Great Beginnings Webinar Series

2024 Webinar Series

The Early Years Experience at the DDSB

Is your child registered for Kindergarten at the DDSB? Do you have questions about what a “typical” day for a Kindergarten student may look like?

Watch the video for an overview of “The Early Years Experience at the DDSB”. This video will provide families with information that will help to prepare their child for this new and exciting chapter in their young lives! Families will learn general information about The Kindergarten Program (2016), what a typical day in Kindergarten may look like for their child, as well as things to consider when preparing their child for a successful start at the DDSB.

In addition, the video features voices from our DDSB child care partners, who will provide an overview of child care offerings at the DDSB, and available supports for young children and families within the community. 

Families are welcome view the questions and provided answers families had during the live webinar that took place on April 28, 2022.

Getting Ready to Communicate!

Communication with teachers and other children is important for success in school. Watch speech-language pathologists from the DDSB and Grandview Kids Preschool Speech-Language Program to learn about communication and language skills that support learning and participation. Information will be shared for how to access supports and resources in the community and in the DDSB, as well as other helpful tips to encourage communication at home.

During this video, families will have the opportunity to learn helpful information about speech and language development, receive details on how to navigate additional supports, and will be able to pose general questions they may have about their child’s speech and language development.

The Joy of Kindergarten

The last two years of the COVID-19 pandemic have presented many challenges for young children. As we prepare to support our children with the transition into Kindergarten, you may have many questions about your child’s ability to cope within a new learning environment, as well as their ability to interact socially and make new friends.  

In response to these questions and concerns, we invite families to watch Dr. Jean Clinton, MD, as she discusses the vital role that families play in promoting healthy human development. During the video, Dr. Clinton will advocate for the importance of relationships, and share how families can support a young child’s social and emotional development. Dr. Clinton will also support families in their understanding of how to create a positive sense of belonging and connection through play in the early learning environment. 

Although the last two years have been unlike anything we have faced before, Dr. Clinton shared the latest research, reflect on her own experiences, and remind families that successful development is possible through connection and relationships.

Making Sense of Self-Regulation in Young Children

You may have heard that self-regulation is an important factor affecting children’s school success and their social and emotional development – but how do we make sense of this information to support our young children as they transition into Kindergarten? In this video, educator and self-regulation consultant, Rebecca Leslie, will show families a helpful way to understand self-regulation and what they can do to support its development in a child. Rebecca will review how stress affects a child’s body and brain, the connection between self-regulation and stress, the difference between misbehaviour and stress behaviour, as well as how excess stress affects behaviour and moods across five domains of experience.  

Over the last two years, children have had to face a lot of obstacles, and have been challenged with many stressful scenarios. Rebecca will highlight the Shanker Method®, and the five ways to support self-regulation, which will help families to see their child in a whole new way.  

Watch this informative session on how to make sense of self-regulation in young children!

Available Resources from the Mehrit Centre:

• Self-Reg for Parents Information Sheet
• Self-Reg Courses
• Self-Reg Parenting Course
• Making Sense of Self-Regulation in Young Children - DDSB slide show presentation

Connection Before Correction: Emotion Focused Approach to Parenting

Connection before correction: An emotion focused approach to parenting, was designed to help parents and other caregivers learn skills to better support and coach their child(ren) through their emotions and behaviours. During the session, parents, guardians, and caregivers were introduced to the concept of emotion coaching, the reason for why it matters, and the skills connected to emotion coaching. Recognizing the difficulties of parenting a child through intense emotions or acting out behaviours, families were invited to join Steffanie Pelleboer on the call and arrive with questions they may have as they begin to embark on the Kindergarten transition for September 2023. Please view the video link to watch a recording of the session originally presented on June 15^th, 2023.