MOOSE JAW — Seven national and international speakers will bring their knowledge, experience and perspectives about children’s education to Moose Jaw this May as part of a conference focused on early learning.
“Believe in Our Future” is the theme for this year’s International Early Learning Conference, which takes place from Wednesday, May 7 to Friday, May 9 at the Events Centre. The early-bird registration fee is $399, while registration after Friday, Jan. 31 is $450.
The event times are from 6:30 to 8 p.m. on May 7, 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on May 8, and 8:30 a.m. to 4:15 p.m. on May 9.
The conference will bring together professionals dedicated to shaping the holistic development of children ages zero to eight, a formative age range where children establish and develop lifelong learning, resilience and well-being. Moreover, the event will equip educators, caregivers, health professionals, policymakers and parents with insights, tools and strategies to foster this growth.
The conference topics will focus on independence, resilience, mental wellness, social-emotional learning, risky play, creating inspiring early learning environments, and more.
The speakers will include Dr. Sarah Aiono, Dr. Layne Pethick, Dr. Jean Clinton, Dr. Mark Tremblay, musician/author Jim Gill, speaker/consultant Kim Clairy and storyteller Lyndon Linklater.
Amanda Olson, the conference chairwoman and the superintendent of learning for Prairie South School Division, said the conference has been a long-standing tradition for the Moose Jaw South Central Early Childhood Coalition (ECC), which hosted the first conference — it attracted over 600 people — in 2012. It then hosted two virtual conferences in 2021 and 2022.
This is the first time Olson has participated in the conference, but she said she was honoured to be asked to help. Moreover, she has enjoyed working with a solid team of people who have been working hard behind the scenes.
“I can’t wait to see everybody that it brings together, and (I’m) super excited. Like, I’m over the moon with our speaker lineup,” she said.
“We had our shoot-for-the-moon agenda — and this was it. We didn’t know if everybody would be available or interested in coming at that time,” she continued. “And sure enough, everybody was. So I’m very excited about who we will hear from … .”
In determining which speakers to invite, the organizing committee brainstormed a list of people — from the United States, New Zealand, and Canada — who are involved in early childhood learning or who spoke before and could be asked to present again, said Olson. The committee then sent out invitations and was excited to learn that every presenter could attend.
“… we just aim to bring together professionals in the field of early childhood development to exchange knowledge, insights and best practices,” she added.
While there is strong support for early childhood learning in Saskatchewan, there is exceptionally good support in Moose Jaw through connections with community committees and the Family Resource Centre, said Olson. Moreover, there is a heavy focus on play-based education for children to take risks and build resiliency.
Young children are doing well today and are excited to attend school, learn and thrive in their environments, she continued. Furthermore, kids have become more resilient in the stresses they can handle, especially now that the coronavirus pandemic has concluded.
However, educators and early learning professionals are noticing the negative effect that increased screen time is having on students, especially the youngest learners, Olson said. Therefore, some messages that the conference will share with attendees will include the importance of reducing screen time and increasing childhood play and exploration.
Olson added that she was excited to meet other like-minded people in this field and hear from new and returning speakers.
For more information, visit www.moosejawecc.ca.
