Registration Now Open!

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 and Confederation College.

Do you want to take action to inspire and engage your community and build local networks to advocate for licensed 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.

Panelists include:

Anita Broere RECE, ECE.C - Program Coordinator - Confederation College
Gwen O'Reilly - Northwestern Ontario Women's Centre
Marnie Tarzia, MA, RECE, RT - Program Lead, Child Care Services, Client Services Division - The District of Thunder Bay Social Services

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.

AECEO/OCBCC Members $18  Non Members $20  Students/Unwaged $15

Your registration fee covers the cost of lunch and materials.

If finances are a barrier to your participation please contact [email protected]

You can also register using this Registration Form and sending it in the AECEO by email, fax or mail

If you have any dietary restrictions please contact Lena DaCosta at [email protected]