Pedagogy of Care - Early Years & Child Care Conference - November 2023

Jenna is an Early Learning and Child Care Advisor for the Métis Nation of Ontario. Jenna resides in Region 6 in Ottawa, ON and loves going on new adventures with her family. She enjoys going to the beach in the summer time and skating on the Canal in the winter. Jenna is a life-long learner with a range of experience in the field of Early Childhood Education who is passionate about supporting children and families of vulnerable populations across Ontario through education and early learning.

Gaya’dowehs Lu Ann Hill-MacDonald is from the Bear Clan family of the Mohawk Nation at Six Nations of the Grand River Territory. She received an Order in Council appointment to assist with the creation of the College of Early Childhood Educators, initiated several successful ECE programs, taught ECE and facilitated dialogue for the ECE Working Group of the World Indigenous Nations Higher Education Consortium.

Val is an international presenter who promotes mental and physical well-being through DROM -- a practice utilizing rhythm to combine movement and mindfulness.

Since 2006, Val has shared her unique version of drumming with thousands of people across North America, in person and virtually. She customizes experiences to relieve stress, have fun and foster personal growth.

Val always brings her positive energy and passion to the stage as she leads you through a unique experience to activate your body and engage your mind.

Autumn is a director, curator, educator and innovator. She is the current Artistic and Executive Director of TimberBeast Productions, a company dedicated to creating and sharing immersive live performance focused on the unique stories of the Muskoka area.

Autumn holds an MFA from York University in Theatre Direction with an Emphasis on Teaching and is a conservatory trained actor (Oxford School of Drama/UK). Ms. Smith is a faculty member at U of T, AMPD (York University) and Centennial College. She also serves as the Drama Dept External Examiner for the Sharjah Academy of Performing Arts in the UAE.

As a director and educator Ms. Smith led the Dora Award winning company MacKenzieRo for over a 9 year period in addition to working with companies such as: The Shaw Festival, The Tarragon Theatre, George Brown Theatre School, Stagedoor Manor in Association with the American Theatre Wing, StageWest Mississauga, Theatre Passe Muraille, Canadian Stage, Theatre 20/Mirvish, Equity Showcase Theatre, The Druid Theatre/Galway, Canadian Children’s Opera Company, U of T/Sheridan, The National Ballet/Stratford Project, and the Oxford Playhouse/UK.

Most recently, Autumn created and directed Citronella for the Gravenhurst Opera House, curated and directed Territorial Tales for Canadian Stage; Oh, What A Lovely War! For Hart House Theatre; Songs for a New World, A Magical Musical Mansion and A Festival of Fabled Feasts for the CCOC; directed and digitally designed The Laramie Project and Angels in America and created three new works/adaptations for TimberBeast Productions: A Gravenhurst Christmas Carol, Souls of The Shield and Twelfth Night. Upcoming: Souls of the Shield Part 1-3 – TimberBeast Productions; Director: Onion Skins and Peach Fuzz (Workshop) - 4th Line Theatre and Blyth Festival: Creator and Director: and The Mahaffy Murder Mystery Series with TimberBeast Productions. Creative and Education Consultant: Shakespeare In Action. Autumn is a nominee for the 2023 Johanna Metcalf Performing Arts Prize.

Christopher Stock (he/him) is a fifth-generation member of Wáhta Mohawk Territory near Bala, Ontario. Christopher’s ancestors relocated from Kanehsatà:ke- Oka Quebec to Muskoka, Ontario, Canada in 1881. He is a graduate of the Mohawk Immersion Adult Language Program at Wáhta Mohawk Territory, as well as a graduate of Queen’s University’s Indigenous Teacher Education Program and holds a Primary/Junior Certification from the Ontario College of Teachers. During his high school years, Christopher was among the contributors to the creation of the first Native Studies course at Bracebridge and Muskoka Lakes Secondary School.

In 2018, Christopher was diagnosed with Aggressive Stage 4 Diffuse, Large B-cell Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma, and has been 5 years cancer free. All of his unique experiences, coupled with Christopher’s lifechanging journey through cancer- which has resulted in permanent nerve damage in both legs, have highlighted what truly matters in life: time.

Christopher’s Interactive Indigenous Cultural Experiences through A Journey Begins…, offer an introduction to North America’s Indigenous People and their culture, creating a welcoming, inviting, engaging, positive experience, and an opportunity to build a bridge towards active and sustaining Truth and Reconciliation. His hope is that by taking a journey with him you will not only experience the rich history of Indigenous people in Canada, but will also leave with a new perspective on life.

Pierre is an Ontario certified teacher, a learning through play and inquiry specialist, and a children’s right to play advocate. He has been involved in non-formal learning since 1985.

In 2003, Pierre launched PLAYLearnThink, a social enterprise focused on promoting child directed play as a fundamental necessity for a healthy and fulfilling life.

Pierre facilitates Adventure PlayDays in school and community settings across Canada. He keynotes nationally and internationally on play, inquiry and learning at conferences as well as facilitates training workshops for adults across the country and in Europe.

Pierre lives in an off-grid, straw bale house in the beautiful forest of Northern Ontario with his partner Susanne and their 14 year old son Tom.

Marc Battle is an ECE Instructor at Red River College Polytechnique in Winnipeg Manitoba.

His passions are the mindsets of adults working with kids, play and outdoor environments and music for kids and families.

Dr. Susan Hopkins (EdD) is the Executive Director at The MEHRIT Centre. In the past two-plus decades Susan has worked in numerous educational contexts and roles: early years, K12 and post-secondary, teacher, vice-principal, curriculum developer, and inclusion coordinator.

Under her leadership, Dr. Stuart Shanker’s organization, The MEHRIT Centre, has evolved into a highly respected, accessible, and successful center for Shanker Self-Reg® learning, serving thousands of learners from Canada and around the world. Susan works with partners in various countries to support and amplify locally-led Self-Reg initiatives. Susan is the co-author of the Self-Reg Schools Handbook for Educators with Dr. Stuart Shanker (Pearson, 2019) and developed the online resources for the Principal’s edition.

Katherine is a Bilingual Education Specialist with over ten years of experience as a classroom teacher. She currently works and lives in Keswick, ON, with her husband, two young children and two senior cats.

Using her first-hand experiences and drawing on her M.Ed Developmental Psychology and Education from the University of Toronto, Katherine is passionate about learning theories and creating content with Let's Talk Science to support educators.

Patricia is the Early Childhood Community Development Centre's Coaching and Mentoring Services Coordinator. In this role, she supports early learning programs with pedagogy, indoor and outdoor space design, team building and operational support.

Patricia also develops and facilitates a variety of professional learning opportunities across Ontario.

Patricia is a Registered Early Childhood Educator who has worked in the field of Early Childhood Education for over thirty years, including eleven years as Child Care Supervisor.

Patricia has a comprehensive knowledge of Niagara's early learning and child care community and a true passion for designing exceptional learning experiences and high quality environments for Niagara's children and for early years programs across Ontario.