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Dear Muskoka ECE Community,
Do you know how beautiful your heart is?
Each child who walks through our doors is looking to us — seeking to belong, to be seen, and to be loved. Every day, you rise to that invitation, drawing on your emotional, intellectual, and interpersonal toolkits to connect with children and families.
This season of beginnings is about more than routines and transitions. It’s a chance to remember why we do what we do. Neuroscience tells us that children’s brains grow through relationship; every co-regulated moment, from soothing tears to celebrating a discovery, literally builds the brain. This work isn’t easy. It asks us to show up with presence and patience, even when we’re tired or stretched. But it is profoundly beautiful work — healing, connected, human.
In stepping into this new role, my hope is that together, we can breathe deeply into the spaces we haven’t yet figured out, giving ourselves permission to pause, observe, listen, and love — not only the children in our care but also our “professional friends,” as Dr. Diane Kashin calls us.
One of my favourite children’s books is Frederick by Leo Lionni. While the other field mice gather food, Frederick gathers sunbeams, colours, and words for the long winter. My invitation to you this September is to collect your own handful of moments: a child’s belly laugh, a shared glance with a co-worker, the quiet pride of growth unfolding. These small treasures will carry us forward when the days feel long.
Thank you for showing up with such tender, patient, and kind hearts. You’re pretty special, you know that?
All the best,
Vanessa Fraser, Pedagogical Lead
Email: vanessa.fraser@muksoka.on.ca
| | Spotlight on Practice: Attachment and Belonging | | |
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❤️The Circle of Security framework reminds us that children are always moving between two needs: to explore the world with confidence, and to return for comfort, connection, and reassurance. As educators, we are both the secure base children go out from and the haven they return to.
What makes small moments so powerful isn’t just that they feel good - it’s that these ‘serve and return’ interactions are the building blocks of healthy brain development.
| | Video: 5 Steps for Brain-Building Serve and Return | | |
“There is perhaps no relationship that holds greater responsibility or reward than the relationships we develop with children.”
~(How Does Learning Happen?)
| | | ✨The Muskoka Learning Series!✨ | |
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Attachment, Regulation, and Responding to Challenging Behaviours
Join us for a practical and engaging two-part series exploring attachment, regulation skills, and responsive strategies for supporting children through challenging behaviours.
Each part is one hour, offered twice per evening (5:30–6:30 or 7:00–8:00). Come for conversation, strategies you can use right away, and a few treats too.
📍Locations & Dates
Gravenhurst:
- Part One: Thurs, Oct 23
- Part Two: Thurs, Nov 13
Bracebridge:
- Part One: Tues, Nov 4
- Part Two: Tues, Nov 18
Huntsville:
- Part One: Thurs, Nov 6
- Part Two: Thurs, Nov 20
🔎How it works:
- Attend both parts to receive a certificate.
- Mix-and-match times or communities if that helps your schedule.
- Register for the time slot that works best for you (5:30 or 7:00).
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🌈Reflection Prompt:
Notice how your words, gestures, and attention influence children’s sense of security, curiosity, and confidence. How can your presence create a safe base for exploration, play, and connection?
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Story time = Bonding Time
Reading aloud isn’t just storytelling; it’s building connection. Shared stories nurture secure attachment, support emotional regulation, and enhance language development.
Here’s a collection of curated books exploring Attachment, Separation & Connection - stories that spark conversations and deepen bonds.
| | 🎧 Tune in: Learn on the Go | | Prefer listening over reading? Here are a few podcast episodes that dive into attachment. | | |
Opportunities from our wider community to connect, learn, and be inspired
| | National Day for Truth and Reconciliation | | |
On September 30th, we join together in honouring National Day for Truth and Reconciliation: Every Child Matters. This is a day to remember the children who never came home, to hold Survivors and their families in our hearts, and to affirm our responsibility to build a future rooted in dignity, respect, and justice. For those of us who work with young children and families, Every Child Matters resonates deeply—it is a daily reminder that our role is not only to nurture growth and belonging, but also to walk alongside communities in the ongoing journey of truth and reconciliation.
Here in Muskoka, we live and work on the traditional territory of the Anishnaabeg, which includes the Ojibwe, Odawa, and Potawatomi Nations, collectively known as the Three Fires Confederacy. The Huron-Wendat and the Haudenosaunee Nations have also walked this land over time, and today Muskoka is home to three sovereign nations: Wahta Mohawks First Nation, Moose Deer Point First Nation, and the Moon River Métis. These lands are covered by the Williams Treaty (1923), the Robinson Huron Treaty (1850), and the J. Collins land purchase (1785). We hold gratitude for the generations of Indigenous Peoples who have cared for this land and water since time immemorial, and we acknowledge our shared responsibility to honour and uphold the treaties that continue to guide us.
As educators and caregivers, we know that the land nourishes children’s growth, offering them spaces to learn, explore, and bloom. It is our collective responsibility to ensure that these spaces affirm the truths, cultures, and identities of Indigenous families and children, and to create environments where all children feel they truly matter. In the spirit of the Anishnaabeg teaching of the Seven Sacred Gifts—love, truth, respect, wisdom, humility, honesty, and bravery—we commit to listening, learning, and taking meaningful action together.
On this day, and every day, may we walk this path in partnership, with open hearts and steadfast care for the generations yet to come.
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It's our 5th annual - all-Inclusive Conference at Bayview Wildwood Resort!
*accommodation * food * paid wages * incredible speakers *
October 17th + 18th - Spaces are limited!
Registration Closes September 22nd at midnight!
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Stay Informed on What's Happening in Muskoka with Between Two Pines!
Changes to garbage and recycling, opportunities for small businesses, affordable housing developments, road improvements—we've got you covered! Stay informed with our monthly e-newsletter, Between Two Pines.
| | Please note that the information contained in this newsletter is intended to encourage conversation and self-reflection and is not to be considered as advice. | |
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