Cat Index - Unlocking Childhood

📌 Looking forward to a month full of connection, r

📌 Looking forward to a month full of connection, reflection, and joy! ✨
This year, I'm kicking off 2026 with some terrific PD offerings all across Ontario!

I hope to see you there!

A new poem/reflection today on some of the big ide

A new poem/reflection today on some of the big ideas we discuss a lot as Educators.
Happy Friday💛

#engagement #expression #well-being #belonging #howdoeslearninghappen

Thanks for the memories! 🎉 2025 was a pivotal year

Thanks for the memories! 🎉
2025 was a pivotal year for Unlocking Childhood, full of new relationships, deepened practice, and personal transformation—and I can’t wait to share what I’ve got in store for 2026!🤫🤭…

With so much gratitude, thank you for supporting a dream come true 💛

Wishing you all a beautiful new year, and I hope our paths continue to cross along the way! ✨

I had a phenomenal time at this year's NAEYC confe

I had a phenomenal time at this year's NAEYC conference!💛

Offering my session was such an honour-- but equally memorable were the stories and insights many folks shared with me after my session.

I also set a very clear goal for myself as a learner: to grow my understanding of equity, anti-bias education, and advocacy in ECE. Fortunately, I was able to attend sessions that helped me work towards this goal in meaningful ways.

Thank you to the @naeyc for the opportunity to Lead & Learn! ✨

✈️Come with me…to the NAEYC Annual Conference in O

✈️Come with me…to the NAEYC Annual Conference in Orlando!🍊🗺️
Today, I’m off to deliver my session, here we go!✨

☀️So thrilled to have arrived in Florida for the N

☀️So thrilled to have arrived in Florida for the NAEYC’s Annual Conference! Tomorrow, I’ll be speaking on how to nurture 🤍Childhood-Trauma Informed Programs🤍in the Early Years!
We often talk about trauma in the context of adulthood and its impact on adult-aged individuals. The truth is, trauma is extremely common in the Early Years, and Childhood (or ‘Developmental’) Trauma is VASTLY different than adult-onset traumatic experiences—because it’s rooted in the child’s key foundations for life.

Childhood Trauma impacts fundamental things like: Early Attachment, Connection, the Sense of Self, Safety & Trust, Mental/Physical Health, and even the child’s DNA.🧬
This session offers a thoughtful blend of: current research from the field, information & practical applications, real-life stories, and reflection.

I’ve been heavily invested in this work for years, and I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned—from the hard facts on the impacts of Childhood Trauma to the UNDENIABLE HOPE of community, true resiliency, and healing❤️‍🩹

I hope to see you there✨

🗓️📆 8 more days until I speak at the NAEYC’s Annua

🗓️📆 8 more days until I speak at the NAEYC’s Annual Conference in Orlando! 🌴☀️

The Topic: Trauma-Informed Care in ECE ❤️‍🩹
I hope to see you there! 🫶

#naeyc #naeycconference #earlychildhoodeducation #traumainformedcare #childrenswellbeing #earlylearning

Last week, I had an ✨amazing✨ experience meeting t

Last week, I had an ✨amazing✨ experience meeting the @ecdaofpei team and the Early Childhood Educators in Prince Edward Island!

It felt like a collision of fate—I’ve never had so many educators approach me after my sessions to say “I was meant to be at your session today.”
And, it felt like I was meant to be there too.

We learned about: (on leadership)
~ what it means to be a Humanity-Driven Leader, with care at the centre of our work, asking: “Who are my people and how can I serve them?”
~ where traditional management hierarchies came from…and why they are no longer relevant in today’s world.
~ how we can shake off the ‘top-down’ management models we’ve inherited and learn to trust in our capacity to lead from the heart.
~ and, how Humanity-Driven Leadership still does include accountability and boundaries, but these must exist alongside Trust, Compassion, and Harmony to be effective.

We also learned: (on true “well”-being)
~ the important role of intuition in leading our lives & work.
~ why it feels like we have no roadmap AND too much information at the same time.
~ how our BODIES hold the wisdom we need (and how to access it!)
~ what it means to be truly “well”, leaving behind culture’s definitions of what it means to “be good” or “behave”.
~ how to honour our definitions of “well”, while also learning how to honour children’s “well”, too.

An unexpected topic that emerged: the role of EMOTIONS in all of this. I wasn’t expecting to talk about this, but it felt relevant throughout all of my sessions. (I love when this happens!) ✨

A sincere thank you to @ecdaofpei for inviting me and making me feel part of your ECE family. Educators, thank you for bringing your openness, vulnerability, and passion for this work. This work continues to change me. What a gift! 🧡

✏️ Today's Poem: To Raise Children 💛

✏️ Today's Poem: To Raise Children 💛

Follow on Instagram

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The Child

The World Needs Our Softness

Listen in as Mary Discusses Trauma-Informed Care in ECE

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

More on The Child >

The Self

The World Needs Our Softness

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

Buoyant Classrooms: 4 Ways Educators Can Promote Resiliency in Children

More on The Self >

The Environment & Materials

Navigating Discomfort in Children’s “Risky Play”: Tools and Strategies to Help Your Team

More on The Environment & Materials

The Culture

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

On the Topic of Neuro Divergence!

More than Measurable Outcomes: A Holistic Perspective of “Play”

More on The Culture

📌 Looking forward to a month full of connection, r

📌 Looking forward to a month full of connection, reflection, and joy! ✨
This year, I'm kicking off 2026 with some terrific PD offerings all across Ontario!

I hope to see you there!

A new poem/reflection today on some of the big ide

A new poem/reflection today on some of the big ideas we discuss a lot as Educators.
Happy Friday💛

#engagement #expression #well-being #belonging #howdoeslearninghappen

Thanks for the memories! 🎉 2025 was a pivotal year

Thanks for the memories! 🎉
2025 was a pivotal year for Unlocking Childhood, full of new relationships, deepened practice, and personal transformation—and I can’t wait to share what I’ve got in store for 2026!🤫🤭…

With so much gratitude, thank you for supporting a dream come true 💛

Wishing you all a beautiful new year, and I hope our paths continue to cross along the way! ✨

I had a phenomenal time at this year's NAEYC confe

I had a phenomenal time at this year's NAEYC conference!💛

Offering my session was such an honour-- but equally memorable were the stories and insights many folks shared with me after my session.

I also set a very clear goal for myself as a learner: to grow my understanding of equity, anti-bias education, and advocacy in ECE. Fortunately, I was able to attend sessions that helped me work towards this goal in meaningful ways.

Thank you to the @naeyc for the opportunity to Lead & Learn! ✨

✈️Come with me…to the NAEYC Annual Conference in O

✈️Come with me…to the NAEYC Annual Conference in Orlando!🍊🗺️
Today, I’m off to deliver my session, here we go!✨

☀️So thrilled to have arrived in Florida for the N

☀️So thrilled to have arrived in Florida for the NAEYC’s Annual Conference! Tomorrow, I’ll be speaking on how to nurture 🤍Childhood-Trauma Informed Programs🤍in the Early Years!
We often talk about trauma in the context of adulthood and its impact on adult-aged individuals. The truth is, trauma is extremely common in the Early Years, and Childhood (or ‘Developmental’) Trauma is VASTLY different than adult-onset traumatic experiences—because it’s rooted in the child’s key foundations for life.

Childhood Trauma impacts fundamental things like: Early Attachment, Connection, the Sense of Self, Safety & Trust, Mental/Physical Health, and even the child’s DNA.🧬
This session offers a thoughtful blend of: current research from the field, information & practical applications, real-life stories, and reflection.

I’ve been heavily invested in this work for years, and I can’t wait to share what I’ve learned—from the hard facts on the impacts of Childhood Trauma to the UNDENIABLE HOPE of community, true resiliency, and healing❤️‍🩹

I hope to see you there✨

🗓️📆 8 more days until I speak at the NAEYC’s Annua

🗓️📆 8 more days until I speak at the NAEYC’s Annual Conference in Orlando! 🌴☀️

The Topic: Trauma-Informed Care in ECE ❤️‍🩹
I hope to see you there! 🫶

#naeyc #naeycconference #earlychildhoodeducation #traumainformedcare #childrenswellbeing #earlylearning

Last week, I had an ✨amazing✨ experience meeting t

Last week, I had an ✨amazing✨ experience meeting the @ecdaofpei team and the Early Childhood Educators in Prince Edward Island!

It felt like a collision of fate—I’ve never had so many educators approach me after my sessions to say “I was meant to be at your session today.”
And, it felt like I was meant to be there too.

We learned about: (on leadership)
~ what it means to be a Humanity-Driven Leader, with care at the centre of our work, asking: “Who are my people and how can I serve them?”
~ where traditional management hierarchies came from…and why they are no longer relevant in today’s world.
~ how we can shake off the ‘top-down’ management models we’ve inherited and learn to trust in our capacity to lead from the heart.
~ and, how Humanity-Driven Leadership still does include accountability and boundaries, but these must exist alongside Trust, Compassion, and Harmony to be effective.

We also learned: (on true “well”-being)
~ the important role of intuition in leading our lives & work.
~ why it feels like we have no roadmap AND too much information at the same time.
~ how our BODIES hold the wisdom we need (and how to access it!)
~ what it means to be truly “well”, leaving behind culture’s definitions of what it means to “be good” or “behave”.
~ how to honour our definitions of “well”, while also learning how to honour children’s “well”, too.

An unexpected topic that emerged: the role of EMOTIONS in all of this. I wasn’t expecting to talk about this, but it felt relevant throughout all of my sessions. (I love when this happens!) ✨

A sincere thank you to @ecdaofpei for inviting me and making me feel part of your ECE family. Educators, thank you for bringing your openness, vulnerability, and passion for this work. This work continues to change me. What a gift! 🧡

✏️ Today's Poem: To Raise Children 💛

✏️ Today's Poem: To Raise Children 💛

Follow on Instagram

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