Conference Schedule

Friday, Feb 20 & Saturday, Feb 21, 2026

Day 1: Friday, February 20
8:00 – 8:30

Registration - Check In / Coffee

8:30 – 9:00

Opening of Conference & Welcoming Remarks

9:00 – 10:00

Keynote: Jase Williams (New Zealand)

We Are All Wired For Belonging, Connection, and Love

10:00 – 10:15 BREAK
10:15 – 12:15

A-Workshops

A1 - Multi-Purpose Room

Jase Williams (New Zealand)

Holding Hearts, Shaping Brains: Everyday Practices of Belonging and Connection

A2 - Conference Room SA 317

Alex Thompson (Power for All Adventure Therapy Society)

Stretching our bandwidth to regulate children and youth (Neuroception)

A3 - Conference Room SA 119

Alisha Inch & Victoria Lim (Evolving Minds ECE)

Honouring children with all abilities: An inclusive learning community

A4 - Conference Room SA 305

Dr. Anita Ewan (Capilano University)

Shifting blame to belonging: An anti-oppressive child welfare framework for partnering with parents of children with disabilities (Duplicate of D3)

A5 - Conference Room SA 309

Kelly Boca Santa Gesser & TBD (Early Childhood Pedagogy Network)

Living commitments to inclusion: Tracing everyday shifts in early childhood spaces

A6 - Conference Room SA 315

Delena Hills & Allison Wong (Asante)

Reframe and reconsider FASD and other neurodevelopmental differences

A7 - Conference Room SA 113

Dr. Kim Kinnear (NIKERI Institute, Deakin University, Australia)

Reflections: With/In/Through collective, responsive, and reciprocal Aboriginal Australian ways for the inclusion of all bodies and beings in early childhood education (Duplicate of C6)

A8 - ECCE Studio SA 111

Studio Set-up

12:15 – 1:15 LUNCH
1:15 – 1:45

Movement Break

1:45 – 2:00 BREAK
2:00 – 4:00

B-Workshops

B1 - Multi-Purpose Room

Julia Black (Capilano University)

Co-Regulation: Creating spaces of belonging begins with YOU!

B2 - Conference Room SA 317

BC Aboriginal Child Care Society (BCACCS)

Learning Outside Together: Children grow strong on the land

B3 - Conference Room SA 119

Mekdes Gete (Story Time with Me)

Storytelling from the heart of Africa - African oral storytelling tradition

B4 - Conference Room SA 305

Marlo Humiski (Learn. Develop. Succeed. (LDS Society))

Sensory Support as Universal Practice: Creating responsive early learning environments where all children thrive

B5 - Conference Room SA 309

Sara Sutherland, Kelly Pickford, Adrienne Argent, Julia Tevelle (Capilano University Children’s Centres)

Living commitments to inclusion: Tracing everyday shifts in early childhood spaces

B6 - Conference Room SA 315

Tessy Vanderhaeghe (Options for Sexual Health)

Challenging stereotypes in the early years: What we've shifted, what still needs to change

B7 - Conference Room SA 113

Dr. Ame Christianson (University of Melbourne, Australia)

Writing disability and neuro-inclusivity Otherwise: Co-creating activist-practitioner-research in early childhood (Duplicate of D7)

B8 - ECCE Studio SA 111

Dr. Tatiana Zakharova-Goodman & Mirae PinPin (Capilano University & Britannia Child Care Centres)

In Studio Invitations (scheduled in the CapU Studio space)

4:00 – 4:30

End of Day 1, Closing Remarks & Daily Door Prizes

Day 2: Saturday, February 21
8:00 – 8:30

Registration - Check In / Coffee

8:30 – 9:00

Welcome to Day 2!

9:00 – 10:00

Keynote: Dr. Patrick Makokoro

Inclusion: Shaping the future through Community Centred Pedagogy

10:00 – 10:15 BREAK
10:15 – 12:15

C-Workshops

C1 - Multi-Purpose Room

Dr. Patrick Makokoro (University of Victoria)

HuUbuntu: I Am Because We Are-Collaborating, Questioning, Disrupting, and Reimaging inclusive pedagogies

C2 - Conference Room SA 317

Carmen Hartle, Tanya Brown, & Roseanne George (Ayas Lam Family Centre, Squamish Nation)

Circle of Care: Supporting Indigenous Families at Ayas Lam Family Program

C3 - Conference Room SA 119

Landa Fox (Positive Connections)

Supporting Sexual Health and Safety for Neurodiverse Children

C4 - Conference Room SA 305

Charmaine Francis et al. (BC Family Hearing Society)

Hands-On-Inclusion: Supporting Deaf and Hard of Hearing Children in Early Childhood Classrooms

C5 - Conference Room SA 309

Karen LeSage (Baobab Kids)

Yoga and Mindfulness for Neurodivergent Children

C6 - Conference Room SA 315

Dr. Kim Kinnear (NIKERI Institute, Deakin University, Australia)

Reflections: With/In/Through collective, responsive, and reciprocal Aboriginal Australian ways for inclusion of all bodies and beings in early childhood education (Duplicate of A7)

C7 - Conference Room SA 113

Lauren Baldwin

Moving from theory to embodiment: Supporting vulnerable learners through nervous system awareness

C8 - ECCE Studio SA 111

Studio Set-up

12:15 – 1:15 LUNCH
1:15 – 1:45

Movement Break

1:45 – 2:00 BREAK
2:00 – 4:00

D-Workshops

D1 - Multi-Purpose Room

Maeve Slattery

Inclusion through Sensory Experiences

D2 - Conference Room SA 317

Ana Valle Rivera, Karen Papalia, Ilam Muralidharan (Early Years Thriving)

A Bridging of Worlds with a Community Approach

D3 - Conference Room SA 119

Dr. Anita Ewan (Capilano University)

Shifting Blame to Belonging: An Anti-Oppressive Child Welfare Framework for Partnering with Parents of Children with Disabilities (Duplicate of A4)

D4 - Conference Room SA 305

Oshrat Zemel (Early Childhood Educators of BC (ECEBC))

From Awareness to Accountability: Sustaining Anti-Oppressive Practice in Early Childhood Settings

D5 - Conference Room SA 309

Karen LeSage (Baobab Kids)

Empowering Children: Nurturing Consent, Respect and Autonomy

D6 - Conference Room SA 315

Dr. Kinza Pirzada (Capilano University)

Breaking the Frame: Neurodiversity and Inclusive Practice in Early Learning

D7 - Conference Room SA 113

Dr. Ame Christianson (University of Melbourne)

Writing disability and neuro-inclusivity Otherwise: Co-creating activist-practitioner-research in early childhood (Duplicate of B7)

D8 - ECCE Studio SA 111

Carol Veri

Many Voices, One Canvas: An Art Therapy–Inspired Exploration of Inclusion

4:00 – 4:30

End of Day 2, Closing Remarks