you find it harder than it used to
to keep your cool in the playroom? Do you feel that your behaviour management skills might be
slipping? Using a hands-on, practical approach, we will discuss specific reality-based behaviour
management strategies that support the well-being of both children and the early childhood
educators who work with them.
See link to conference brochure below for full programme.
