- Unlocking Childhood

On *savouring*the small moments with children✨ In

On *savouring*the small moments with children✨

In the busyness of the day, can we release any guilt we may have about slowing down with children?
Without taking a photo, writing things down to document—just being in connection with one another.

This is me…signing my first book deal 📝✨!! I never

This is me…signing my first book deal 📝✨!!
I never imagined I’d someday have the opportunity to write a book that guides educators towards creating trauma-informed/trauma-assumed programs and relationships for children and families, but this is the gift and responsibility I’ve been given. I am not sure what I’m feeling right now…but it’s more than grateful.

Growing up, educators were literal lifelines for me…and fortunately, I had many trauma-sensitive educators even before deep understandings of trauma were mainstream. Now, I will spend the next year and a half writing a book that is intended to provide educators with a thorough understanding of childhood/developmental trauma, from both scientific (research) AND artistic (art, poetry, storytelling, etc.) lenses.

In this book, I will share some of my own stories (from my personal life and practice as an educator with children)and the often-unheard voices and perspectives of underrepresented individuals as well who face systemic forms of trauma everyday. Because, although many of our practices in ECE are trauma-sensitive, trauma-insensitivities also exist.

I can’t wait to share this book with you. Many of you have attended my sessions on childhood trauma, and this will be a much deeper dive—intended to provide you with practical skills and a more textured understanding overall.

In the end, my hope is that this book will not just inform, but also offer a space for healing and being held💛

Thank you to Redleaf Press for trusting me with this book. Here we go!📝✨

Instagram post 18016804667677564

Instagram post 18016804667677564

It was a pleasure to be a guest on the @striveswo

It was a pleasure to be a guest on the @striveswo podcast Leading Inspired Learning! 🩵💚💛 We talked about what it means for children AND educators to be ‘well’ (freedom & agency) instead of focusing on what it means to be ‘good’ (compliance). Ally asks some great questions in real time—getting to the ‘heart’ of this message for listeners.
✨Stay tuned for this episode in the next couple of months!🎙️

📣Preschool & Kinder Educators, this one’s for you!

📣Preschool & Kinder Educators, this one’s for you!📣
Are you looking for a resource to offer families as they send their little ones off to Kindergarten? I recently published this “Message in a Backpack” article with the #naeyc to support families with this important transition from Preschool to Kindergarten.

You can check it out & download it for free here: 👇

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/eyc/spring2026/message-in-a-backpack

You can also access the entire Spring issue here: 👇
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/eyc/spring2026

#EYCAuthor
#NAEYCVoices

✨A New Blog Post✨ has been added to the UC site en

✨A New Blog Post✨ has been added to the UC site entitled: "A Message on AWE: Letting the WONDERS of Life Change You"

Tonight, I am offering a virtual session on Awe & Wonder, and with this at the front of my mind lately, a blog post seemed fitting.

I hope you enjoy this quick read! You can find it here:

https://unlockingchildhood.com/a-message-on-awe-letting-the-wonders-of-life-change-you/

Photo credit: Chris Burgett

💗Words CAN’T describe this experience! But, I’ll g

💗Words CAN’T describe this experience! But, I’ll give it a try…
Last week, the @ecdaofpei invited me to deliver 3 days of intensive learning on Humanity-Driven Leadership in ECE at their leadership retreat. This was a deep dive for leaders, unlike anything I’ve ever delivered—and their idea to do this Retreat-Style made it even better. Learning was had, relationships were formed, community was built…love, laughs, and breakthrough-tears were shed.
I asked this group to be vulnerable leaders who put people before productivity…and they delivered.

I hope to offer this model out again to other communities looking to grow their leadership in this way…because it was everything and more. An investment? Sure. Worth it? You bet.

I want to sincerely thank the @ecdaofpei for this invitation and for being such warm, welcoming hosts. It felt like coming home for me, and I am so grateful. 🫶

I also want to highlight @lou__lake Louise Lyman for her masterful visual depiction of the learning, conversations, and big ideas from this retreat. If you’re looking to provide graphic recording of your next PD session, I highly recommend👌🎨 (she’s also just the best human!)

This retreat will forever live in my memory. Thank you, leaders✨

💚Meet me at Algonquin College's Bramburger Speaker

💚Meet me at Algonquin College's Bramburger Speaker Series TONIGHT!💚

Parents & Caregivers, this one's for you: Raising Resilient Children in Today's World

Registration closing soon...and you can attend in-person OR virtually as it will be live-streamed!

Secure your spot here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/raising-resilient-children-in-todays-world-tickets-1982288252525?aff=oddtdtcreator

🚗 🚃 ✈️ Looking forward to a fantastic couple of mo

🚗 🚃 ✈️ Looking forward to a fantastic couple of months! Hope to see you there!

Follow on Instagram

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Unlocking Childhood

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ABOUT
Work With Me
Yellow Chair Chats
Blog
Resources
Contact

Let’s Chat. Fill Out the Form Below!

I look forward to connecting with you!

On *savouring*the small moments with children✨ In

On *savouring*the small moments with children✨

In the busyness of the day, can we release any guilt we may have about slowing down with children?
Without taking a photo, writing things down to document—just being in connection with one another.

This is me…signing my first book deal 📝✨!! I never

This is me…signing my first book deal 📝✨!!
I never imagined I’d someday have the opportunity to write a book that guides educators towards creating trauma-informed/trauma-assumed programs and relationships for children and families, but this is the gift and responsibility I’ve been given. I am not sure what I’m feeling right now…but it’s more than grateful.

Growing up, educators were literal lifelines for me…and fortunately, I had many trauma-sensitive educators even before deep understandings of trauma were mainstream. Now, I will spend the next year and a half writing a book that is intended to provide educators with a thorough understanding of childhood/developmental trauma, from both scientific (research) AND artistic (art, poetry, storytelling, etc.) lenses.

In this book, I will share some of my own stories (from my personal life and practice as an educator with children)and the often-unheard voices and perspectives of underrepresented individuals as well who face systemic forms of trauma everyday. Because, although many of our practices in ECE are trauma-sensitive, trauma-insensitivities also exist.

I can’t wait to share this book with you. Many of you have attended my sessions on childhood trauma, and this will be a much deeper dive—intended to provide you with practical skills and a more textured understanding overall.

In the end, my hope is that this book will not just inform, but also offer a space for healing and being held💛

Thank you to Redleaf Press for trusting me with this book. Here we go!📝✨

Instagram post 18016804667677564

Instagram post 18016804667677564

It was a pleasure to be a guest on the @striveswo

It was a pleasure to be a guest on the @striveswo podcast Leading Inspired Learning! 🩵💚💛 We talked about what it means for children AND educators to be ‘well’ (freedom & agency) instead of focusing on what it means to be ‘good’ (compliance). Ally asks some great questions in real time—getting to the ‘heart’ of this message for listeners.
✨Stay tuned for this episode in the next couple of months!🎙️

📣Preschool & Kinder Educators, this one’s for you!

📣Preschool & Kinder Educators, this one’s for you!📣
Are you looking for a resource to offer families as they send their little ones off to Kindergarten? I recently published this “Message in a Backpack” article with the #naeyc to support families with this important transition from Preschool to Kindergarten.

You can check it out & download it for free here: 👇

https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/eyc/spring2026/message-in-a-backpack

You can also access the entire Spring issue here: 👇
https://www.naeyc.org/resources/pubs/eyc/spring2026

#EYCAuthor
#NAEYCVoices

✨A New Blog Post✨ has been added to the UC site en

✨A New Blog Post✨ has been added to the UC site entitled: "A Message on AWE: Letting the WONDERS of Life Change You"

Tonight, I am offering a virtual session on Awe & Wonder, and with this at the front of my mind lately, a blog post seemed fitting.

I hope you enjoy this quick read! You can find it here:

https://unlockingchildhood.com/a-message-on-awe-letting-the-wonders-of-life-change-you/

Photo credit: Chris Burgett

💗Words CAN’T describe this experience! But, I’ll g

💗Words CAN’T describe this experience! But, I’ll give it a try…
Last week, the @ecdaofpei invited me to deliver 3 days of intensive learning on Humanity-Driven Leadership in ECE at their leadership retreat. This was a deep dive for leaders, unlike anything I’ve ever delivered—and their idea to do this Retreat-Style made it even better. Learning was had, relationships were formed, community was built…love, laughs, and breakthrough-tears were shed.
I asked this group to be vulnerable leaders who put people before productivity…and they delivered.

I hope to offer this model out again to other communities looking to grow their leadership in this way…because it was everything and more. An investment? Sure. Worth it? You bet.

I want to sincerely thank the @ecdaofpei for this invitation and for being such warm, welcoming hosts. It felt like coming home for me, and I am so grateful. 🫶

I also want to highlight @lou__lake Louise Lyman for her masterful visual depiction of the learning, conversations, and big ideas from this retreat. If you’re looking to provide graphic recording of your next PD session, I highly recommend👌🎨 (she’s also just the best human!)

This retreat will forever live in my memory. Thank you, leaders✨

💚Meet me at Algonquin College's Bramburger Speaker

💚Meet me at Algonquin College's Bramburger Speaker Series TONIGHT!💚

Parents & Caregivers, this one's for you: Raising Resilient Children in Today's World

Registration closing soon...and you can attend in-person OR virtually as it will be live-streamed!

Secure your spot here: https://www.eventbrite.ca/e/raising-resilient-children-in-todays-world-tickets-1982288252525?aff=oddtdtcreator

🚗 🚃 ✈️ Looking forward to a fantastic couple of mo

🚗 🚃 ✈️ Looking forward to a fantastic couple of months! Hope to see you there!

Follow on Instagram

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