Let’s Connect
Find your ECE people!
Connect with like-minded people, grow your network, and build meaningful relationships with the AECEO.
CARE Collectives
Community
Advocacy
Recognition
Empowerment
At the AECEO, we advocate in the best interests of ECEs and early years staff across Ontario, no matter where you work. An important part of this advocacy begins with building relationships and forming trusting, safe, communities. One of the ways we approach community building is through CARE Collectives.
These CARE Collectives are local and identity-based community groups that are supported and nurtured through the AECEO. Our advocacy starts with relationships, trust, and conversation. Together, we create places where we hold close the values and principles that guide our work as early years professionals, build trust and reciprocity in order to provide care, support one another, and build a community to advocate with.
In CARE Collective meetings, members of the ECE community share experiences, discuss current developments and issues impacting the early childhood sector, plan actions, engage in professional learning and other activities. While there is always opportunity to share, participants are not expected or required to turn on their camera or microphone during CARE Collective meetings. We encourage you to show up in whatever capacity makes sense to you, including just listening. AECEO CARE Collectives aim to be spaces where members of the ECE community can connect with their peers and care out loud together.
If you are interested in getting more involved in advocacy, the work of the AECEO, or finding your ECE people, the CARE Collectives are for you. To learn more about CARE Collectives, check out this resource.
If you are interested in joining a CARE Collective please fill out the AECEO Community of Practice Interest Form.
You build worlds for children, together we build worlds for us!
Find your community!
Ruth-Ann Syrette & Sherry Lickers
All Nations Circle of Practice
Tammy Primeau McNabb & Camila Cases
Student Early Childhood Educators of Ontario
Tonja Armstrong-Macinnis & Nicole Cummings-Morgan
Community of Black ECEs
Lisa Johnston
Early Years Professionals Rise-up Toronto
Ashley Clarke, Jamie Harland, & Simone Haughton
Early Years Coalition Waterloo Region
Tracy Saarikoski
Sudbury Community of Practice
Nidhi Menon
Newcomer Services
Please email
jtomas@aeceo.ca
for info.
Brynne Sinclair-Waters
Parents for Child Care
Shelley Metha & Rachel Brophy
ECE Faculty Connect
Please email
jtomas@aeceo.ca
for info.
Want to join a CARE Collective?
Please fill out the interest form.
Events
At the AECEO, we host events related to community building, ECE policy and advocacy, information sharing, and more! Our events are excellent opportunities to connect with like-minded people, build your resume and CPL portfolio, and learn more about how policy impacts your work. To explore past events, click here.
Check out our upcoming events below. Register now to secure your spot!
Connect Online
As a provincial organization, it is our goal to connect with as many early years staff as possible across Ontario. Connecting online is one way we are able to do this. Whether we connect during virtual meetings and events, with CARE Collectives,or Membership Community Check-Ins, we are so excited to meet you. We know that early years staff have very busy schedules, and connecting in real-time can sometimes be a challenge. Here are some other ways that we can connect online!
ECE Stories
The AECEO is an organization by ECEs, for ECEs. Policy, advocacy, and community building is central to our work, and this all begins with stories.
Stories have the power to move hearts, change minds, and impact policy. Together, we can uplift the personal stories of ECEs on social media, on our website, through our podcast, and more. Your voice matters, and decision makers need to hear from you about your lived experiences. Our goal is to give a platform to these important stories, and uplift your voices so that they can affect positive change in the early years.
Explore these stories to see what our fight for fair pay and decent working conditions for Ontario ECEs really looks like, and why it matters for real people. If you have a story you would like to share with our audience, send us a note!
Podcast
Do you need information on-the-go, by people who just get it?
Do you need a space to think about the complicated parts of your work?
Do you need a resource for your professional learning?
The AECEO has got you covered…
Join us every month for Circle Time with the AECEO.
A space for all things related to ECE culture: the good, the bad, and the sticky.
2024-2025 Episodes
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Episode 1 – WelcomeThe Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario (AECEO) is thrilled to welcome you to our podcast. On this episode, Rachel, Jess, and Patrícia share what to expect from the podcast and welcome you to join us for future discussions!
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Episode 2 – Alana leads the AECEO with Care, Part IOn this episode, Rachel welcomes AECEO Executive Director Alana Powell to talk about the history of the AECEO, her own story as an advocate, her insights about non-profit organizing and policy work, how the AECEO is striving to make transformative change for Ontario’s ECEs and child care workers, and much more!
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Episode 3 – Alana leads the AECEO with Care, Part IILearn about YOUR professional association! In this episode, Rachel welcomes back Alana Powell, Executive Director at the AECEO, to answer questions from the ECE community. Listen to learn about how the organization functions, what it means to represent ECEs, the ways the AECEO serves the community, what we do to advocate for positive change for ECEs and more!
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Valentine’s Day Special: A Love Letter to ECEs (episode 4)Tune in to our Valentine’s Day Special: A love letter to ECEs and child care workers. In this mini episode, the AECEO team shares stories of joy & love from their experiences with educators, families, and children in the ECE sector. Happy Valentine’s Day to all the people who make this important work possible.
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Episode 5 – AECEO CARE CollectivesOn this episode, our Community Organizer Jess Tomas is joined by special guests Lyndsay MacKay, Tonja Armstrong-McInnis, Tracy Saarikoski & Shelly Mehta to discuss their experiences working with and in AECEO CARE Collectives. This recording led to rich discussion with important insight into relationships and community building in the ECE community. Listening to Circle Time with the AECEO episodes can help towards your Continuous Professional Learning program goals. The AECEO team created reflection questions to support our listeners document their learning for their CPL portfolio. Download the reflection questions here!
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Episode 6 – The AECEO staff is unionizing!On this episode of Circle Time with the AECEO, Rachel is joined by fellow AECEO team members Jess and Amber to discuss their experience unionizing the AECEO! Listen to this episode to learn about why unionizing was important to the AECEO team and how our organization navigated this process. We also prepared an accompanying Unions 101 document to share helpful information with members of the ECE community who are interested in learning more about unionization.
Curious about the bread and roses in this episode’s graphics? Learn more about the history behind Bread and Roses here! |
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Episode 7 – Unionization: Supervisor PerspectiveIn this episode, we continue to discuss the topic of unionization. Rachel is joined by Alana Powell to discuss her experience with the unionization process as the Executive Director of the AECEO.
The AECEO has created a number of resources to support our members and the ECE community learn about unionization, which include a three-part podcast series on the topic and a PDF document containing essential information about labour unions, workers’ rights to unionize and why unions matter to the early learning and child care sector. Click here to learn more! |
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Episode 8 – Unionization: Talking to the ExpertsWhat are unions? Why are they relevant to ECEs and child care workers? On this episode of Circle Time with the AECEO, we wrap up our mini-series on Unionization by talking to the experts! Rachel is joined by special guest Christina Gilligan, Coordinator for Child Care at CUPE, to explore these questions and more!
This episode is part of a number of resources created by the AECEO to bring information about unionization to the ECE community. In addition to the three-part podcast series on the topic, our team also created Unions 101, a document containing important information and links to resources. Click here to learn more! |
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Episode 9 – The AECEO Summer Challenge: Care Counts, Wages MatterSummer is here and the AECEO is launching a new campaign! On this episode Community Organizer Erin Filby talks about the AECEO Summer Challenge: Care Counts, Wages Matter. Join us this summer for fun activities, easy advocacy actions and tons of giveaways!
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Episode 10 – Tackling Issues with the Ontario Coalition for Better Child CareOn this episode we hear from Carolyn Ferns, the Public Policy & Government relations Coordinator at the OCBCC. Carolyn shares her insights into the Ontario early learning & child care sector, and discusses how the AECEO and the OCBCC work together towards systemic change that will increase access to high quality ELCC services for Ontario families, and support ELCC workers with better working conditions and professional pay.
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Episode 11 – Meet the AECEO Guiding Committee on Truth & ReconciliationIn this episode, we invite you to get to know the AECEO Guiding Committee on Truth and Reconciliation. Rachel chats with special guests (and committee founding members) Sherry Lickers, Lyndsay MacKay and Lori Huston about the work they do with the committee, why it matters to them and what is coming up next.
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Episode 12 – Fall 2025 UpdatesOn this episode we catch you up with fall updates, including the second edition of the Roadmap, the report from the Auditor General, and introducing our new Executive Director Amber Straker! Join us to hear more about our plans for the next few months and stay up to date on all things ECE.
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Episode 13 – The AECEO’s 75th AnniversaryIt’s OUR BIRTHDAY! On this episode we celebrate the 75th anniversary of the AECEO! Dive into our history, milestones, and impact, as we cover 75 years of community and advocacy. Stay tuned as we release never before seen photos from the AECEO archives on our website. We are stronger together… Here’s to the next 75 years!
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Episode 14 – Looking Back at 2025In this episode Rachel welcomes AECEO Communications Coordinator Patrícia Borges Nogueira for a stroll down memory lane to reflect on the past year of advocacy and community. There will be laughs (and maybe tears) as we recall all the incredible work that has been done by the ELCC community in 2025.
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2026-2027 Episodes
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Episode 15 – $10aDay UpdatesOn the latest episode of our podcast, Rachel goes over the pre-budget submission and reads our letter to Minister Calandra. You can read the 2026 Ontario Pre-budget submission from the Ontario Coalition for Better Child Care and the Association of Early Childhood Educators Ontario here. Our letter to Min. Calandra, along with the joint letter led by Child Care Now, can be found here. Episode 15 of Circle Time is available now on YouTube and Spotify.
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Episode 16 – ECE Practice and CraftingIn this episode we will be diving into how crafting and art are an integral part of ECE practice. Not a crafty person by nature? Not to worry, this episode is also for you. Join host Rachel Neville and guest Patrícia Borges Nogueira as they uncover what crafting can mean for ECEs. We want to hear from YOU! Please take a few minutes to fill out this form and share your thoughts about our podcast. Your feedback is very important and will help us plan future episodes and cover topics you want to learn more about. Click here to fill out the form!
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Episode 17 – Is it REALLY important to talk to my MPP?On episode 17 of Circle Time, Rachel welcomes Amanda Quance to chat about why it is important for educators to speak directly with their elected representatives. Amanda is a registered early childhood educator who has worked with almost all age groups, even up to college students. She believes that working with children means carrying hopes and dreams for a better world in our hearts, while making messes and building community every day. Amanda is a longtime child care advocate, and hopes more ECEs will feel empowered to speak up and join the movement for better wages, better access and better quality. Huge thanks to Amanda for joining us and sharing about her experience with political involvement!
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Episode 18 – Highlighting Parents 4 Child CareIn this episode we chat with Dave Bush and Janet Amito, two members of Parents For Child Care. Learn about their organizing journey, the importance of parent and ECE solidarity, and how you can get involved! Click here to learn more about Parents for Child Care. Click here to follow them on Instagram!
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Episode 19 – Our Radical PastHappy May Day! Commemorate International Workers’ Day with the AECEO: On episode 19 of Circle Time, we chat with David Kidd, who participated in the occupation of Campus Community Co-Operative Day Care Centre in the 1970s. Join us to learn about David’s experience, and about his radical mother, Margaret Kidd, who was one of Canada’s first early childhood educators and helped establish the first ever federally-funded child care, a wartime day nursery in Montreal in 1942. ECE has always been political, and David’s stories show us how and why. Learn more:
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Episode 20 – Meeting the Ontario Mentorship CollaborativeIn this episode of Circle Time with the AECEO, Rachel welcomes Pam Rennie and Barb Brown from the Ontario Mentorship Collaborative (OMC). Join us to learn more about the work of the OMC and how to get involved. If you have questions about the Collaborative, or would like to join their mailing list, please email Pam at Pam.Rennie@muskoka.on.ca.
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Episode 21 – Retreat RecapIn this episode, we bid farewell (for now) to Rachel, and introduce the newest member of the AECEO team, Bre Piccolotto. Together, Bre and Rachel discuss our wonderful AECEO Retreat & Advocacy Summit! Come along as we reminisce about our adventure at Bayview Wildwood Resort, and all the wonderful ECEs we met and learned from. The AECEO Retreat was made possible by the support of our membership partners at belairdirect. AECEO members get exclusive discounts on car and home insurance. Members can find more information on how to get access to the discounts on the AECEO Members’ Portal.
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Episode 22 – Immigration in ECEIn this episode of Circle Time with the AECEO, Bre welcomes Sarom Rho from the Migrant Workers Alliance for Change (MWAC). Join us to learn more about the impact of immigration policy on the ECE workforce and what we can do to support migrant ECEs. Learn more:
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Support the podcast by becoming a member!
Member Perks & Benefits
You build worlds for children. Together, we build worlds for us!
Want to build a better future for ECEs and families in Ontario? Becoming an AECEO member is the BEST way to build community, fuel advocacy, and make sure ECEs lead the way in our profession. When you become a member, you will…
Be part of a movement of thousands of ECEs across Ontario, fighting for positive change.
Have your voice heard through member meetings and gatherings (you’ll also have access exclusive events)!
Directly impact real, positive outcomes for our profession – your membership fees allow us to advocate, spread awareness, and get ECEs in front of decision-makers when it matters most!
PLUS, members get great perks like…
- Member-only emails and publications
- Invitations to member-only events and gatherings
- Access to exclusive content, like professional learning, on the members’-only area of the website
- Perkopolis account with over 500 exclusive perks
- belairdirect Home and Auto Insurance discounts
- belairdirect Personal Health and Travel plans (including medical, trip cancellation/interruption/delay coverages at an affordable rate)
- A role in shaping the work of the AECEO through voting, nomination and motion privileges through the Annual Members meeting – (Professional membership)
- The opportunity to lead the AECEO by holding position on the AECEO provincial board and executive committees – (Professional membership)
- More perks are added every year!
Join / Renew Membership
I am a…
New ECE (working in the field for less than one year)
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This membership is for ECEs in their first year of practice and/or of Registration with the College of Early Childhood Educators. 1st Year Professional |
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Member perks:
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| $35 – (about $0.67/week – billed annually) | Need help? Email info@aeceo.ca | ||
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ECE (working in the field for more than one year)
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These memberships are for individuals with credentials recognized for registration with the College of Early Childhood Educators (CECE). I want a… |
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Membership with digital eceLINK only ($70) |
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Professional EMP (Digital Membership) |
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Member perks:
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| $70 (about $1.34/week – billed annually) | |||
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I want a… Membership with digital & printed eceLINK ($125) |
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Professional Comprehensive (Paper copy) |
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Member perks:
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| $125 (about $2.40/week – billed annually) | Need help? Email info@aeceo.ca | ||
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Child Care Program or Organization
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This membership allows early learning and child care centres/programs and other organizations to join the AECEO. This does not replace individual memberships. Organizational membership status provides limited access to members’ only services, as it belongs to the organization and not an individual. |
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Member perks:
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| $165 – (about $3.17/week – billed annually) | |||
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Over $500K/ Type B |
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| $315 – (about $6.10/week – billed annually) | |||
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Membership as a Centre/Program/Organization does not imply endorsement of the program by the AECEO. Need help? Email info@aeceo.ca |
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Retired ECE
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This membership is for retired Early Childhood Educators.
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Member perks:
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| $50 – (about $0.96/week – billed annually) | |||
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I want a…Membership with digital & printed eceLINK ($65)Professional Retired (Paper copy) |
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Member perks:
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| $65 – (about $1.25/week – billed annually) | Need help? Email info@aeceo.ca | ||
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ECE Student (currently enrolled in a post-secondary ECE-related program)
| This membership is for any individual currently enrolled in an Ontario College (OCAAT), Ontario university or training institution leading to their College of Early Childhood Educators recognized diploma or degree in ECE. | |||
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Member perks:
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| $35 – (about $0.67/week – billed annually) | Need help? Email info@aeceo.ca | ||
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Associate (Non-ECE/EA, Parent, Supporter )
| This membership is for any individual interested in the field of Early Childhood Education who does not hold an ECE credential recognized by the College of Early Childhood Educators. |
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Member perks:
I want a… Paper copy/ Associate Comprehensive |
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| $125 – (about $2.40/week – billed annually) | Need help? Email info@aeceo.ca | ||
| Sign Up | |||
Digital membership/ Associate EMP |
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| $70 – (about $1.34/week – billed annually) | Need help? Email info@aeceo.ca | ||
| Sign Up | |||
Certified Professional (has completed AECEO Certification)
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I want a… Membership with digital eceLINK only ($60)
Professional Certified EMP (Digital membership) |
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Member perks:
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| $60 – (about $1.15/week – billed annually) | |||
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I want a…Membership with digital & printed eceLINK ($125)Professional Certified (Paper copy)Member perks:
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| $125 – (about $2.40/week – billed annually) | Need help? Email info@aeceo.ca | ||
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Social Media
Our social media accounts are quick, accessible pathways for you to connect with the AECEO! Check out our Instagram account for concise policy news, event information, updates, and more. Follow us on TikTok for fun, relatable ECE content. Ready for longer form discussions and content? Our podcast is available on YouTube and Spotify!
Are you ready to add a little ECE to your algorithm?