Join Jessica, our Professional Learning Supervisor, this week as she unveils the newly renamed community of practice: EduConnect. These sessions create a welcoming space for educators to connect, share fresh ideas, spark inspiration, and grow together as a professional community. Each session is thoughtfully tailored to one of three areas: Licensed Home Child Care, Before and After School Programs, and Licensed Child Care.

Explore upcoming EduConnect sessions along with a wide range of other professional learning opportunities by visiting our Professional Learning Calendar. You’ll find both in‑person and live virtual options to support your learning needs:https://cdrcpoptin.azurewebsites.net/

Tune in as the Professional Learning team shares their standout moments from 2025. Bibi reflects on the year’s largest events, the newest innovations, and the lessons learned while developing two of CDRCP’s newest initiatives: the Learning Link and the Learning Hub. Take a moment to revisit the successes that shaped 2025 and get excited for what’s ahead in 2026!

CDRCP extends a heartfelt thank-you to our listeners for supporting such a dynamic, diverse, and transformative year. We look forward to continuing our commitment to early years professionals, whether you’re learning hands-on at our in-person sessions, engaging deeply during virtual workshops, exploring fresh articles on the Learning Hub, or tuning in to this podcast. We will see you again in the new year!

January - March professional learning opportunities are out now! Visit our professional learning calendar to find in-person or live virtual sessions that support your needs: https://cdrcpoptin.azurewebsites.net/

In this episode, Jennifer Logan and Taylor Davis dive into the vital role of mentorship in the early years, exploring how connection, collaboration, and shared learning are shaping the field today. Together, they reflect on the current state of retention and recognition for early years professionals in Ontario, and discuss how both formal and informal mentorship practices can help educators thrive in their professional journeys.

Taylor and Jennifer discuss the insights Jennifer has gathered through stepping into the role of Mentorship Project Coordinator at CDRCP, highlighting the organization’s first steps into mentorship with the upcoming pilot launching this November. Jennifer highlights what inspires her exploration of group mentorship versus one-on-one mentorship and how collective reflection may be one piece of the puzzle in creating a sustainable early years sector in Peel.

Peel educators... stay tuned! A new Mentorship Pilot program will be coming to Peel soon! Keep an eye out for more information on the pilot, to be released through CDRCP's community messaging systems and CDRCP's social media pages at the end of November.

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For more professional learning opportunities like this: https://cdrcp.com/professional-learning/

Sources from this episode:

The Early Years: Beginning Early Childhood Educators’ Induction Experiences and Needs in British Columbia (2016) article by Dr. Laura Doan

How Does Learning Happen? Ontario’s Pedagogy for the Early Years https://www.publications.gov.on.ca/how-does-learning-happen-ontarios-pedagogy-for-the-early-years

New Teacher Induction Program (NTIP) https://www.ontario.ca/page/new-teacher-induction-program

College of Early Childhood Educators CPL Resource: Mentoring https://www.college-ece.ca/wp-content/uploads/2021/10/CPL-Resource-Mentoring.pdf

College of Early Childhood Educators Practice Note: Professional Relationships https://www.college-ece.ca/wp-content/uploads/2024/09/PN_Professional_Relationships_EN_FINAL.pdf

Knowing our Numbers: Regional Municipality of Peel Knowing our numbers https://knowingournumbers.ca/media/filer_public/regional-reports/kon-peel.pdf