September 18, 2018

Children are citizens of the world. They are born competent and complete and it is our duty to honour and respect their individual needs. Children’s time today is more structured than it has ever been at any point in modern history. We need to ask: are we honouring a child’s authentic needs or are we honouring the needs of the society? There is no cookie-cutter formula for honouring the authentic needs of a child. It is an art that requires selfless intention and incredible heart.

Objectives:
• Discuss why we need to view the child as a citizen;
• Discover ways to value a child’s intrinsic truth, and nurture it to help them grow;
• Recognize the need to observe children and identify ways to facilitate meaningful, authentic, and engaging play;
• Review how we listen, honour, and celebrate children;
• Discuss how to be intentional with our planning and interactions.

Sarah created ECE Connect in 2016 with the idea of connecting early childhood educators together, and offering workshops that she feels are needed in the field. Sarah holds a Bachelor of Science in Education and training, a diploma in early childhood education and Montessori (012 years), and a certificate for children with special needs. She’s been in the educational for over 15 years. She currently manages a preschool and is an instructor at Vancouver Community College.