Inspired ECE

Inspired ECE Providing early years educators and administrators with professional development opportunities

At Inspired ECE workshops and events educators will have the opportunity to take part in hands on learning experiences. Expanding their knowledge of developmentally appropriate activities, discovering a variety of approaches to program planning, incorporating emergent curriculum, and net working with others in the field.

08/19/2026

What if the “right” schedule isn’t a schedule at all — it’s a rhythm that changes with the children in front of you?
Every group of children is different. The routine that worked beautifully last September might not be serving this group of children right now — and that’s not a failure. That’s early childhood education working exactly as it should.
As early childhood educators, one of our most powerful skills isn’t following the plan. It’s reading the room.
🔍 What does “reading the group” actually look like in practice?
👉 Smaller group learning — when large group time leads to more redirecting than engaging, breaking into smaller, more intimate groups often unlocks deeper focus and richer conversation.
👉 Open snack — offering snack across a window of time (instead of one rigid sit-down moment) respects different appetites, energy levels, and play states — and cuts down on unnecessary waiting.
👉 Fewer transitions — every transition is a chance for dysregulation. Trimming the number of times we ask children to stop, shift, and re-settle protects their focus and their nervous systems.
👉 Staggered transitions — moving children in smaller groups rather than all at once reduces crowding, waiting and higher noise levels in the program.
This is developmentally appropriate practice in action: decisions rooted in what we know about how children grow, learn, and regulate — not in what’s easiest “because we’ve always done it this way”.
It also means looking honestly at how we, as educators, are spending our time. Are we spending more time managing transitions rather than engaging with the children? Are we narrating our day around the clock — or around the children?
When we adjust the routine to fit the children We are raising the quality of care.
When children feel unhurried, unrushed, and truly seen — they don’t just get through the day.
They thrive. 🌿
—
💬 What’s one routine you’ve adjusted recently because your group needed something different? Tell me below.

Follow for more inspiring early years resources.

08/19/2026

Making space for every voice on a team matters.
For educators and administrators, creating a culture where everyone feels heard can be challenging.

Some team members are brimming with ideas and eager to share them. Even with the best intentions, an assertive communication style can sometimes unintentionally make it harder for others to enter the conversation.

Others may be quieter, more reflective, or less comfortable bringing suggestions forward in a group setting. Their silence doesn’t mean they have nothing valuable to contribute.

Effective leadership means recognizing these differences and intentionally creating opportunities for every voice to be heard.

That starts with effective communication—and with helping individuals reflect on how they communicate, listen, respond, and contribute to the team.

Administrators can support this by:
✨ Creating structured opportunities for input
✨ Inviting perspectives from those who haven’t spoken
✨ Encouraging self-reflection around communication styles
✨ Modeling active listening and curiosity
✨ Building shared expectations for respectful dialogue
✨ Focusing on a the development of a cohesive team culture

A strong team isn’t one where everyone communicates the same way.

It’s one where everyone knows their voice matters—and feels safe enough to use it.

How do you make sure team members voices are heard?

08/19/2026

In an early years team, the best ideas don’t always come from the loudest voices. Creating space for every educator to share, contribute and be heard strengthens our practice—and ultimately benefits the children we care for.

Making space for every voice on a team matters.
For educators and administrators, creating a culture where everyone feels heard can be challenging.

Some team members are brimming with ideas and eager to share them. Even with the best intentions, an assertive communication style can sometimes unintentionally make it harder for others to enter the conversation.

Others may be quieter, more reflective, or less comfortable bringing suggestions forward in a group setting. Their silence doesn’t mean they have nothing valuable to contribute.

Effective leadership means recognizing these differences and intentionally creating opportunities for every voice to be heard.

That starts with effective communication—and with helping individuals reflect on how they communicate, listen, respond, and contribute to the team.

Administrators can support this by:
✨ Creating structured opportunities for input
✨ Inviting perspectives from those who haven’t spoken
✨ Encouraging self-reflection around communication styles
✨ Modeling active listening and curiosity
✨ Building shared expectations for respectful dialogue
✨ Focusing on a cohesive team culture rather than individual communication styles

A strong team isn’t one where everyone communicates the same way.

It’s one where everyone knows their voice matters—and feels safe enough to use it.

How does your team make space for each other?

08/17/2026

Sometimes the best learning invitations are hiding in unexpected places!
Try adding non-toxic bingo dabbers, like DO-A-DOT-ART markers from Wintergreen Learning Materials to the paint easel. Instead of only using traditional paintbrushes, children can dab, dot, layer, mix, and create in completely new ways.

It’s a simple setup that supports fine-motor skills, hand-eye coordination, creativity, and imagination—all while encouraging open-ended, process-focused art. 💛

Who says art supplies have to be used just one way?

08/17/2026

There’s a difficult conversation we don’t always talk about in early childhood education.
Some educators may have experienced being made to feel that their perspective is somehow less valuable because they don’t have children of their own.

Whether intentional or unintentional, that can be deeply hurtful and, unfortunately, it does happen.

The reality is that we may never know someone’s reasons for not having children. It may be by choice, circumstance, infertility, personal circumstances, or something deeply private that they simply don’t wish to share.

And we don’t need to know.

An educator’s professional perspective should not be measured by whether they are a parent. It should be grounded in their education, professional knowledge, experience, observation, reflective practice, and understanding of child development.

Parenting and early childhood education are different experiences. Both can offer valuable perspectives, but one should not automatically carry more weight than the other.

We can respect the expertise of parents while also respecting the expertise of educators.

Every educator deserves to feel that their professional voice is valued — regardless of whether they have children.

Have you experienced this as an early childhood educator?

08/16/2026

There’s a difficult conversation we don’t always talk about in early childhood education.
Some educators may have experienced being made to feel that their perspective is somehow less valuable because they don’t have children of their own.

Whether intentional or unintentional, that can be deeply hurtful and, unfortunately, it does happen.

The reality is that we may never know someone’s reasons for not having children. It may be by choice, circumstance, infertility, personal circumstances, or something deeply private that they simply don’t wish to share.

And we don’t need to know.

An educator’s professional perspective should not be measured by whether they are a parent. It should be grounded in their education, professional knowledge, experience, observation, reflective practice, and understanding of child development.

Parenting and early childhood education are different experiences. Both can offer valuable perspectives, but one should not automatically carry more weight than the other.

We can respect the expertise of parents while also respecting the expertise of educators.

Every educator deserves to feel that their professional voice is valued — regardless of whether they have children.

Have you ever experienced this as an early childhood educator?

08/16/2026

“When was the last time a child in your classroom saw their family reflected in a book, a photo, or a song — and truly felt like they belonged?”

Will you add more program family connections to your early years setting?

08/16/2026

“When was the last time a child in your classroom saw their family reflected in a book, a photo, or a song — and truly felt like they belonged?”

How are children and families represented in your early childhood program?
Take one step this week: choose a book, a song, or a photo that reflects a families in your early childhood program.

08/16/2026

🧰 A tool every administrator should have in their toolbox: scenario training with your team.

Real classroom challenges rarely show up with a clear answer attached. A child in crisis. A tricky family conversation. A conflict between staff. The best preparation isn’t a policy binder — it’s practice.

That’s where scenario training comes in. Gather educators at a team meeting. Present a real (or realistic) situation. Then let the team work it through together.

✅ What do we notice first?
✅ What are our options?
✅ What would we try — and why?
✅ What might we do differently next time?

Here’s why it works:

✳️ It builds shared language. When the real situation happens, your team isn’t improvising alone — they’re pulling from a strategy they’ve already talked through together.

✳️ It brings forward hidden expertise. The quiet educator in the corner might have exactly the insight the room needs. Scenario training gives every voice a reason to speak up.

✳️ It grows leaders from within. Problem-solving out loud, in a low-stakes setting, is how educators build the confidence to lead — long before they ever hold a title.

✳️ It turns “that was hard” into “here’s what we learned.” Instead of debriefing a crisis after the fact, you’re building the muscle before you need it.

For administrators: this isn’t extra work set in your PD calendar. It’s an investment in the internal leadership pipeline that keeps your program strong when it matters most.

Start small. One scenario. Fifteen minutes. See what your team already knows how to do together.

📸 How does your program build these moments in?

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Vancouver, BC

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Monday 2pm - 8pm
Tuesday 2pm - 8pm
Wednesday 2pm - 8pm
Thursday 2pm - 8pm
Friday 9am - 5pm
Saturday 9am - 5pm

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