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!

For the last 8 months, Algonquin of Pikwakanagan F

For the last 8 months, Algonquin of Pikwakanagan First Nation’s Mindiwin Manido child care centre has welcomed me into their programs to reflect & grow together.

By way of a Pedagogical Partnership, we explored child & educator well-being, how to position ourselves as attuned educators, and inclusion & belonging. We also engaged in a two-part series to uncover our values, how those values manifest in our practice, and a vision for the future of the programs.

It has been a privilege to collaborate with this team as they are deeply invested in evolving their practices, do not shy away from deep conversations about their work together, and naturally weave good humour and joy throughout the whole process!

Next, we hope to continue building on this learning by focusing on PLAY…and the many ways we can enrich our environments, materials, and interactions by way of a thoughtful blend of theory, reflection, AND hands-on learning experiences with the team! Onward we go!

Follow on Instagram

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ABOUT
Work With Me
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Blog
Resources
Contact

The Child · July 8, 2025

Listen in as Mary Discusses Trauma-Informed Care in ECE

join the club

You’ll Also Love

Honouring Children’s Natural Rhythms and Perspectives in the Early Years

Come As You Are: Cultivating Belonging with Children

A Message on AWE: Letting the ‘WONDERS of Life’ Change You

Mary is a Guest on the Thriving Minds Podcast! Listen here:

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!

For the last 8 months, Algonquin of Pikwakanagan F

For the last 8 months, Algonquin of Pikwakanagan First Nation’s Mindiwin Manido child care centre has welcomed me into their programs to reflect & grow together.

By way of a Pedagogical Partnership, we explored child & educator well-being, how to position ourselves as attuned educators, and inclusion & belonging. We also engaged in a two-part series to uncover our values, how those values manifest in our practice, and a vision for the future of the programs.

It has been a privilege to collaborate with this team as they are deeply invested in evolving their practices, do not shy away from deep conversations about their work together, and naturally weave good humour and joy throughout the whole process!

Next, we hope to continue building on this learning by focusing on PLAY…and the many ways we can enrich our environments, materials, and interactions by way of a thoughtful blend of theory, reflection, AND hands-on learning experiences with the team! Onward we go!

Follow on Instagram

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