2023 AECEO Conference

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Conference Program

Access a copy of the 2023 AECEO Provincial Conference Guidebook here.

Learn more about what happened to make the conference take place. Read Building a Transformative Conference.

Thank you to everyone who completed our survey sharing your experiences. Hear what others had to say in The Impact of a Transformative Conference.

The 2023 AECEO Provincial Conference was an amazing event! For three days, educators all over Ontario came together virtually to learn from and with each other, sharing ideas, stories and experiences.

While the live programming might be over, conference registrants can still access the virtual conference platform and check out the gallery presentations. There are posters, videos, multimedia pieces and visual art exploring the conference theme. We encourage you to visit the gallery and engage with gallery submissions virtually, offering comments, questions, and feedback.

Learn more about each gallery presentation

We want to thank everyone for spending their time with us on April 27, 28 and 29. A lot of very intentional thought and care went into creating a conference that was by ECEs for ECEs. Stay connected to the people you met at the conference: join a community of practice today.

Learn more about AECEO Communities of Practice

We hope you will share the experiences of JOY, CURIOSITY, and HOPE you had at the conference with your community and encourage others to join us at the next AECEO event and connect with us on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!

*Please note: Conference tote bags are on the way! If you registered early and signed up for a tote bag, you should receive it by the end of this month. We apologize for the delay and appreciate your understanding*

Congratulations to Jessica J., winner of the Ipad Mini lucky draw! Thank you to our membership partner Johnson Insurance for providing the prize!

Become a member to support free, ECE-led Professional Learning like the 2023 AECEO Conference. Members will get exclusive access to conference recordings and more!

Join or renew your AECEO membership TODAY!

Thursday, April 27th to Saturday, April 29th, 2023

CONFERENCE RESOURCES

2023 AECEO Provincial Conference Guidebook - find out more the presentations, gallery exhibitors, networking events and all aspects of the 2023 AECEO Provincial Conference!
Help spread the word about the AECEO conference! Download the official conference profile pic (Option 1 and Option 2) and use the hashtags #2023AECEOConference and #ByECEsForECEs when posting on social media. Don't forget to tag the AECEO on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter!
Virtual conference backdrops - our team prepared official conference backdrop images for participants and presenters to use when cameras are on! Check out Option 1, Option 2 and Option 3.
Bookmark your sessions information - step-by-step instructions for bookmarking the presentations, workshops and salons they would like to attend

Thursday, April 27th to Saturday, April 29th, 2023

Registration is now open!

We’re very excited to announce that registration for our 2023 Virtual Provincial Conference is officially open! Below you will find detailed instructions for registering to the conference.

How to register for the 2023 AECEO Virtual Provincial Conference:

Visit the conference platform
Click “Register Here”
Select your ticket
Create an Accel Events account
Fill out your information
Select who the ticket is for
Check your inbox for the confirmation email with your ticket and information on how to bookmark the sessions you’d like to attend for each time block on Saturday, April 29th. Click here for more information on bookmarking your sessions.

AECEO members will have exclusive access to recordings of the sessions. A few select sessions will not be recorded for privacy and confidentiality. Become a member today!

Access Information: The AECEO is committed to ensuring that our learning experiences are accessible to all educators; including educators with disabilities, whether visible or invisible. We believe that taking care to create a learning experience where no person's voice, spirit, or knowledges are lost because they are unable to attend, benefits everyone. ASL-English interpretation and live closed captioning will be available for Main Stage sessions. Please contact [email protected] by April 17th for access requests.

Conference Program

All the programming will take place online, the AECEO conference is 100% virtual.
Thursday, April 27th from 7PM-9PM will be the conference opening ceremony and keynote panel.
Networking and community building events will take place in the evening on Friday, April 28th from 7PM-9PM.
All presentations, workshops and salons are on Saturday (April 29). Saturday is the only full day at the virtual conference, 9AM-5PM. See below for Saturday's presentation schedule.
More information about the conference program will be available in the coming weeks. We can't wait to share all of it with you, stay tuned!

LEARN MORE ABOUT EACH PRESENTATION

Conference Theme

2023 AECEO Provincial Conference theme video HERE!

Conference program will be posted in early March

The theme of our 2023 virtual provincial conference is We Raise Each Other Up: ECEs building leadership and learning communities of joy, curiosity and hope. In this conference, we strive to reaffirm and reclaim our roles as educators, learn from each other, and center the voices of educators through knowledge sharing and learning. ECEs will build leadership and learning communities to create spaces that celebrate educator joy, curiosity, and focus on finding hope in the strength of each other and our work. It will be an opportunity to share and learn from each other’s stories, learn through connection and collaboration, raise each other up, and support each other in exploring ways to re-think, unlearn, and disrupt the status-quo.

The conference aims to enable early years professionals to:

explore, present and exchange their knowledges, experiences, ideas and aspirations;
foster an emerging community with other early years professionals concerned with social justice issues;
take the impassioned early years community and provide the tools to imagine and transform the sector into an active space of resistance to structures of oppression; and
to create a space where “We Raise Each Other Up” through centering the voices and stories of early years professionals.

We know we need our community partners to help create a sector that everyone can thrive in - all are welcome to attend the conference.

We are truly excited to welcome you at the conference!

Conference Call for Proposals

We are very excited to invite all members of the early years community to submit proposals to present at our 2023 virtual provincial conference. In an attempt to step away from a traditional academic gathering, we especially welcome and encourage submissions from early years professionals who haven’t traditionally seen themselves as conference presenters. The conference will be held online, and all presentations will be on April 29, 2023. Proposal submissions due: Monday, January 9, 2023

The conference will provide a space for presentations, workshops, panel discussions, artistic performances, and/or creative projects. Holistic presentations are also welcome, because ECEs sometimes know a little bit of everything. You may submit a proposal for any of the following formats: presentation, workshop, panel, salon, and gallery. Please see format descriptions below for more information.

It is our goal to keep our professional learning accessible for both attendees and presenters. Honorariums are available to support presenters who may benefit from financial aid to be able to present at the conference. More information on honorariums will be communicated after acceptance.

We encourage submissions from all early years professionals. Remember the conference will strive to be a safe space for sharing, so please consider being a presenter.

The deadline for all submissions is January 9, 2023. Proposals can only be submitted through the online proposal submission form. Submissions will be anonymized and provided to the Conference Committee for blind review. Proposals will be reviewed and selected based on creativity of approach and responsivity to the conference theme. You will be notified of the outcome of your proposal for presentations no later than March 1, 2023.

If you have any questions/concerns or require further information, please contact AECEO Professional Learning Coordinator, Safra Najeemudeen: [email protected]

For more information and instructions about presenting at the conference, check out the resources below:

Conference Committee

We are extremely grateful to our incredible conference committee for working with us to plan a conference for Early Childhood Educators by Early Childhood Educators. Please take a moment to read the short biographies below to learn more about each of the members of the conference committee who will be working together behind the scenes to make this conference happen.

Adenike O.

Adenike is an RECE with a year of work experience at Park Lawn Preschool (Inc.) where she currently works with junior school-age children. Her professional values align with those of the AECEO which undergirds her decision not only to be a member of the association but also to become an active supporter of its advocacy initiatives. She enlisted to be a member of the planning committee in order to network with colleagues in the field and put her skills to work.

Anisah R.

Anisah is an RECE and trained Instructor Therapist. She is a recent ECL degree graduate from GBC and is also a MA in Early Childhood Studies Candidate at Toronto Metropolitan University. Anisah is interested in contributing to the committee to expand her network and contribute to the sector in diverse ways. She is also interested in learning new strengths and is eager to learn more about advocacy in the field Early Childhood Education.

Ashley G.

Ashley is an RECE working in the kindergarten program for Hastings and Prince Edward District School Board. Outside of her role with the school board she has been participating in the Toronto community of practice as an AECEO member. She was excited to join the conference committee to gain more experience working alongside other RECEs in the province while continuing to advocate for our role.

Carolyn F.

Carolyn is Public Policy and Government Relations Coordinator at the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care. Carolyn has a Bachelor's degree in Early Childhood Education and a Master's degree in Early Childhood Studies from Toronto Metropolitan University. She is a member of the Board of Directors of both Child Care Now and the Childcare Resource and Research Unit.

Charlotte P.

Charlotte is a Registered Early Childhood Educator working in London Ontario in a preschool classroom. As a pedagogical leader Charlotte spends her days studying and rethinking our traditional practices alongside young children. She also enjoys mentoring new educators, facilitating professional learning experiences, and supporting others in their growth. Charlotte is so excited to be part of this amazing conference planning team, and is looking forward to bringing exciting and important learning opportunities to our community!

Claudia G.

Claudia is a DECE and BASc student living and working on the traditional land of the Anishinabewaki, Haudenosaunee, Mississauga, Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation, and Neutral peoples, also known as Kitchener-Waterloo. With a background in human rights and women's and gender studies, Claudia brings a healing-centered, antiracist, and culturally sustaining perspective into her work with children and families. She is passionate about advocating for ECEs and is pleased to extend this work as a member of the AECEO's Conference Planning Committee. She is excited about collaborating with her fellow ECEs to create a conference experience that continues to support, inspire, and empower our transformative work with children and families.

Emma K.

Emma has been working with children and families for about 20 years. She started working with at-risk youth painting murals over graffiti in downtown Toronto in her early 20s, then spent 6 years living and working in Asia. Emma grew passionate about working with children as she discovered gifts within herself that had never been nurtured in traditional education, and found a safe place where she could sing, dance, and be wonderfully weird without constantly defending herself. Children understand the importance of a safe space. Since coming back to Canada 10 years ago, Emma has become an ECE and done a Masters in Early Childhood Studies at Toronto Metropolitan University. She has worked in traditional care with all ages, ran a part-time community based parent cooperative preschool for five years, worked as a nanny, and has finally landed her dream job working as an ECE at College Montrose Children’s Place, an EarlyOn centre in Toronto. She is part of this committee because she wants to learn alongside other ECE’s about how to move our profession from this idea of “women’s work” to the idea that we are helping scaffold our futures.

Jeannette H.

Jeannette is an Early Childhood Educator working in London Ontario. She has worked for London Bridge Childcare Services for over 15 years now and has the pleasure of working both with the pedagogical leadership team, as well as in the classroom. Her work with children has been such a journey of discovery for her, which she has loved tremendously. What drew Jeannette to the idea of the Conference committee was her love of inviting people into deep conversations about our field and hearing others perspectives. This committee will allow her to expand her network of colleagues so she can gain a better understanding of what is impacting our field and how to grow it alongside a group of wonderful dedicated educators. Jeannette is looking forward to all of the work that we will do together.

Jenn W.

Jenn has been an Early Childhood Educator for over 20 years. She went to Toronto Metropolitan University, graduating with her Bachelor of Applied Arts in Early Childhood Education. While there, she earned her designation in Special Needs, as well as a minor in Public Administration. Throughout the various roles in the early childhood sector that Jenn has held, she has been a strong advocate for the profession of Early Childhood Education. She has worked in various capacities, including classroom educator, Ontario Early Years programs, Resource Consultant and is currently employed with a school board as a Designated Early Childhood Educator. Although, Jenn is currently holding a position outside of the Kindergarten classroom – as a Union Local President representing over 800 DECEs. Jenn is very involved at the Local and Provincial levels with her Union. This involvement is what has led Jenn Wallage to become involved with the AECEO, collaborating and advocating for the profession of Early Childhood Education. Jenn unconditionally feels that we, as RECEs, are all part of the same entity, regardless of what setting our career places us in. She would love to see the work of the AECEO continue to advocate for the profession, recognizing the unique concerns and issues in the various settings RECEs work. Jenn wholeheartedly believes that growing support from all areas would benefit the Early Childhood Education profession as we are all on the same side, no matter the setting our career as an RECE places us in.

Meike V.

As an ECE, Meike has been doing the hokey pokey (among other things) in the early learning sector for over 12 years. She joined the conference committee eager to collaborate with fellow educators to create a conference celebrating the strength of our community and share knowledge that will directly impact the work we do with tiny humans.

Niluka PJ.

Niluka, also known as Nilu, has been a registered Early Childhood Educator for over 20 years. She currently works for Seneca ECE Lab School as a RECE. However, her role as an educator changed when the doors were closed to the Lab during the pandemic. Currently, Niluka works as a field mentor and a Liaison for the School of ECE at Seneca College both at the Newnham and King Campus. Each day she is blessed with new learning and new opportunities in this field. This journey has challenged her beliefs and values and supported her growth professionally and personally. Niluka is currently completing her Bachelors of child Development degree at Seneca, where she continues to learn and grow. She has had many opportunities to work with many influential educators and leaders in the field throughout her years, which has shaped her to be the educator she is today. In this field, we are continuously growing each day and Niluka is honored to be able to share and inspire others as a mentor and an educator.

Simone H.

Simone is an RECE who graduated from Conestoga College and has been in the field for eight years. At this time she is working with preschoolers for a non-for profit organization. Simone chose to participate on this committee to lend her voice and hand to do something that honors and recognizes the great work that we in this profession do every day.

Sue T.

Sue is an RECE, AECEO.C, who has been in the Early Learning Sector for 30 years. She is currently a Designated Early Childhood Educator with the York Region District School Board, a Part-time Faculty with Centennial College, and a student in the Bachelor of Child Development Program at Seneca College. Sue joined the committee because she is passionate about advocacy, has lots to learn and lots to offer, and wants to think about mentoring other colleagues and pushing the profession forward.

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