The Heartwork story…

When the province announced funding to deliver professional learning to support an impact on child care workforce challenges, leaders from the Municipality of Chatham-Kent, asked their members about learning needs. Conversations ensued on what professional learning we currently engage in - most of which was centered on what we call, ‘working in our business’. These learning topics include areas such as literacy, mindfulness practices, outdoor environment and self regulation.

We pushed ourselves to ask, would more learning in these topics really address some of the root causes of why we are having challenges in attraction, recruitment or retention? Our answer, sadly, was no.

The reasons we hear most often about why quality educators and staff are leaving the sector are more related to the value experienced by the profession. Being considered the dreaded 'b-word’ (babysitter), feeling exhausted by pandemic-related challenges to how we offer service, and a sense of ‘second tier educator status’ compared to our colleagues in the K-12 system, all added up to a desire for more learning on the value of the profession.

We realized, our learning needs that could most impact workforce challenges would be centered on ‘working on our business’. It was time to give back an inspiring day to our child care and early years colleagues for the incredible service provided throughout the last two years and beyond. And it was time to elevate the value of our profession and the impact it offers to not only our children and families served, but also the communities and local economies within which we offer child care and early learning.

Our work is heartwork. We give from our heart, soul and minds in every interaction with the children we are honoured to be with. And to better articulate the value we bring beyond the learning and growing we facilitate with each child, we know our work is heartwork and so much more.

As a result, Chatham-Kent developed our first professional learning day, Heartwork and so much more, with the primary objective of supporting our sector’s mental health and well-being by celebrating the service provided throughout Covid. Chatham-Kent was excited to share our May 9 vision with other communities, and as a result Heartwork is thrilled to have participation from...

Region of Waterloo, County of Oxford, the City of Brantford and County of Brant, County of Lambton, City of St. Thomas - Elgin County, County of Huron, County of Grey, County of Simcoe, Regional Municipality of Niagara, City of London - County of Middlesex, and Norfolk County.