Happy New Year! Connect to Yourself and Child!
Greetings and best wishes for the New Year. As I reflect upon my year as a parent, it has been one of great change and transition in our family. My son graduated from high school and has headed off to university. It has been a time of great pride and joy but also worry and fear that perhaps he is not fully prepared for the road ahead. Parenting children is so full of mixed emotions and blessings. I have faith that our son has the tools he needs to cope with the ups and downs of university life and know that we can continue to connect and support him in new ways as he matures. It is also a new stage for growth in my life both personally and professionally. Life is a journey with lots of different ebbs and flows...
This year I have been very busy with many professional development opportunities. I am currently in the final phase of the Self-Regulation Foundations program and have been eagerly applying this knowledge to my own life and sharing it with colleagues and families I have had the pleasure to work with. I have just recently completed a 30 hour program called The Brain Story Certification from Alberta which discusses the latest neuroscience on how adverse early childhood experiences impact physical and mental health for life. In 2018, I have also immersed myself in learning about trauma informed practices for working with children and families.
In the past year, in addition to my parent coaching, I have also taken a part time role as a trainer for professionals working in the Early Years sector. This new role had provided me with exceptional opportunities to collaborate and co-learn with many diverse professionals who share my passion for children and families. Together we have explored a variety of topics such as "How Does Learning Happen?" - Ministry of Education 's framework for Early Learning; Physical Literacy and "Risky Outdoor Play"; Resilience; Attachment; Anxiety; Supporting Children's Emotions; Early Literacy; Supporting Newcomer Families; Canada's Movement Guidelines for Children and Youth; Supporting Balanced Screen time in Families, etc. I am still very actively involved in local initiatives to support Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health; Parent Support; and Healthy Transitions for children from Childcare to School. Overall, 2018 has been a very busy year filled with many parent workshops and parent support meetings with families. I look forward to another year ahead full of learning, growing and collaborating with families and professionals. I am hoping to continue to plant the seeds of positive change one family at a time so we can all find joyful, connected parenting moments in the days ahead. Looking forward to connecting with you. Don't hesitate to contact me with your parenting questions or a request for parent support.
All the best,
Joanne